3.11.2005

I purchased Pro Evolution Soccer 5 on the day of it's realease eager to see how they could improve on it's predecessor which was fast flowing and always captivating. The answer - they slowed it down (that sounds bad but it's not reached FIFA levels i.e. cyclist up an huge incline slow) and made it a tactical battle demanding more from the gamer. In fact often when you've scored a goal you'll feel you've more than earned it.Initially when starting the game there was a period of frustration. After more or less easing past all levels on PES4 (after a period of time admittedly), i found myself struggling to even create a decent opening let alone find the net. The solution,put the difficulty setting down a level or two and get my bearings, believe me this game has got harder. The opposition's defence is often tightly packed and this places more importance on trickery (playing as Ronaldinho is something of a treat) and vision to create openings. It becomes necessary to keep the ball for prolonged periods whilst stretching the play in the hope of producing an oppotunity. Of course, this is far from a criticism as PES5 was purchased as a simulation of the real thing and these tweaks have brought it closer than it ever has been before.The Master League continues to be challenging and there's nothing like starting up your own team from scratch and marching on to win europe's biggest prize. It takes time and patience, but the gameplay of PES5 is worthy of both. The game has become a lot more physical and you'll find smaller framed players struggling against the physically stronger players - the Adriano's of this world. Players running with the ball are also capable of building momentum making it possible to almost bundle past centrebacks on route to goal - it sounds easy but the computer AI is capable of looking after itself.Perhaps most notably the emphasis in PES5 has switched to control. No longer is it possible to receive a pass whilst sprinting and speed past your opponents. In fact you'll more than likely kick the ball too far ahead and lose out to an opposing defender. Irritating initially, but far more realistic.Finally, whilst PES5 is definitely top of the market there are two small niggles. First off whilst licenses for team names have been improved, not all of us in England are Arsenal or Chelsea fans - if you are then lucky you! Personally i wouldn't mind hearing "Liverpool" over "Merseyside Red" but the gameplay of PES makes this a minor annoyance. And secondly the referees have become a little too whistle keen. Often a nothing "collision" will result in a freekick when the impact was almost non existant. And tackles from behind are a serious no go, winning the ball back now demands some real effort on your part (running around holding the 'x' button no longer does the trick). Overall though, PES5 sits well above it's competitors and is the most realistic football simulation out there. If you're up for a challenge and want to live the beautiful game on your console - it's certainly the one for you.

21.10.2005

After playing on the full version last night, I am again in minds if this is a better version than pro 4. I like most people was a little unsure which was better when pro 4 came out, It was alot harder and the shots and headers were nigh on impossible to get right straight away. Now I am totally Pro 4 orientated, the long shots, overheads and the speccies are all part of my normal game. But when I played the Demo a week ago, I found out first hand how tough the game is. I found it incredibly hard on 4 stars. After a few attempts to score and having a few losses and even more draws, I finally scored my first goal, Free kick edge of the box, hit low in front of my striker turns the player and hits it into the crossbar so the goalie has no chance.It felt good but even there the differences are very noticable. No longer can you just turn your player 360 degrees on the ball with no real effort, they will trap the ball whilst their turninmg meaning that they move like you would in real life, your player also takes a more defensive approach to trapping the ball when an opposing player comes close. The animation on the players have been totally revamped, you cant just run into the players and keep running through them as you did on previous games, the players whether on the ball or off are always looking at the ball so when you have (even on the same team) a player running you can actually barge into others and knock them down or yourself, SO there is a lot more to watch for in this game. At the moment the passing for me is not brilliant, I have the full game and am still getting alot of incomplete passes.The first touch passing has been totally changed so if your player is on the wrong foot or in an awkward position to the player he wants to pass to, the pass will not be perfect and could end up losing possession. Unlike Fifa 06(and all other previous fifas) this does not do the bad passing to the other team so blatant. I have played both and have seen great plays and amazing runs into goal scoring opportunities on fifa wasted because they pass straight to (with no effort) the other team, That is one major flaw that cant be accepted in any game especially seeing as this is 1 of the top 2 football games around at this moment. I will admit that on pro 5 this has happened on a few occassions but from being under pressure and having to many players surrounding your passing options.It is good to see another pro title on the PS2 before the ps3 comes out and this game will have to be played alot to master it again, A challenge I know alot of players will want. Maybe thats why alot of people like fifa so much, there is no real difference from playing any of the new versions, you just have no tricks to use. This game is alot harder and will take a bit of time getting used to.

10.4.2006

On Pro Evolution Soccer 4, I won seven successive Master League titles, sometimes going the whole season without losing a single game. I won the treble (League, D1 cup and European Cup) four times and my strikers could score as many as 50 goals a season. So when Pro Evo 5 came out last October and I started a League with Spurs and realised just how much effort it took to simply score a goal (let alone win a match), I was a bit disappointed. However, I decided to stick with it. After two months of getting used to the game's huge change of pace, I finally started to enjoy it. However my enjoyment of the game was coupled with intense frustration at the lack of control I seemed to have over my players in some games.Then I began to undertand that if a game was going to be realistic, my team would have to go through phases of inconsistency - because that's what happens in real life. Since then, I've learnt to take the bad with the good and despite still getting frustrated when my team plays badly, the game has become a lot more exciting and rewarding.The game is a lot harder than its predecessor and you're not going to win every game 5-0 like you could do with Pro Evo 4. In five Master League seasons with Man Utd, I have won the league only twice, losing out to Chelsea three times. Despite the realism of the game, it also has many flaws which really need to be sorted out before the next game comes out. Firstly, the stadiums are always half empty, except for really important matches - this is totally unrealistic. Anyone who follows football will know that most European leagues (especially the Bundesliga and English Premiership) have very good attendances and it is very rare that the stadiums would ever be as empty as they are in the game. Another major problem I have with the game is the referees - they are ridiculously biased towards the home side and give free kicks for nothing sometimes. I looked at the statistics after a match once - I had committed 20 fouls and the opposition had committed only 2! If your team is playing badly and the referee is constantly giving bad decisions against you, it will take an incredible amount of contraint to stop yourself from throwing your controller at the TV! Finally, the lack of licensed teams is something which has been a problem since the very first Pro Evo game. Konami seem to be gradually sorting it out, but I wish they could do it a bit quicker! You get used to it after a while, but it takes a bit of realism away from the game.Overall, Pro Evolution Soccer 5 is a game that takes a while to get used to, but once you do you will generally enjoy it. However, Konami have a lot of work to do before they release the next one. Until then, I'll continue to battle away!

10.4.2006

Lets face it Pro Evo 4 was a complete shambles! Utter Rubbish. You could run around all day with the fast players beating who you wanted and then score a screamer from 30 yards! Fun but unrealistic, plus Pro Evo 4 was riddled with errors, and programming mishaps. Pro Evo 5 is much of the same but somehow is utterly brilliant all at the same time?!The Pro Evo series ever since its ISS beginnings has long been the most frustrating gaming series ever created. No game except a Pro Evo game can leave you feeling completely cheated and frustrated after losing 1-0 in a match you've dominated, only to lose because one of players does something idiotic when the ball comes toward him and the computers

1.5.2011

Well, looking back, PES 5 hasn't aged that bad. In fact, it still remains , along with FIFA 10, the best football game ever. Why? It's simply the most accurate portrait of the real game. Many people still prefer it's follow-up, PES 6, but this particular edition marked the series' peak.The gameplay slowed down quite a bit comparing to PES 4 and while it took away some of that cool arcade feel it really took realism to a whole new level. PES 4 was one of the most arcady takes on football ever and it enjoyed huge success. PES 5, while contrasting with its predecessor, still maintains the same level of quality. It even surpasses it.As i said before, gameplay is slower and more realistic therefore.

14.10.2005

Before you even think of buying this game, ask yourself this question. Which game will i still be playing this time next year? The answer, not many. This is one of the few games you will be playing for ages, right up to when the next edition comes out. It was like that with the outstanding Pro Evo 4, and Pro Evo 3 before that etc.So, why should you buy this when you're still hooked by Pro Evo 4? The answer is in the name. It's not called Pro EVOLUTION Soccer for nothing. Pro Evo 5 has made Peter Crounch sized steps from "Plastation football" to "Real football". It's what we've dreamed of, proper football, it's truely the beautiful game.When you first pick this up and play, you may feel a slight dissapointment.

19.8.2005

OK lets face it, the licencing isn' exactly but it has been improving every game and at long last Pro Evolution Soccer has got two licenced premiership teams which as I don't think anybody can disagree is a big step up in the franchise.Complete with the new kit Arsenal steps into the spotlight as Arsenal and also Chelsea gets a real name.Perhaps in the next Pro Evo we can expect Liverpool and Man Utd.Hear are some quick facts that will save you reading what could have been a long and exceptionally boring review with to many paragraphs.- New middle shooting special ability star for long-range shots- Chips more difficult with less skilled players- Shot bar slightly more responsive- New animations

25.10.2005

This game is special...it's the special one. Why you ask? Because like a great wine it matures over time. What i mean by this is you don't aprecciat it, at first: you can't get possesion, it's slow, poor turning, through balls are immpossible and every single goalkeeper is a genetic clone of Gigi Buffon. What have you done Konami? Then you play it more...the turning is not as slow, you come to realise the graphics have improved from (PES)4, the through balls down the wings are gold and the keepers can be beaten. Moreover, set plays which look identical from 4 are about 5 times more effecitve; headers fly in from a well taken corner and get someone with good stats and you will score some real class free kicks.

24.11.2005

Where to start? Pro evo has always been the connoisseur's choice of football game. And with this latest installment, it's easy to see why. More teams, more stadiums, exquisite photo realistic graphic detail (check out Wayne Rooney's acne if you doubt this) are all added in here as one would expect from any sequel to such a popular and well loved game.What is unexpected though is just how challenging (I wont use the word "hard" - because it just isn't) Konami have made the game. Go one down against the opposition and see the computer teams try to shut up shop - or alternately, go one up and watch what Big Ron Atkinson calls "the charge of the light brigade" in the closing stages as your opponents pour forward,

2.11.2005

As many of you are, I am at mercy to the beautiful game of football, and as many of you are, I am not very good at it.For all the people that agree with the last statement, there is no need for you to join gyms, and no need to hire Teddy Sheringham as your personal football coach, as 'THE ULTIMATE' next best thing is here.Pro Evolution Soccer 5 is a game that takes every aspect of the wonderfull game into consideration. Im talking about how the ball is affected by playing in rain rather than on a hot sunny day, and the way that the stronger players bully the weaker ones off the ball. Konami have really set their mind on making the ultimate football simulation and its bad news for the likes of

20.7.2006

Buying pro evo 5, i was amazed at first by the realism, the way play moved down thepitch and the responses of the players to this, but after a while, the cracks started to appear. Players fall over if touched in any way, giving away a free kick, the cpu players often foul your striker if he is past them rather than letting him have a shot on goal, which makes sense, but outlines the faults in the relationship of strikers/defenders in the game: the players dribble the ball too slowly and even when sprinting are easily caught up with, in real life this is not true. Players who are quick with amazing control like ronaldinho are useless in pro evo as the defender easily catches up with them and tackles them,

10.4.2006

This is the most realistic football simulation that you can buy, and it is so realistic it is borderline scary! Fifa lovers, will scorn at this no doubt because you can't score from 40 yards all the time, or because you can't dribble through defences like they are not even there. But if they just sat down, and spent a little time, getting to know the intricities of the game, they will be in for a very satisfying sometimes frustrating, sometimes emotional footballing rollercoaster.Those of you who have experience of previous PES games, particularly the excellent 4th in the series, will recognise this games more realistic feel, and the fact that you have to be more patient in your build up play.Also passing is very,

6.11.2005

And yes...that is a good thing...And no, it doesnt cost you 7 quid a match!a difficult one this, no doubt, iin my mind the best football game of all time in term of gameplay, but i dont think everyone will agree, why? because its so bloody hard...for anyone who has followed the series from day 1 like myself, at 1st, you will feel betrayed..getting the ball is a nightmare...if youve ever been losing a game to a mate on pro evo 4, and theres 5 minutes to go and they are stroking the ball about the defense, frustrating you like hell, then you will recognise this instantly, which therefre makes interceptions vital.And once youve got the dam thing?1st problem, if you try to take a player on and sprint past him,

10.4.2006

Ok, so I've read alot of the reviews...the best one so far being the one about the Spanish commentry....genious.People are complainin cause its "too hard"..."the computer cheats"..."unlicensed"...blah blah blah.My first point would be, if you are playin this game solo then you are reducin your enjoyment of it 10 fold.The best way to play this game is 2 v CPU. So for all you "billy no mates" out there I would recommend stay away cause you'll get frustrated by the difficulty and you will never reach the echelon heights of "6 stars".There are still a few things I dont like about this game....but they are out weighed by the sheer pleasure of the game play.some bad points.The ref leniency to the CPU tackles is even more ridiculous than PES4The offside rule is not perfect.

1.12.2005

Ive read a lot of reviews here moaning that what "used" to work now doesnt i.e. 1-2, long ball, tackling etc..... well wouldnt it be boring if everything that "worked" in evo4 worked on evo5?? The question is do you want to pick this game up and feel like your playing a previous version of the game and not a lot or if anything has to be done to "master" the title?That’s the point im not playing fifa where on pretty much every release you know what your doing and can score goals (not a dig at fifa) picking up where you left off on the previous version. Yes this game is hard and I believe for players that are used to the series this may be more evident, for example the ref seems extremely sensitive,

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