PES 2010: Pro Evolution Soccer

Switching on the 'Goal poacher' card for Gerrard, my Liverpool team break for attack from the kick-off, storm the penalty area and the ball is desperately cleared, before being smashed back towards goal. Yet while most of my players are either cautiously hanging back or returning to formation, Gerrard, sensing an opportunity, is goal-hanging on the edge of the six-yard area, jostling with a defender and miles further forward than any other red shirt. And so perfectly placed to steal the ball as it scorches back towards him, turn and smash it into the corner of the net. All in the first 30 seconds.

It's a slightly crude example, perhaps, but does illustrate the difference the cards can make. Therefore, theoretically, a more thoughtful approach to the talents of your squad should offer up a heap of ways to try and turn a game in specific areas with specific players off-the-ball, in tandem with the overall team strategy.

The 'let's-try-and-break-it' instinct is also always powerful in these situations, so I try minimising all defensive sliders while whacking every attacking option up to full. Satisfyingly, this results in an astonishing penalty area assault from my team, which is fine as long as the ball remains in the final third, but leaves an hilarious, pitch-wide hole further back which the opposition are able to exploit with gay abandon.

It's too early to judge the true effectiveness and value of these systems based on a handful of games with the same two teams, but there's definite promise.

I mentioned a change of pace. And here lies the most striking difference between PES 2010 and its predecessor. Simply, the latest PES runs at a slower, more measured - and yes, dare I say it - more FIFA 09-like pace than last year's frenzied, almost arcadey kickaround. This would seem an admission that PES 2009 strayed too far from its realism roots: and is a smart move in the sense that it creates a more considered experience to take advantage of the overhauled tactical system.

Visually, it's noticeably prettier, if not a giant leap forward. Player models in particularly are, up close, stunningly detailed and lifelike. And, while it's hard to be sure without the two games side-by-side, startling facial detail and convincing crease shadows on shirts set Konami's player's aside from FIFA's in my eyes.

An animation overhaul is also promised, but much of this is still to be implemented. In this build, an unusually early showing from Konami, there are animation skips, slightly robotic automated sequences, and more obvious errors, like a penalty kick going straight through the goalie's belly. Obviously Konami is aware of all of these and promises they're being worked on in the months ahead.

Let me be clear: PES 2010 is an undeniably enjoyable experience. Stepping back from the PES-bashing of recent years, and the huge advances of FIFA, there's never been a question that PES doesn't play a good game of football. But it has by no stretch evolved as quickly as it should have.

Will this season be different? That's hard to answer at this stage. The more methodical pacing is a welcome change, and that PES sense of liberty and excitement is still uniquely intoxicating, a worshipping of individual genius and moments of magic that can thrill in a way FIFA perhaps cannot.

Additionally, improvements to the Master League, online play, commentary, AI, ref balance, goalkeepers and so on are all promised but either difficult or impossible to assess at this stage.

One thing Konami cannot do anything about this year is FIFA's evolution to full 360-degree control. PES sticks resolutely to the traditional eight-way model. After only a few games with each, I'm not able to determine in detail what a difference this will make in the final analysis. But in principal it could clearly be significant.