Pro Evolution 6

Ready the backlash...

More Images

What is it about Konami's Pro Evolution series that makes it so damn popular? It certainly can't be the presentation, because it's basic and cheap. It can't be the graphics or the player models, because they barely qualify as passable. It can't be the animation, because it's jerky, weightless, and unconvincing. It simply cannot be the music, sound, or commentary, because they are, by turns, grating, dull, and laughable. And it's certainly not the attraction of official licensing, because - though it's improved over recent years - it's still virtually non-existent. So, what on God's good Earth do people, and not just a few, but a LOT of people - find so irresistibly appealing about Pro Evolution? Those familiar with the series already know what's coming next, but, for the uninitiated, the single most compelling reason why Pro Evolution continually beats out its competition is simple: gameplay.

In the case of Pro Evolution 6 (and also its predecessors) 'gameplay' doesn't merely relate to the action that takes place in an obvious footballing sense, but everything that supports it both on and off the pitch. It's these more peripheral elements that complement the football and usually elevate the game as a whole beyond the likes of EA's rival FIFA franchise - a franchise that ironically excels in all of the above paragraph's criteria, but is all-too often fractured by repetitious and predictable gameplay. The tactical side of Pro Evolution 6 remains largely unchanged from last year's offering, and fans can look forward to enjoying all the same tinkering managerial nuance ranging from shifting the specific pitch coverage of outfield players and setting attacking and defensive stance, to assigning man-markers and changing in-game tactics on-the-fly. Again, somewhat ironically, these are gameplay aspects predominately lacking in FIFA throughout the years. Yet, along with the always impressive spontaneity of PES6's actual matches, which never disappoint, it's quite possible that the difficulty and challenge inherent throughout the series is the true defining difference between Pro Evolution and its rival(s).

This has perhaps never been more apparent than in Pro Evolution 6 because EA's FIFA 07 has vastly improved its gameplay value - by lending and learning heavily from Pro Evolution's history. Yet, unlike FIFA, which offers simple and immediate football thrills (and instant wins) on its 'Pro' setting, PES6 gleefully hands your ass back to you for a good half dozen matches on 'Regular' before the difficulty level becomes manageable. In short, there's a considerably more hard-earned sense of achievement running through Pro Evolution's games. Though, that said, it can be a little frustrating when notably weaker teams consistently play like Brazil, and teams with higher statistics are seemingly imbued with footballing super powers and can seemingly score from any distance and any angle. That difficulty level can be better managed when electing to use a major football team (more of which are licensed this year) during the game's League, Cup, and quick Match modes, but the heart of Pro Evolution, namely its Master League mode, requires the very best acclimatisation from the player as the default team is generally woeful before the application of that famous performance-based 'evolution'.

So, we've established that the gameplay and difficulty of Pro Evolution 6 are its core points of attraction - and its aesthetics are not. But we've known that for years and, up to this point, we've happily ignored the substandard graphics, sound, and generally lacklustre presentation simply because the series played so flippin' well. However, it's about time that critics were brave enough to tackle Pro Evolution with their studs showing and risk suffering a red card from its unshakeable fans. The fact is that Pro Evolution 6 looks terrible considering it arrives on the PlayStation 2 in the twilight of its glittering life, when games such as God of War, Black, and Okami have clearly shown that stunning graphics are possible. The action on the pitch still, after all these years, never truly 'feels' like football, which is the fault of shockingly poor atmospherics and graphical detailing that include a lifeless and cardboard crowd that never sound territorial, constant strobe glitches across stadiums and pitches, and yawn-inducing commentary. Plus, and this will annoy the more easily riled PES purists, Pro Evolution 6 doesn't play like a real game of football. Stop screaming at the screen and keep reading. It's not about the trivial annoyance of playing teams like West London White and Merseyside Red instead of Fulham and Liverpool, and there's no doubt that the game delivers a superbly competitive and enthralling 90 minutes of football - no one is arguing against that; not even the most fervent FIFA devotee would or could. But the football it presents is NOT real football. Pro Evolution 6's A.I. relies too heavily on constant near-perfect one-touch passing and the ball moves across the pitch with an unfailingly poetic grace that hardly ever descends into frantic scrambling for possession, or messy moments of opportunistic fortune. Everything feels almost scripted in its flowing beauty. At the risk of receiving waves of venomous hate mail, FIFA 07, while still lacking layered tactical appeal, just feels more authentic on the pitch this year, not just in its complete licensing and superb presentation.

The bottom line with Pro Evolution 6 is that it's yet another amazing (arcade) football series edition that sadly fails to improve on the foundations laid down by its predecessors or push the PlayStation 2 to its limits. Its gameplay is challenging, its difficulty levels rewarding, and its action both stylish and thrilling, but the unimpressive aesthetics really can no longer be tolerated - especially in light of current next-generation capabilities that make Pro Evolution 6 look positively archaic. It's a hard one to call where review scoring is concerned, because, beyond the almost expected underachievement of the game's graphics, atmosphere, and authenticity, there's so little to find fault with from a gameplay standpoint - and its multiplayer Network capability is also a massive draw. That said, there's also such little progress in evidence over Konami's 2005 edition, and therein lies the problem. While FIFA continues to look, learn, and, well...evolve...year after year, Pro Evolution is guilty of resting on its laurels and that's why the 2006 football title belongs to FIFA 07 and not Pro Evolution 6. I await the hateful fanboy comments with a predictable sense of dread.

86%

By Stevie Smith