Aside frombetter-looking players, the onscreen informationis presented more efficiently, with power barsabove players' heads, rather than at thebottom of the screen.
Last year's Pro Evo boasted accurate playerlikenesses, but thanks to an overall graphicalimprovement this year, the game is finally lookinglike a true current-generation title. However, theimpact of the changes is mostly positive-playersno longer perform the same animations en masse(such as before kickoff), and you can even seetheir eyes following the ball during replays,which adds to the realism.
The downside to thisphysicality is that the game is now too strict onfouls if you attempt to put pressure on anattacker, you can expect him to fall over and earnhimself a free kick as a result. There's a much betterfeeling of physicality between players as theyjostle for the ball if it's in the air, forexample, players will compete for the header in aconvincing manner. The game isslower and more considered as a result, and itrewards players who master these techniques byallowing them to dictate the flow of the game.The improved control system complements the newplayer animations, which are more graceful andrealistic than before. This can resultin a frustrating number of misguided passes atfirst, but as you get used to the system, you canmix up passing styles and really control themovement of the ball, rather than being dependenton where the AI player happens to be. Whereaspasses previously found their way to therecipients' feet automatically, you now haveto combine power and direction to place the ballexactly where you want it to go. The control system hasbeen tweaked so that you now have to guide theball much more precisely using the new power barthat appears above players' heads.
It's not in the same league asFIFA when it comes to online integration andpresentation, but it's a welcome return toform for a series that has spent the last fewyears in relegation territory.įans of the series should appreciate howdifferent the gameplay is within seconds ofpicking up a controller. It's certainly slower and moredifficult than last year's game, and thereforetakes longer to learn, but as it retains the samefluid gameplay, fans of the series should embracethe changes. Thankfully, Pro EvolutionSoccer 2011 addresses these criticisms, withimproved gameplay, new features such as the OnlineMaster League, and a higher visual standard thanever before. The Pro Evolution Soccer series has been stuck ina rut for the past few years, with gameplay thathas stagnated and a feature set that has failed tokeep up with rival FIFA.