Pro Evolution Soccer 4
And we wondered why Ben was slacking of late...
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You have to feel sorry for Konami. Think about it. Unlike EA, most companies are not content to simply offer updated stats and squad sheets when they release annual franchises. So how on earth do you release a worthy yearly update to arguably the greatest game ever made? How do you refine a piece of software that already verges on gaming perfection? In the same way you could argue that Lucas has somewhat distilled his vision of the original Star Wars by continually tweaking them to an extent that they lose what made them so brilliant in the first place (though that I do not agree with), can Konami keep on improving what is already a brilliant formula? Is there not the danger that one day the brilliance will be distilled too much? Fortunately, Pro Evolution Soccer 4 proves that this isn't quite the case. Not yet, anyway.
But there is something different about PES4, something unsettling. The first Pro Evolution Soccer is the game that convinced me to buy into the next generation of consoles. Its depth of play and sheer brilliance of control has consumed me like no other series I've ever encountered. I've greeted every update with open arms up to now, celebrated as Konami have seemingly improved upon the unimprovable. But PES4 is a little different. For the first time ever I've found myself carefully considering the game, asking one dreaded question - is this better than Winning Eleven 7 International? (the Japanese update to PES3, and easily the best in the series up to now.) In truth, I think the answer is yes, but I can tell you that it's a far closer call than I ever would have thought.
That's not to say that PES4 isn't sufficiently different from PES3. Far from it. As with previous updates the gameplay has been "refined", perhaps more so than we've seen with any of the updates up to now. The question is whether this "refinement" has improved or detracted from what makes the series so great. Am I sounding vague? I think so and I apologise, but it's hard to be any more specific. You see, when you live and breathe a series as with PES, the experience goes beyond the normal confines of gaming. It becomes tough to evaluate objectively, to look at it with fresh eyes. The truth is that since I received the review code of PES4 last week, something has been lingering in the back of my mind. Don't get me wrong - I've enjoyed the game in a way that only Pro Evolution offers. I enjoy losing my life to the Master League, losing sleep to that overriding urge to have "just one more go". All of that is still there and I've still loved every minute. But there's just something. A worry, a concern, not tangible as such, more instinctual. It's hard to understand myself, let alone convert it to the written word. I guess the best way I can put it is like this - whilst PES4 is undeniably brilliant, it also hints at the fact that in an effort to justify updating the series, Konami have had to change the formula to an extent that it's on the verge of losing sight of what made it so great in the first place. What that is I can't be sure, and I guess that's the problem.
This is getting out of hand! Let's concentrate on something tangible, the obvious improvements. First off, the Master League is now more consuming than ever. When starting your career you're now free to choose between the regular default line up as featured in previous games, a custom line up of selected players or the proper players for your selected team. In my case this means that I'm able to start a career with the same Southampton squad that walks out on the pitch every Saturday. It may only be a minor feature to some, but for me this is the single biggest improvement in the game. With all of the current Premiership teams now on offer, it's certainly a mouth-watering proposition.
Unfortunately, it's still not possible to play the Master League with the correct national leagues; instead it favours fictional leagues comprising a random selection of teams from across the world. This also means that you'll only ever be up against a quarter of the teams in the game in your domestic league throughout your career. In fact, it's fewer than that when you consider that not only will eight teams be battling it out in the division below you (once you have been promoted) but also not all teams in the game feature in the Master League at any one time. When you begin the league rosters are selected at random, and with more teams in the game than there are places, some teams are left out altogether. So for me there will be no local derby and no face off against the Mancs, as neither Portsmouth or Man Utd feature in any of the leagues. Without doubt the single biggest enhancement Konami can include in PES5 will be the ability to play in the correct national leagues in the Master League, and let's hope it happens.
Aside from this quibble, there is much to be excited about. Players now age and as they do so begin to stat down. So, as a defender hits his 30's you'll notice a gradual loss in pace and sharpness around the box. Conversely, play a younger star frequently and you can take delight as his abilities slowly increase. This does mark an end for players who liked to enjoy the likes of Henry spearheading their attack for 30 seasons, but in the search for realism it's a logical progression for the game and a welcome one. The transfer market is now both more involved and more manageable. Negotiations may be tougher, but new search parameters offer the chance to search out "Ace Strikers", "Playmakers", "Defensive Midfielders" and other specialist roles. Also, player wages are now paid at the end of the season, not as you progress, so you'll have to manage your accounts closely to avoid game over at the end of the season.
Comments
After reading your review and the wealth of PE knowledge that you posses I feel a lot better about the drubbing you gave me on this game down at GameStars. It also sounds like my usual ‘vigorous’ style of play is going to land me on the wrong side of many penalties…
You wait 'till we're Live mate!
Sounds quality. I hope it gets fully liscensed teams 4 Pes 5 but i hope it doesn't lose that special pes feel. thanks for the knowledge. i'll look forward to beating you on the xbox live version
Thanks mate. Bring it on Banksy ;-)
finally!! the first review of PES4!! thumbs up to ferrago and ben. how come you guys haven't reviewed rome:total war??
hey great review that. Told all us die hard pes fans what we wanted to hear. Im encouraged by the new tweaks but worried about teh loss of ball control as i rely heaviIy on near totla possesion. I suppose ill have to see for myself how good it is. Pro evo is quite clearly the greatest game ever made and is the only reason i have a console. well done konami and keep giving teh fingers to fifa and thier crappy license fees. i couldnt give a damn about names of graphics to be honest, its all about the gameplay for me. still cant believe belive people are still buying fifa though. Talk about style over substance!!!
great review - thanks for giving an insight into what i can expect! good to see that all the irritating features of the PES series are shared by others as well .... hopefully konami will finally think about ironing them all out for pes5, even if this version seems to be continuing the move in the right direction.
Thanks folks :-)
Yesterday I played my first pes4 game against my mate. Me and my mate play the game from the start as ISS on supernes.
I was *very* pleased with the game. In short I got the convinced feeling there was much more in it for me, that the gameplay was *much* deeper.
And yes, my first killer shots where rolling toward the keeper. And Vieri mist a header that was harder to mis than not :-) My mate scored a header when my goalkeeper was cheering at the audiance behind him! And we had some suspicious 'handball' like decisions by the ref.
Also the ref was dressed in almost the same colors as my AC Milan squad, but didnt react when I, in the speed of things, played him the bal or told him to tackle ;-)
Still, I was thrilled.
your right about it feeling different to play than pes3. ive had the game for 3 days now and after my first game the excitement was gone! The players feet move too fast on the ball and look like theyre running on ice at times.it just doesnt look as real as pes3. and the way they kick the ball sometimes seems a bit fake. dont get me wrong, this is the BEST footie game there is. ive had every game in the series for the last 6 years, but i fear the jump from pes2-3 was much better than pes3-4. is it slowly gonna turn into fifa, concentrating on kits and stadiums rather than realism
I agree with a lot of what you say, big perm, though I don't think the problem is a shift of emphasis from gameplay to presentation. Weird isn't it, how the game is both so excellent and also so worrying? Now you understand why I found it such a difficult review!
Ben, you are wrong about the Master League. You can buy an option in the PES-Shop to edit the ML for 2000 PES, so you can pick the teams that go into the four leagues. That way you can pick 16 English teams to play in the 1. division.
does any1 know if there is a cheat disc you can buy for pes 4 that changes all the names of teams and players?
The first thing that I found was the increased tempo of
the game, and with the ability to perform through ball
cut back passes, this makes it very hard for a 2 player
game where both are good at the game. I don't know why
the speed setting option of the original ISS's was taken
out in the first place to be honest.
The game scores many plus points for me in the improved AI & 6 star difficulty setting. Yes, PES3 and PES2 was far too
easy for veteran players so I found so this is a welcome
change. Banging in lots of goals on PES2 and PES3 was no
exception. And the COM player would still trudge along
the same losing path when your defence was solid.
At least the COM player in PES 4 DOES SCORE. Try int cup
on level 6 and come up against someone decent in the
quarters or semis, if you go 1-0 down then expect to bust
your hands trying to win anything out of the game. Now
THIS level of COM play AI is what most ppl have been
waiting for, whats the point having a world class game
( PES3 ) if when you know how to play you can trounce it time and time again.
A quick tip, don't bother starting a masterleague on level
5. Earn PES shop points quickly by completing the challenge
training, then buy 6 star difficulty and setup a m/l for
a REAL challenge.
is there now 16 teams in 1divison? and 8 in 2divison?
when will pes4 go online,
coz my mates are no match for me
Thanks for pointing that out, jogi. I feel a new master league approaching for me!
Does anyone have a list of the proper tam names so i can edit them:-)
Im glad im not the only pro evo fan in a state of confusion about the new release!! I felt very both excited and uneasy about this new game. In all honesty I think Pro Evo 3 has better and more realistic gameplay but the fact Pro Evo 4 has player updates,new stadiums etc. all make Evo4 playable but add the player updates and new stadiums to Pro Evo 3 and its the game for me!!!
this game is amazing
its hard as hell to score headers and free kicks in pro 4 its good but its losing its class
Craney, I'm sorry I dont agree. Unlike PES3, scoring headers now means leaving your button press till the
latest possible time to get more power and direction
behind the header.
On PES3 scoring headers from corners was a joke.
It was bad in a 2 player game to give them away
because more often than not they ended up in the back
of the net so many times, it was almost as equal to
giving away penalties. I for one am glad this has been cleaned up for PES 4.
Cool review... you PES don!!
does anyone know if a FAQ for the team roster can be found floating around on the net?
I'm more concerned about the team, and stadium names right now, and can deal with getting the players I didn't edit from PES3, a few months down the line?
Any ideas guys or are people to busy working their magic with the game to right a FAQ!
p.s With regards to you comments on the teams making the up each league with in ML mode... I was under the impression you can buy a league editing tool in the PES-shop where by you can build your own league before the season has started?
i was the best on PES3 and i will be the best on 4 for sure
I've only ever played ISS pro evo 2 before this release as well as *embaressed look* a heck of a lot of fifa games going back too fifa '95. I can understand what you guys are saying in that for you vet's it's losing it's identity and the things that have made the series so addictive for you, but....having a bit more of an outsiders point of view and having come into the series very late on and completly missing pro evo 3, i have to say this game is INCREDIBLE!!!!
The only footie game I've bought since pro evo 2 is Fifa 2005 (HOW STUPID WAS I TO THINK I WOULD BE ANY GOOD!!!), and I'm actually pretty shell shocked at how good it is. I never thought a footie game would get this realistic. I've only been playing it a few days and I feel there is so many more features to uncover, it's great :D It's miles miles ahead of Fifa in terms of gameplay and it's actually enoyable to play where as Fifa is simply so fraustrating that it makes u wanna wrap the controller cable round ur eyes until u don't have to look at it anymore..
It's a shame it's losing it's feel for some of u old skool ISS'ers, hopefully that will be sorted next year, but I'd just like to say, to anyone who's not bought this yet, or anyone still throwing money away on Fifa - GET THIS NOW!!! IT's absolutely wicked :)
So good, i feel like writing a review :D
Im a bit late but anyway i want to make a few points...
We7i is the same as pes3. We7ij is the much improved game.
Double and triple tapping cross for different crosses was in pes3 too.
The different feel of the game that you talk about but dont seem to be able to put your finger on, i believe, is simply players being pulled out of position much more and teams not keeping their shape anywhere near as rigidly as in pes3. I also had a strange feeling when playing at first, thinking something isnt right, but im sure this is what it is. Maybe it is a tad overdone, but its more realistic.
The way to almost completely eliminate slowdown is to turn off stadium effects.
Hi guys. I've been reading your comments and views on the new game. Heres to say that there are some views i agree and some that i disagree with. I have created an ultimate update spending over 65 hours compiling the latest data. I have included Correct Player names For both national and club teams, including the back of players tops and commenrty names etc.
Fully updated transfers
to the 04/09/04, meaning teams like Chelsea have all of their new players. man utd have Rooney, Madrid have Owen etc
Club team names/Commentry names all correct
All club team and all national names correct
Fully optimized squads,
meaning teams always start with their strongest lineup. All the Club team Badges/Emblems and flags have been made 99% perfect. All the Club and national kits have been made life like with all the sponcers badges and names, (man utd will have vodaphone and the badge and nike tick) I must say that this has dramatically enhanced the game overall and improved playability and realism. If you are interesting in purchasing this update contact me on toni_damaro@hotmail.com. Cheers guys.
hello its bug
pro 4 rules
who wants to challenge me at pes 4? i'm the best!
DOES ANY ONE WANT TO PLAT THE GOD OF ISS4!
PS IT IS THE GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!