Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 for PlayStation 2 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

Pro Evolution Soccer has seen quite the fall from grace in recent years. With EA Sports' FIFA series pushing the envelope each and every time it takes the pitch, PES has had a tough time keeping up. It's quite clear that the PS2 takes a backseat in development to the main SKUs on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, so those who spend thirty bucks on the last-gen version shouldn't expect much in the way of innovation or new content. Still, PES 2010 is a solid game of soccer that many will be able to enjoy if none of the other versions are an option.



The one new arrival to the offering of game modes is UEFA Champions League which brings the pageantry of one of the biggest spectacles in European sports to life. It's a fun addition that brings a marquee name to the table, but it does nothing to advance the core gameplay and improve in any real way on the game that people played last year.

One thing that I did notice when playing the PS2 version after reviewing the Wii rendition is that the last-gen offering actually moves at a considerably quicker clip than the one on Nintendo's system. The soccer flows better and the animations are quicker to be carried out thanks to the added speed. I found passing to be a bit off. Occasionally I'd be pressing up the field to a streaking player, only to have a pass shoot off to the wings. Everything looks good in motion and the visual acuity is kept to a higher level than what's seen on Wii.



Other gameplay options have stayed exactly the same. There's still a career mode called Become A Legend, there's Master League where you take the reins of your very own club, there's standard League play, there's the traditional one-off exhibition mode and there's a mode that puts random players on two teams as they take to the pitch. There's certainly plenty of content in the PS2 version, it just happens to be that most of it's more old and tired than it should be.



The lack of online play is also a downer in PES 2010 on PS2. In this day and age every sports game that hits the market should have online play. There's really no way around it. Playing local multiplayer is all well and good, but users who invest thirty bucks into PES 2010 should have the ability to play against their pal a world away if they want.

As I said before, PES 2010 on PS2 actually looks better than the Wii alternative. Players look sharper, have fewer jaggies, and move better on the field. Not only that, but the stadium more alive. As soon as the game starts up you'll see flags waving and you'll hear crowds chanting for the home team. It's a much livelier experience on the PS2 than on the Wii, though it obviously can't compare to anything seen on Xbox 360 and PS3. It's a bummer that they couldn't implement 360-degree dribbling on this aging hardware, but at least the action is quicker and more fluid than on Wii.



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