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Why Robin Makes Batman Better And suddenly downloads of the Fifa 2008 demo in Europe drop like a stone, as Pro Evo 2008′s demo hits Xbox Live Marketplace. Weighing in at a healthy 1.18GB, the demo is available everywhere fine Xbox Live players are found, with the exception of North America and Asia, because North Americans don’t appreciate the sport enough and both call it Winning Eleven instead of the proper PES. I really wish I could say more, but I just don’t follow the sport. Otherwise I’d make some witty, team-specific comment or something that would cause some sort of comment-brawl. My exposure to soccer is limited to high school PE, where the upper classmen used it as an excuse to repeatedly kick the lower classmen in the junk. Here’s hoping PES 2008 is better than a kick in the sack!
I know, Metal Gear was important, so I did that first, but there was one game on this showroom floor I wanted to play above all others. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Or, you know, Winning Eleven 2008. Either or. Anyway, hey, current-gen Pro Evo, nice to see you. Was expecting you last year, but late’s better than never. Especially when you’re this fantastic.
The current iteration is what last year’s should have been. Player animation and models have been greatly improved, tackles and contact are now much more realistic and the whole thing’s a lot more polished, with stuff like new incidental animation and a new front-end.
Course, for anyone who doesn’t regularly follow this, none of that will matter. It’ll look like Pro Evo. But for fans, especially fans disappointed with last year’s 360 effort, I’d advise you to prepare for good times.
Mario, Orange Box, Halo 3, none of this matters to millions of gamers across the planet. They don’t give two shits about a bee suit or finishing any fight, they just want to see if Lionel Messi’s face looks OK, or if the free kick mechanic has been improved by 6%. That’s right. They need their Pro Evo, and that’s all they need. If that’s you (and it’s a small part of me), October 26 is the day Pro Evo 2008 is due to be released in Europe. That’s the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and mobile versions. PSP and DS are due in November, Wii is due sometime early next year. Warmly enthusiastic press release follows.
Pro Evo fans, you’ll know what this is about. American fans…imagine if the rights to Madden didn’t come in one all-encompassing package. Imagine if each team’s kit supplier, each team, each stadium, each league, each national body and even the players association had to be signed on individually. That’s an issue Pro Evo’s always faced, and one they’ve slowly improved each season as they add more and more official teams and leagues to their roster. For the 2008 version, Konami have announced a range of new club sides and national teams, which include:
National teams: Brazil, Portugal, Greece, Scotland and Ireland
Club teams: Newcastle, Tottenham, RSC Anderlecht, HJK Helsinki, IFK Goteborg, Panathinaicos, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbache, NK Dinamo Zagreb and FC Basel
The gentlemen at IGN Australia just got hold of some preview code for Pro Evo 2008, and one thing stands out for me. The game now features “simulation”. Or diving. Or cheating. If you’re an attacker through on goal, pulling both shoulder buttons will cause your player to go to ground. Do it right, you earn yourself a penalty and a cheap goal. Get it wrong and the ref will book you. I don’t like this. Not one bit. Multiplayer games just became a whole lot more…unsavoury, and if this feature makes it into the singleplayer game, and I lose a cup quarter-final to a diving opponent…I fear for my 360, and what I’ll do to it as I boil with rage. Pro Evo Soccer 2008: AU Hands-On [IGN]
Announced yesterday at Leipzig, Konami’s Pro Evo football series will be returning to a Nintendo home console for the first time in aaaaages with a Wii version of Pro Evo 8. Sound good? There’s a couple of catches. First, it’s running later than the other versions, and won’t be ready until Q1 2008. Second, all the press release really mentions is waggle control. No word on anything like online multiplayer or how many leagues/teams it’s going to feature. That’s not to say it won’t feature all of that, just…hold your horses until we get more info. Presser follows.
Announced yesterday at Leipzig, Konami’s Pro Evo football series will be returning to a Nintendo home console for the first time in aaaaages with a Wii version of Pro Evo 8. Sound good? There’s a couple of catches. First, it’s running later than the other versions, and won’t be ready until Q1 2008. Second, all the press release really mentions is waggle control. No word on anything like online multiplayer or how many leagues/teams it’s going to feature. That’s not to say it won’t feature all of that, just…hold your horses until we get more info. Presser follows.
We were wondering when the Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 footage would start rolling in. And look at that, here it is! Above is a hands-on with the PS3 version. The Konami game will be out this October on every imaginable platform. This should hold the PES diehards over until a demo surfaces.
Thanks, Jeffrey!
There’s not much to it, but then if you’re a Pro Evo fan, you don’t need much, do you?
