29-Oct-2004 Take a long, deep breath. Go on. Smell anything? Freshly cut grass? Deep Heat rub? How about the stale odour of sweaty socks? Memories of school changing rooms and Games teachers who followed you into the shower take us right back to the days we actually played football. Some of us might not have played since, but that's when our lifelong obsession with the beautiful game began.
Developers have long tried to capture the holy grail of footy titles - accurate gameplay, and Konami's long-running PES series (formerly known as ISS Soccer on SNES and Mega Drive back in the '90s) has been a firm home fixture on Sony consoles for the last few seasons. However, the local lad done good is about to explode onto the transfer market once more. Yes, Pro Evo is moving on to bigger and better things, signing on the dotted line and making its Xbox and Xbox Live debut.
Realistic player animation has long been the key to an authentic footy experience, and luckily Pro Evo delivers like a perfectly weighted cross-field ball straight to the feet of bang-on accuracy. We could harp on about intro sequences of various games all day long, but like a shockingly good pre-game show, PES4's opener is something to behold. Rendered players running, moving, shooting and heading, all in an unbelievably realistic manner? Yes please! More than just preceding eye candy, this really sets the tone for an incredible footy experience. In-game, every pixellated little prima donna moves exactly like they would in real life, incorporating all the physicality of running, shooting, heading and tackling. Tons of great additional little touches elevate PES4 far above the jostling competition too. Just check out the way two players competing for the ball try to shoulder each other away, and failing that, pull each other's shirts until one goes down.
Getting to grips with these new skills, even for PES pros, is made easier than ever with the great new training modes (see Training Day, page 065). Free training allows you to take your team around a pitch without worrying about any competition, whilst Situational training allows you to hone dribbling, passing, shooting and moving off the ball. Even if you consider yourself a dab hand at the previous PES titles, it's well worth putting it in pre-season with this mode to gain the upper hand on unsuspecting mates.
And that's part of the beauty of PES4 - the game can be played as casually or as deeply as you like. First-time players can quickly master the rudimentary basics of dribbling, passing and shooting, thanks to the intuitive controls coupled with a well-measured learning curve - and translate them into fast and flowing gameplay. Spend some extra time with PES4 however, and a whole stadium's worth of deep and complex tricks, shimmies, stopovers and variations on your regular shot are at your fingertips.
If close rival FIFA Football 2005 (see review on page 058) is the pretty boy David Beckham of the genre, then PES4 boasts somewhat uglier, yet infinitely better, Rooney-esque playability. The facial features of players in PES look nowhere near as detailed as in FIFA, and the overall rough and ready look of the game can't compete with the delicate finesse of EA's title. Not all European players are licensed (the German and Dutch players boast comical doppelgängers), and English Premiership clubs once again are substituted for geographical guises. The front end menu is trademark Konami; simple, ungainly text with minimal presentation.
However, if you're a keen aficionado of football titles, accurate gameplay wins hands down over metrosexual mannerisms any day of the week. And win it does, because Konami has managed to produce the most realistic and authentic football simulation ever to grace our television terraces. Because of the true to life nature of the game, you've no choice but to really think about playing just as you would a real game of football. Playing one-twos, and constantly giving your team-mates a viable angle, is just as important as creative movement off the ball and tracking back with attacking strikers.
Astounding ball physics help this no end - and the way players react to awkward bounces is breathtakingly accurate. Wayward touches, along with wince-inducing shot deflections, really affect the flow of the game for the better. And on the subject of a steady flow, passing has evolved into a finely balanced mix of highly accurate short balls and looser, ambitious longer balls. Shooting is still initially easy to get to grips with for simple placed shots, yet chips, long drives and free kicks will take an age to completely master (see The Slightest Touch, left).
Your AI team-mates are surprisingly on the ball too. Displaying a massive range of movement, they'll frequently make intelligent runs off the ball, either into space or to draw defenders across goal. They're not too shabby at tackling either; switch from controlling a player near the ball to cover that forward making a surging run into the box, and those near the ball will still brilliantly track back and try to challenge the attacker.
Admittedly gameplay is more weighted towards attacking play than previous titles (again, like FIFA Football 2005 ), with through-balls, always a bit of a gamble in PES3, now almost guaranteed to split defences and reach the feet of strikers bearing down on defences. Tackling is tricky to master, but the choice of either rash, sliding tackles or intuitive pressing techniques are fantastically realistic. Players sprint uncharacteristically fast as well, but again this emphasises the more arcadey, high-scoring nature of the game.
Aside from numerous single-player leagues and tournaments, PES4 roars off the bench and smashes home its confirmation as the leading strike force of multiplayer sports titles. We've never had so much fun jostling around with three other sweaty men, and the enjoyment factor is amplified exponentially when three mates join in for some hotly contested action. Elevating this above the norm however, is the fantastic inclusion of Xbox Live. It's taken EA several seasons, but Konami has launched an all-out online attack, and PES4 pounces on this teasing through ball of playable possibilities and hammers home a sure-fire winner. Gameplay should remain as smooth and silky as the offline modes, meaning Sky Plus is left back in the changing rooms as PES4 comes right back to deliver the most scintillating form of interactive soccer entertainment around.
Chances are if you're a fan of football titles, you'll have played the Pro Evo series at some stage. Let's face it, it was the only acceptable reason to still own a PlayStation 2. But now Xbox's new signing has made such a convincing home appearance, that Pro Evolution Soccer 4 has finally found its perfect strike partner. Lace up your boots for the most immersive, accurate, and moreover fun footy title ever made. Liquid football.
Between random bouts of shopping at Dolce & Gabbana, 'conversations' with supermodels and fleeing from hotel rooms (sunglasses on), footballers do actually work pretty hard on the training ground. Here are just three exercises to make you a world-class Evo player.
Dribble your way through the cones in the quickest possible time to score points. Not easy.
Practise Free kicks in Challenge mode. Hit the target and score points to progress.
Keep possession against defending opponents. Hold those triangles together, boys.
// The Slightest Touch
Mastering the use of deft little flicks and touches is vital if you're going to challenge one of the very competent computer AI teams. Make full use of the wide range of controls to shoot your way to success.
The keeper’s coming out, but keep a cool head and calmly slot the ball underneath his sprawling body. Eat my goal dust, goalie!
Crespo’s got his back to goal when he receives the ball. Use the Right thumbstick and Black skills button to turn round the defender.
You’ve got space, so open up using the sprint button (R trigger) to dash clear of the defender. Be liberal with its use or you’ll lose possession.
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