Konami "pulling out stops" for PES 2009
Visuals, controls, modes overhauled.
Konami claims to have "pulled out all the stops" in order to make Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 a "landmark in footballing games" as part of a raft of feature announcements today.
Controls, visuals and AI are all areas rethought and rebuilt in order to reinvigorate the football simulation - and of course to tackle increasingly stiff competition from FIFA.
Pulling off tricks, for instance, is now done by rapidly changing direction when on the ball, rather than by relying on complex special moves.
Teamvision AI, the big idea from last year, will be more adept and send team members off on runs as they adapt more intuitively to their surroundings.
Plus, everything you see should be more detailed, sound better, and behave much more realistically than ever before; weather conditions mean passes need to be stronger on soggier pitches and so on.
Become a Legend mode, however, is billed as the biggest addition in PES 2009. This casts you as a single midfielder or striker, because those are the most exciting positions, obviously.
Here you start as a rookie and plough your way to the top, climbing the transfer ladder after good results and falling down after bad ones.
Become a Legend extends online to Legends mode, which sounds a lot like Be a Pro from FIFA. Friends band together together in teams - no word on how many - and take on rival squads.
"We have pulled out all the stops to make PES 2009 a landmark in footballing games. From the most basic controls through to the wide-ranging additions to game modes such as Become a Legend, all-new visuals, sound, and the Edit mode, Seabass and his team have strived to cram as much as they can into the new game," said Jon Murphy from Konami.
"And with more online announcements to follow, there is every reason to believe that PES 2009 is the football game everyone has been waiting for."
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is due out for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii and DS this autumn.
Head over to our Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 gamepage to find out more.