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IGN Review of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Pro Evolution Soccer, or Winning Eleven as it was known for some time stateside, has always been a step above FIFA in terms of authentic football action. At least that's the way it has been on consoles. On handhelds, things are a bit different with the general lack of hardware power and inability to produce the high production values that EA Sports titles tend to thrive on. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 delivers similar gameplay mechanics to what FIFA brings to the PSP but does so with a more expansive list of moves and modes that are ripped straight from the console iterations.
The best feature of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on PSP is easily that it doesn't give up any of the core modes that can be found in the console editions. While the online mode has been stripped away, you can still play ad hoc against another PSP owner in close proximity so that counts for something. Master League, Cup, World Tour (a mode only seen here and on the PS2), League, Match, and Training are included in this version and none feel stripped down in the slightest. You can still create your own player and sign him to your favorite team and you can still piece together up to 52 teams to compete in a number of unlicensed cup tournaments.
The Master League mode is the star of the stable of modes as it lets you play the managerial role for your would-be powerhouse. You can participate in negotiations where you can pickup unsigned players for a price or you can see your team's estimated earnings for the year so you can budget your spending. While the fan snapshot and other pieces of personality have been removed, the Master League mode in the PSP and PS2 versions actually has a few more difficulty settings that can be tweaked.
The action on the pitch looks about as realistic as you should expect from a PSP game. There are instances when you'll feel in less control than is ideal and players do occasionally move like they're on rails, but all in all the animations work well to deliver authentic football. The range of moves that you'll see is fairly impressive, especially when you consider the limited amount of button real estate on the PSP. Looking through PES's manual you'll find a laundry list of shot and cross types that can be pulled off. Some of the button presses that are required are a bit more convoluted than they are on consoles, but after a bit of time spent in the training mode you shouldn't have a problem pulling them off. Some might miss the second analog stick for tricks, but that's more a fault of the system than the game itself.
We've talked about the upped presentation values of Pro Evolution Soccer in our reviews of the console version and once again we're happy to report that the PSP rendition has seen a similar treatment. While the menu systems obviously can't hold the same resolution as its bigger brothers, the style is the same and the fact that all of the introductory cutscenes are in place is cool to see.
As far as visuals go the PSP version of PES takes the requisite step down when compared to the rest of the field. Players are jaggy with some funny looking bodies, but that's to be expected when playing on a handheld system. The good news is that the animations still perform fairly well, even if you don't feel like you're always in control. Crowds feature a static display of something that is supposed to resemble fans, but fails. Luckily things stay fluid throughout all of the action, unlike the console versions which have an odd tendency to chug during replays.
The audio in PES '08 on PSP leaves a bit to be desired as the commentators who did such a solid job in the console version has been removed. I understand that the PSP has a tougher time with loading pieces of audio but the presentation suffers because of it. The soundtrack features the same tracks as the other version, which is a shame because they're all horrible.
©2008-03-18, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The best feature of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on PSP is easily that it doesn't give up any of the core modes that can be found in the console editions. While the online mode has been stripped away, you can still play ad hoc against another PSP owner in close proximity so that counts for something. Master League, Cup, World Tour (a mode only seen here and on the PS2), League, Match, and Training are included in this version and none feel stripped down in the slightest. You can still create your own player and sign him to your favorite team and you can still piece together up to 52 teams to compete in a number of unlicensed cup tournaments.
The Master League mode is the star of the stable of modes as it lets you play the managerial role for your would-be powerhouse. You can participate in negotiations where you can pickup unsigned players for a price or you can see your team's estimated earnings for the year so you can budget your spending. While the fan snapshot and other pieces of personality have been removed, the Master League mode in the PSP and PS2 versions actually has a few more difficulty settings that can be tweaked.
The action on the pitch looks about as realistic as you should expect from a PSP game. There are instances when you'll feel in less control than is ideal and players do occasionally move like they're on rails, but all in all the animations work well to deliver authentic football. The range of moves that you'll see is fairly impressive, especially when you consider the limited amount of button real estate on the PSP. Looking through PES's manual you'll find a laundry list of shot and cross types that can be pulled off. Some of the button presses that are required are a bit more convoluted than they are on consoles, but after a bit of time spent in the training mode you shouldn't have a problem pulling them off. Some might miss the second analog stick for tricks, but that's more a fault of the system than the game itself.
We've talked about the upped presentation values of Pro Evolution Soccer in our reviews of the console version and once again we're happy to report that the PSP rendition has seen a similar treatment. While the menu systems obviously can't hold the same resolution as its bigger brothers, the style is the same and the fact that all of the introductory cutscenes are in place is cool to see.
As far as visuals go the PSP version of PES takes the requisite step down when compared to the rest of the field. Players are jaggy with some funny looking bodies, but that's to be expected when playing on a handheld system. The good news is that the animations still perform fairly well, even if you don't feel like you're always in control. Crowds feature a static display of something that is supposed to resemble fans, but fails. Luckily things stay fluid throughout all of the action, unlike the console versions which have an odd tendency to chug during replays.
The audio in PES '08 on PSP leaves a bit to be desired as the commentators who did such a solid job in the console version has been removed. I understand that the PSP has a tougher time with loading pieces of audio but the presentation suffers because of it. The soundtrack features the same tracks as the other version, which is a shame because they're all horrible.
©2008-03-18, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved