So I got the PES 2009 demo today. I've been awaiting PES with much excitement, after the disappointment caused by FIFA 09.
The demo version contains 6 teams:
Manchester United and Liverpool (which are the two licensed clubs in the Premier League this time)
Barcelona and Real Madrid
Italy and France
And you can only play the exhibition mode with each match lasting 5 minutes.
The game looks like the same old good PES 2008. The menu navigation is quite the same, but it only feels different.
All the usuals are there in the game: Master League, Tournaments etc,
but this time, there's a new "Become a Legend" mode. This is just like FIFA's Be a Pro mode, but it's only better. Here, you can play a whole career with your created player. There are transfers, and you can decide whether you want to accept a club's offer or not. And of course, you can customize your character to look just like you (This is not a joke. If you have a webcam, you can take a picture of yourself and use your face on the player. Or you could choose an image of yourself which is already on your hard drive). And there are the usual experience points you gain, and you can spend all those points to improve your attributes. This is unavailable in the demo version, so when I get my hands on the full version, I'll be able to reveal more on this.
The graphics have improved, and the colours look more vibrant now.
The gameplay is the meat of any simulation game. I was expecting PES 2009 to offer the same, superb gameplay that it offered in the past. I returned with mixed feelings though.
The gameplay is realistic though. It's just like PES 2008, and there's nothing new about the player movements. BUT, the major difference is that
the game is paced faster. It's more arcade styled now. (Not as much as FIFA though) I personally am quite uncomfortable with this. The player are movements are realistic, and that's fine, but the pace is unrealistic. It's just not the way a real game of football is played. But still, I'll say it pawns FIFA hands down.
Overall, PES 2009 hasn't improved much. There are slight improvements in graphics, and the gameplay remains quite the same. For me, the best thing about this game has to be the "Become a Legend" mode. And in terms of gameplay, I already told you, it's better than FIFA 09.
Screenshots
You're greeted with this when you start to play.
This is the way the menu navigation looks.
Match setup.
This is what you see at the start of a game: same as PES 2008.
The players shaking hands at the beginning of a game.
Liverpool's goal scoring talisman: Fernando Torres
Free kicks in PES 2009: Again, same as PES 2008.
Rooney being slide- tackled.
Ronaldo takes a shot.
Corner kicks.
Tevez with the shot. Almost in. Noooooo!!!!
Battling hard for the ball.