Games companies sponsoring sporting teams is nothing new. Sega (Arsenal), Nintendo (Fiorentina) and Microsoft (Seattle Sounders) have all tried their hand at it. But a game sponsoring a football team, that’s new.
Just like Microsoft in Europe, Sony Japan are going bananas for hardware bundles this holiday season. With Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and LittleBigPlanet deals already in place, they announced over the weekend a third bundle, this time for Pro Evo 2009 (or, as it’s known there, Winning Eleven 2009). It’ll include a new (for Japan) 80GB PS3, a copy of Pro Evo 2009 and not one, but two DualShock 3 controllers. The bundle will sell for ￥46,980 ($800), and goes on sale November 27.
Pro Evo’s been out for, what, a day or two? Least, it has in Europe. And already, it’s getting an update. A major update at that. Due to be available for download in “about three weeks”, the update will introduce correct licensing for Spanish clubs Athletico Madrid, Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valladolid, while many other teams will receive the correct rosters and playing strips. Controls have also been tweaked, allowing special moves to be performed more easily, and a replay sharing feature has also been added. Good to see Konami are devoted to keeping the game in tip-top shape, but you can’t help but wonder whether this is them hitting the big red PANIC button after rival FIFA’s critical resurgence.
Because seven just wasn’t enough. Hot on the heels of the announcement that Europe would be seeing a range of new Xbox 360 bundles – three of which we already knew about – comes new that there’ll be an eighth hardware bundle for the Holiday season. This one includes a 60GB Pro, a single controller and a copy of Pro Evo 2009, which you’ll get for £190/€270. The bundle will be available in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK, and will go on sale on October 24.
I know, a demo’s already out, but I hadn’t had a chance to download it, so one of the first games I ran for this TGS was pro Evo 2009. Why the running? Because I’m torn on the Pro Evo franchise. Once was a time football purists would buy Pro Evo for the simulation, and everyone else would buy FIFA because it had all the major league licenses. But the last few years? Konami have gotten sloppy. Current-gen Pro Evos looked like last-gen Pro Evos with the cracks painted over, while FIFA has come on strong with a new engine and improved gameplay. In fact, FIFA’s come on so strong that many people have already declared it the winner in this year’s tussle. Me, I’m going to give the old bird one last chance to impress before doing anything drastic.
If you’re a fan of Pro Evolution Soccer then you’re in for a treat. Konami has announced some additional licenses for it’s premiere football franchise. New teams joining the roster will include The Dutch Eredivisie and French Ligue 1. There will also be some updates to clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Liverpool and Manchester United. And last but not least, there will be 3 new stadiums, Wembley Stadium, Stade De France, and Stadio Olimpico di Torino. That’s quite a few new additions if you ask me. The game is coming out for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 17th. New Screens after the jump.
If there’s one lesson I learned from Konami’s super fun gaming day in NYC yesterday, it would have to be coming to the realisation that playing a soccer video game is far more entertaining than watching a real one. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not hater by any means. I respect the sport, and I rarely ever diss its fans. But this is the only instance I can find where the video game equivalent is far more entertaining than the real thing. Is that because real soccer is just that boring? Or is it a testament to how good Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is?
Claws out! Time to get catty. Konami makes Pro Evolution Soccer. EA makes the FIFA franchise. And with Pro Evo 2009 coming out this October, it’s time for Konami to remind folks that it makes the better soccer game. Oh yes. Here’s Konami Pro Evo leader Jon Murphy:
It is all very well for EA to say that FIFA is making great strides, but general opinion suggests that they still have a long way to go before they can match the intuitive and absorbing gameplay of Pro Evolution Soccer… That is not to say that we are resting on our laurels, though. PES 2009 has a vast number of new additions that elevate it far beyond anything anyone else is doing.
Yep, Konami just told EA “nice try, keep going, kid”. For the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer title, Konami secured the Champions League licence for four years, plus signed deals with Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United. It’s also the official video game of the England national team.
Full PES 2009 details revealed [MCVUK]
Time to go trade in that copy of Pro Evo 2008, kids, because the 2009 edition’s been dated for release. Continental Europe, you get it first, on October 15. Britain, you get it October 17, because traffic on the channel tunnel is just a nightmare these days. Japan, you get it sometime in November, and America…no idea. Sorry. Import it from Europe if you’re that keen.
It’s from the Leipzig showroom floor, so don’t expect fancy camera angles. Plus, it’s two Average Joes playing it, so don’t expect to see any kind of fancy goalmouth action. In fact, if you were hoping to see the game’s “radical aesthetic upgrade” don’t expect to see much of anything at all, because if it weren’t for the new font on the bottom of the screen we’d have had a hard time telling you this wasn’t Pro Evo 2008. Or Pro Evo 6, even.
