Reviews// Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

There is also the addition of 'Playing Style Cards'. Do not ask me why. It's probably there because it was new and Seabass's sister's youngest thought it would be an ace idea. It befuddled me. The idea is that you can assign three kinds of cards to a player: Attack Level, Playing Style and Skill. These then affect the player's psychology; except it doesn't. No, be fair. In the 20 hours I've played so far (a drop in the Bovril I know), I honestly could not see how Eddington became any more or less wingery than before I'd psychologically altered him to be very defensive and not as skilful.

Again, this all sounds quite dour. It's not dreadful. Really. Master League still beats the hell out of any management system FIFA 10 claims to have. It's simple and satisfying. The tweaked transfer system is great as it feels much more like (I would imagine) the real thing does. The layout is, as ever, a pleasant journey between points that look initially daunting but then become second nature.

Team tweaking when playing other humans is also simplicity itself. Bear in mind that playing a night of PES with five mates, each of whom has to play the other twice in a 10 minute game, would be made enraging if the team selection, positional tweaking and substitutions couldn't be carried out rapidly. Yes, PES is still a good night's fun.

Before I go, for now, a quick word about commentary. I always used to have my commentary in French. Couldn't understand most of what was being said, but it added some atmosphere and was not as annoying as John Champions histrionics or Mark Lawrenson constantly looking forward to an intense game. Yes, the commentary is still dire. So, can someone contact me and tell me how to retain my UK English set-up but have my commentary in Walloon? Because it's killing the game for me.

SPOnG Score: 85%

Conclusion
Despite what you might have heard, PES is not as dead as The Dell. There is life in the old dog yet. It's still playable. Master League is still obsession forming. The additions of official this and licensed that may have added to realism for some people. It is, however, not up to the current competition from EA Sports when it comes to controlling your players on the pitch. It feels a stodgy and looks old. In short, smile and say "Thanks" to whoever gives it to you.