The first shocking thing when you start Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 comes from the completely changed interface compared to previous editions. In addition to the urban culture side which again replaces the sobriety characterizing the golden age of the series, it is especially all the navigation in the menus which has been entitled to an overhaul. Confusing for old rogues, it is ultimately quite practical, with all the options at hand before kicking off. No need to go through half a dozen validations and as many cancellations in the event of an error, you can walk around quite freely between the choice of teams, jerseys, stadium or general options. The content, on the other hand, has not been modified in form, unlike in substance. We will pass over the traditional but no less essential Cups and Leagues to specify that the Champions League is now integrated into the Towards a Legend and Masters League modes, the two large pieces supposed to occupy the lone wolves; in the same way as the Europa League, known as the Parisian European Cup. The clubs embodied in these two game modes can therefore qualify and participate in these competitions, with their own rules and a dedicated skin. Towards a Legend seems better balanced this year, also more transparent with its coach confidence gauge which indicates more or less the time left to wax the bench. The prestigious teams always recruit us to test us first with their replacement rather than asking us to bench directly. But we will forgive this small gap because the creation of our avatar finally gives birth to a credible footballer. Those who had given up on the difficulty of last year's challenge will certainly be able to rediscover this mode with its fairly significant addiction potential.
When the attack ticks…
In truth, the real novelties are not there, but on the side of the Master League. If there is nothing really revolutionary or even disturbing for veterans experienced in this exercise, it is important to note that the management dimension has been considerably developed, at the risk of nibbling a little more on the social life of followers. Currency based on real currencies for more authenticity, appearance of a recruitment cell that can manage transfers for us, a training center, a fan club, love and discontent coasts at members of our team, sponsors… A lot of elements can be taken into account. Having the services of a good physical trainer and a first-rate doctor promotes good physical condition throughout the season and better recovery in the event of a problem. The level of the coach who leads the team is also important for the development of young shoots, even if they will never integrate our standard formation. Who would decently want a Castolo or a Louga in their team? Person. For a fee and a few – fictitious – weeks of waiting, it is also possible to call on a specialist who will train a player for a position other than his own or make him acquire one of these famous skill cards which replace the traditional stars. Incidentally, we still do not manage to grasp the why and how of this change of form.
If there is nothing really revolutionary or even disturbing for veterans experienced in this exercise, it is important to note that the management dimension has been considerably developed, at the risk of nibbling a little more on the social life of followers. "
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 wants to empower the player. This is clear with the new possibilities offered in the Master League, but it is even more so when you are interested in pure and hard football. Like the rest of the game, the Formation menus reveal major changes that force you to spend more time off the field, if only to shape the game system at first, assign roles by next, to conclude on the general strategy that we want to see applied. All these once so natural elements are getting closer to what exists in the last FIFA and require additional efforts from the coach who sleeps in us, justified by variable statistics depending on the position occupied by the players (for example, Benoît Cheyrou is much more effective as a torchbearer than in defensive midfielder; Rooney as an attacker support rather than centre-forward); an average rating sums it all up very well, although we observed a few more malfunctions in the placement than in the address itself. Logical in practice, but really strange according to Konami's mathematics. Still, we prefer it the other way around. More subtle, the system of sliders makes it possible to manage more or less the behavior of the team by playing on the intensity of the pressing, the support for the ball carrier, the distance between the lines or the placement of the full-backs... effect is guaranteed, and moribund teams can literally be transformed after a few clever calculations. We simply regret that it is necessary to grope a little and with each change of formation before finding the magic formula. The last touch to bring therefore comes from the card system quickly mentioned above, which allows you to activate or not certain special skills. We especially think of the defensive withdrawal of an attacker or the offensive range of a rear. Here again, the slightest modification is immediately felt. Which doesn't mean that the good old arrow system of "offensive attitudes" can die quietly.
100% foot ?
So important in the past, their eviction can leave you wondering, especially since some major shortcomings partially render all the aforementioned elements supposed to replace them obsolete. Let's not beat around the bush anymore, PES 2010 is once again haunted by its old demons. Less cracked thanks to an attack / defense balance found, the title of Konami is no less rotten by aberrant script errors which simply prevents any counter-attack from experiencing a happy ending. Seeing a partner refuse to take the ball or a pass to the goalkeeper finishing in the back of the net are the kind of classics we would like to do without today. Even at three against two, the players never dare to dive into space or solicit the ball. Their placement offers few alternatives, and even if they were put into orbit, their robotic races prevent them from embarking on great furious rides. Calling on Lionel Messi for motion capture sessions so that he has fun with the ball is good, asking him to hit a sprint is perhaps better in the current state of things. The construction of the game is also a real concern, the fault of a catastrophic inertia which makes each hook – at 90° – painful. Oriented controls are a real pain as they seem forced and ineffective, while miraculous slaloms in a handkerchief are much less likely to succeed due to the slowness of the starters. We also wonder where the 360° dribble announced at gamescom went… In general, the whole title loses fluidity and naturalness, despite a fairly high game speed . The still somewhat hazardous passes chop up a rhythm that didn't require so much, and the excessive use of the backheel cause totally stupid ball losses. Wanting too much to play on instinct, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 sometimes quickly reminds us that we must “put the game down” by doing the moldy control that wastes precious time. To our great regret. The physics engine is acting up again this year, and it's really time for Konami to look into the matter. A ball that crosses the crotch of the goalkeeper, a contact that resembles the collision between two remained or falls when no real physical confrontation has taken place sometimes make the spectacle pathetic. In the small perimeters, the title annoys, and when we see five opposing players pressing on us, we say to ourselves that Konami has tinkered with the means at hand to make us believe in a simulation. Even if it means getting rid of any basic tactical notion. Slowing down an attacker and sticking him with a whole litter of guard dogs necessarily requires going through collective play. Suffice to say that the weapon of mass destruction that is the back pass will be less easy to place. To return to the repump register of FIFA, note that the calamitous management of penalty shootouts gives new meaning to the expression “lottery”. A small correction on the sensitivity of the stick would be welcome.
Mega Man Soccer Rebirth
Fortunately, we can draw some reasons for satisfaction from this edition which ultimately makes it enjoyable as long as we carry the series at least in our hearts. The sometimes lax refereeing is relatively well managed, whether to leave the advantage or in the passive offside. Some should learn from it. The physics of the ball is still the best on the market, perhaps we can regret the effectiveness of the strikes – lightning – when the line of 16 meters 50 comes. which is done in the competition thanks to transitional phases always so impeccable. The number of movements is certainly less than in a FIFA 10, but the little that is offered to us is sufficiently well executed to make our footballers credible. Everything is a question of feeling that the regulars will appreciate a minimum. The sound environment has also benefited from admirable work, which manages the home/outdoor factor, and even the bedroom dimension. Too bad Grégoire Margotton and Christophe Dugarry, in the comments, do not immerse us as much. Withdrawn and sometimes off-topic, they are no worse than good old Christophe Jeanpierre. Too busy checking the state of the pitch, our house David Astorga doesn't realize that Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is a graphic killer at times. A problem of style or contact lenses, the explanations are not clear. However, reality bursts the screen, the title of Konami is more beautiful than that of Electronic Arts. The crepe paper used for the development of the jerseys in FIFA 10 is confronted here with outfits much more convincing. The small folds that are made and unmade according to the movements are a little pleasure for the eyes and refer directly to the quasi-photorealistic modeling of the greatest players. PES 2010 clearly marks a split with everything that has come before. You only have to see the teams waiting in the tunnel before the match, their entry onto the lawn and their attitudes during slow motion to understand that the software is evolving into a new dimension. Of course Mamadou Niang is still one of the players poorly considered by the Seabass teams, but next to the faces of Zlatan, Messi, Torres, Gourcuff, Nasri, Ferdinand, Evra and so many others, we can hardly blame the reduced staff from Konami.
However, reality bursts the screen, the title of Konami is more beautiful than that of Electronic Arts. The crepe paper used for the development of the jerseys in FIFA 10 is confronted here with outfits much more convincing. The small folds which are made and undone according to the movements are a little pleasure for the eyes and refer directly to the quasi-photorealistic modeling of the greatest players.
We salute the tour de force as it should, even if we can't help but think that KCET hasn't tackled the real problems that have plagued the series in recent seasons. The tactical options introduced here are a good attempt to disguise the matter, but no one will be fooled, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is based on achievements that are partly outdated in our time and even affords the luxury of imposing bad quality inertia on us. The moles of some or the scars of others are small things once the camera is far away. And are completely forgotten when the twenty-two actors begin to come alive. Let's hope that by dint of repetition, Konami finally realizes that the revision of the animation of the races and a real management of the collisions are imperative for the PES series to evolve in the right direction. The argument of the downloadable patch excuses the total absence of the Bundesliga, the lack of licenses for many La Liga or Premier League teams, the curious disappearance of certain sponsors on the shirts and the non-approval of certain transfers from the Japanese high authorities. . Hopefully it will also do so on the still minimalist online part, but that says more or less stable for what we were able to experience on the beta in which we participated. Impeccable against our Iberian neighbors and our cousins from Great Britain, the tests were however polluted by a slight lag in the face during our games against the Italians and the Germans, and paradoxically proved to be unplayable against the French. History does not say if the connection of our compatriots is to be incriminated, what is with certainty, it is the behavior of the losers who do not hesitate to leave the game when they are literally outwitted. According to our modest experience, it is a continental constant, except for British gentlemen who know how to keep a certain dignity even when leaving with a suitcase.
