Now, before I start, I'd like to make it absolutely clear that I'm a huge fan of Konami's series, and that I was as eager to get my hands on this game as the rest of you. I've owned it since it's release on the 15th, and have played it extensively in that time. I'd like to think that these opinions aren't just typical sequel-bashing.
Now, Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was, up until 15th October, the finest football game in existence. A finely tuned game engine, impressive AI and a wealth of customisation options kept the game very close to my heart. In fact, I was sorry to see it go, and gave it a proper farewell on the 14th by playing one final commemerative tournament. Everything about PES3 was perfect. The crowd's expectant buzz before a match, the loving attention paid to each of the magnificent stadia, the intro movie sent chills down my spine every time I loaded it up. Pro Evo 3 captured the very spirit of football and allowed me to be a part of its fabulous world.
It was with great anticipation that I loaded up the sequel the next day, and was instantly wowed by the new range of options. The presentation was sublime, a huge step up from PES3's somewhat colourless menus. The players were more realistic than ever, and the range of teams and tournaments impressed me right from the start.
But what happened to the game itself? Having been playing the third installment all year I hadn't expected to adapt right away, but it felt like I was playing a whole different game. It felt almost FIFA-esque, in fact. It's rather difficult to explain, but everything is PES4 feels a lot more restricted. Whereas in the previous game goals would be regularly scored from a variety of positions, this is no longer possible in the fourth edition. Headers invariably fly over the bar, ranged shots are easily blocked by defenders or the opposing goalkeeper, attempts on goal from anywhere but the most direct of positions will by skewed wide. The only reliable source of goalscoring opportunities is the standard through ball, followed by a simple tap-in.
The problem is, Pro Evo 4 isn't even particularly difficult. I've only lost two games during my time playing it (that's on the highest difficulty setting, too) and when I moved up from Five to the hidden Six Star difficulty I noticed no change at all. The problem is, creating chances is no trouble at all. In a ten-minute match getting twenty shots on goal is hardly uncommon. However, these attacks are so rarely successful that winning matches becomes a case of pummeling the goalmouth until a lucky deflection or penalty goes your way.
Why is converting chances so difficult? Well, that's easy. The game is far too random. Remember back in the old days when CPU defenders would gain a magical burst of energy to allow them to keep up with your strikers? It's far, far worse in this edition. The speed boost given to opposing defences means that you'll see Aghahowa being outpaced by Southgate on numerous occasions, even with a head start. Should you escape the clutches of aging defenders, you'll meet the superhuman goalkeepers, who will stop a worrying proportion of your shots, leaving you with only a single route; to go around them and walk the ball into the net. This is of course if you've managed to control the ball in the first place, since players on Pro Evo 4 have a worrying habit of letting the ball slip from their grasp with uncanny regularity. Seeing Thierry Henry tamely let the ball roll over his foot and into the hands of the goalie is quite a common occurence on PES4.
But do these factors make the game harder? Not at all, because you'll still be averaging 20 shots a game, and therefore winning consistently. Even this doesn't give you much to smile about, since most of your goals will be identical, with very little in the way of creativity. Goals from outside the area are incredibly rare, and because of the trial-and-error nature of scoring, coupled with the limited variation, goals don't have that same sense of achievement that they did is PES3. I've yet to be truly excited by a goal on the new game.
I don't think that Pro Evo 4 is a bad game. Far from it, in fact. I think that it's a great simulation of football. However, I think that in trying to make the game more realistic, they've sucked the fun out of the series. Indeed, players sometimes mess up. Thirty-yard strikes sometimes go horribly wide, and even the best players lose control of the ball on occasion, but seeing these things occur through no fault of your own isn't fun at all. Realism is one thing, but Pro Evolution is still a game, and ultra-realism should be sacrificed if it detracts from the fun factor of the game.
I'm sure that the majority of you won't agree with me, and that you're enjoying this game as much as the last. I don't want to take that away from you, I just want to voice my opinion. Like I said before, Pro Evolution Soccer 4 isn't a bad game, it's just not my cup of tea. More teams and options aside, PES3 remains the definitive football game for me.
