PES 2011 - The King Is Back

There are very few games in the world that have been able to define and at times transcend a genre, which attract almost religious like following. The Pro Evolution Soccer series, developed by Konami is one of these genre defining games, during it's hayday in 2005 it was the game of choice for people who loved the beautiful game, hours spent playing the game, often leading to students failing exams, and even stories off marriages ending because of the game.

People expected Konami to continue to deliver and when the new generation of hardware arrived in the form of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, fans of the game were salivating at what Konami could do with the increased capabilities of these machines. However, as a great leader once said "with great power, come great responsibility", for Konami the new hardware was the poisoned chalice, they faltered, whilst the nearest competitor EA's FIFA Series made tremendous leaps. Fans become almost suicidal as the king was knocked of it's thrown.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and 2009 were to be frank very poor games. Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 was somewhat return to form for Konami, it looked gorgeous and the core gameplay was excellent, particularly the offline experience. There were gripes of course, mainly the poor/rigid animations and times poor AI, especially the goalkeepers but it was a relief that the series seemed to be back on the right track.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 was announced last week, since then our sources in Spain have told us many additional details but because we are not able to verify what we have been told, it is not prudent at this stage to publish it. However, Konami's press release gave an astonishing amount of information about the improvements that have been made to PES 2011:

• Total Control: PES Productions has enhanced the 360-degree passing ratio, offering unprecedented levels of control over every pass, shot, throw-in, through ball and lofted through balls. This allows users to pass the ball into space, and move their play with total freedom. Players must precisely weight their passes and second-guess the runs of their team-mates and exploit their movement. Players even can apply pressure on opponents to force them off the ball.
  
• Shot & Stamina Gauge: In addition to the generic power gauge, the Shot & Stamina meter details the player’s exact level of fitness. Constantly sprinting will affect the player’s movements and will have an adverse affect on his stats, with passes going awry and a loss of pace.
  
• New Defender AI: Defenders now hold their positions naturally, no longer chasing any ball that enters their area; preferring to close down the attacker and force them into a mistake.


• Animation and Player Physics: PES Productions has totally reworked every element of in-game animation. These additions will become clear before even kick-off, with the players enjoying fluid, natural movements, with more realistic acceleration and inertia than ever before. The physicality between players is also improved, which was a priority requested in PES forums. Jostling and blocking now looks stunning, while there is a larger variety of convincing tackling styles. Ambient animation also adds immensely to the in-game atmosphere, as players behave realistically when off the ball, and walk and run with a variety of individual styles.
  
• Speed of Play: The new level of control means that PES 2011 enjoys a more considered pace of play, which varies dependent on situations. The game will burst into life as counter-attacks come into play, but players can dictate the pace via slow build up or exploiting available space to surge forward. It is harder to make long runs from midfield, and successful play will depend on making quick passes to make room.
  
• Aesthetics: PES 2010 showcased the best likenesses in a football game, and PES 2011 ups the ante further. Facial animation has been enhanced, but the key advances are over 1000 all-new animations which have been recreated from the ground up using over 100 hours of motion captured footage. Every aspect of player movement has been reworked, with more organic runs, turns, throw-ins, tackles, and interaction. The way players speed up and slow down is also more natural, while replays display elements of motion blur that bring your saved goals to vivid life.
  
• Tactical and Strategy: The sheer number of options available in the PES series has established it as a remarkably flexible simulation, allowing players to stamp their playing style on each match. The PES Productions team has implemented an all new ‘Drag and Drop’ mechanism that can be used in every aspect of team management, not just substitutions or formation changes. These settings are also animated to promote better understanding of the plays that have been altered.
  
• Feint settings: PES has always offered a wide range of subtle skills, feints and turns, but PES 2011 allows users to map their favourite move sequences to the right stick, making them more accessible than ever before.
  
• Master League Online: Master League will offer an all-new challenge, as users are invited to try their hand against other managers online. PES 2011 will mark the online debut for its much-loved Master League element, with players bidding against each other for the world’s best players, and attempting to build a squad that can compete with the best against online peers all over the globe.

It does appear that Konami have listened to what the community wanted and the signs are the PES2011 is going to a superb game. We should be getting more news shortly, some gaming websites and magazines have been invited to Tokyo to play the game this week, that in itself shows how confident Konami are about this year's edition, hopefully their impressions will be published in the near future.

So keep checking back as we will post information about this game on a regular basis and we expect EA to release details about FIFA 2011 in the near future.