Three Speech’s Chris Burke has been on the training ground with both Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA, back once again to battle for PS3 footie supremacy, and we can report that this year it’s probably the most closely contested match yet.
Licensing is a big point of difference again. In PES (above) 2009, only Man U and Liverpool will be fully licensed, with everyone else it’s looking like Von Persil in defence for The Potteries - although it does have the Champions League. FIFA 09, of course, will be fully licensed and features a huge range of stadiums from the San Siro down to grotty lower division grounds, plus a huge range of fully spec’d up teams. On the plus side for PES, everything should be editable from player likenesses to kits, logos and even stadiums.
Both games have added a career mode in which you control only one player and attempt to take him to the top as a pro footballer. In both PES’s ‘Become A Legend’ mode and FIFA’s ‘Be A Pro’ mode, your customised player develops through matches, with high match ratings resulting in offers from bigger clubs and a rise up through the rankings. Controls in PES are lob, shoot, pass, hoof; in defence it’s foot-in, sliding tackle or pressure. But it’s not an easy game to play. Timing, direction and placement of player are tricky to master, but hardcore gamers will find it a more satisfying experience.
FIFA’s (above) controls are the same, but with something called a ‘finesse’ shot, and it does seem a lot easier to get right in and start scoring. A nice touch is that every game starts on a training pitch with you versus the keeper, allowing you to practise while the match loads up. FIFA promises decent online play and four-way local multiplayer, while Konami claim they have ironed out their previous online stickiness for a much-improved two-on-two experience.
So, at full-time, PES is looking like a top game – free-flowing and beautiful to look at, with realistic handling and a greater attention to the ball’s physics than last time. But FIFA 09 looks and plays really well too, and has probably improved the most on last year. Every little nuance and detail of the beautiful game, on and off the field, has been damn-near perfected, with every kit, logo and likeness captured, plus nerd-levels of tinkering possible. Or you can just jump straight in and play a cracking game of footie. A tough one to call, so let’s call it a score draw with FIFA going on to win on penalties.
MotorStorm Pacific Rift: we'll swap screenshots for Resistance 2! (THURSDAY UPDATE - NEW IMAGES!!)
A really interesting article - especially since Pro Evo 2009 isn’t out yet and FIFA 09 is released on Friday. Yet somehow the writer is informed on every major facet of the gameplay and deems himself capable of publishing a comparison. A comparison of games that haven’t even been released yet.
Don’t you just love the Internet and it’s click-whoring etos?
Comment by Polde — Oct 1, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
Thanks for the write up. I was leaning towards Fifa after the latest demo on PSN but wasn’t sure which would be better this year.
Comment by dkoi — Oct 1, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
pro evo wil always be number 1
Comment by adairdevil — Oct 1, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Wow. That was a good write up.
Comment by Benny boy — Oct 1, 2008 @ 8:27 pm
Can someone please explain to me how this write up is good if none of the games in question have been released yet, meaning that the author couldn’t have played them? And how can this write up be good if the writer doesn’t know that PES has had the so called finesse shot for years? FIFA also offers full 10 on 10 internet play - not mentioned at all. I mean, come on, this is just silly.
Comment by Polde — Oct 1, 2008 @ 8:58 pm
good write up, but i’m used to PES and can’t get into FIFA i tried with 08, so PES for me.
Comment by jonsiuk — Oct 1, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
FIFA for me this year. The gameplay is too close to call, so it’s the licenses that tip the balance for me.
Comment by Paranoimia — Oct 1, 2008 @ 10:14 pm
I’m not a fan of Sports game titles, and certainly not football ones (as I don’t like the physical game… and no, I’m not some kind of girl or something… I prefer martial arts), but this aside…
I have to admire the way in which the “PES 2009″ playable demo is going to be available on the PlayStation Store a day before “FIFA 09″ is available to buy commercially (but three weeks after the playable demo of this title was available to download).
Such a move must have really wound-up EA, as there is now a possibility that potential buyers will wait to see what the latest “Pro Evolution Soccer” title has to offer before committing to purchasing the “FIFA” annual instalment.
“FIFA 09″ will almost certainly go to the top of the multi-format charts, but may soon lose out to the later arrival (on 17 October 2008).
Assuming, of course, that soccer fans have not had this year’s release on pre-order for almost 12 months anyway.
Am I right in thinking that last year’s “PES” offering was hampered by online glitches, and the comparative “FIFA” release was the player everybody played in preference?
On the subject of annual updates, is it the case that unless you’re a fan of a particular Basketball, Rugby, Hockey, Football, etc. team then each yearly revision is just the same game as last year with more bugs removed, a different line-up of (current season) player characters & a price-hike?
With the advent of “in-game custom soundtracks” supported by both the Xbox 360 & PS3 consoles, I would also have thought that the attraction of a new set of tracks with the latest FIFA title would not be a selling point.
Integration with the Sony “SingStar Store” or the Microsoft “Lips” online download service would be a smart move for the consumer, but this doesn’t seem to have been supported (probably for financial reasons so that next year “FIFA [Now... That's What I Call Music] 10″ can be released with a completely different soundtrack).
(A wide generalisation that I’m sure somebody with any interest in football titles will correct me on).
BTW, have you heard that Peter Moore (President of EA Sports) is planning to make EA Sports “the leading sports brand”… even bigger than sportswear organisations like Adidas & Nike?
[ http://www.mcvuk.com/news/31508/EA-sets-sights-on-becoming-leading-sports-brand ]
I dunno… you get your face in one (critically floored & counted out) boxing game… and you think you can break the sportswear world!
David Rutter, the producer of “FIFA 09″, has gone on record to say that there will be “250 key additions and improvements”, including 15 new stadiums, the ability to switch weather (such as rain) ‘on’ or ‘off’ prior to a game, the time a match starts (so that you may end up playing in daytime, dusk, or night time lighting), and that the PS3 version of the title will have an exclusive game mode.
The Wii version will be titled “FIFA 09 All-Play”, and will include a new 8 versus 8 match line-up (”Footii Match”) as well as the typical 11-a-side set-up.
PSP & Nintendo DS versions are also planned together with the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Mobile editions.
The European release date, as I am sure you know, is currently set as 3 October 2008.
North American territories will see the title hitting the shelves on 14 October 2008… there’s a first huh? A game developed by EA Canada, but released in the UK first! The latest “PES” release for the same region, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, is due to be released on 12 November 2008.
At the Leipzig Games Convention on 20 August this year, it was announced that the PS3 version of “FIFA 09″ would include the ability to record foot(ball)age of in-game play ready for uploading the resultant video file to YouTube.com directly without leaving the game.
Already rumoured prior to then, and also confirmed at the conference, was that “FIFA 09″ will include a “Live Season” feature (possibly with the prefix of “adidas” [all day I dream about soccer?] that monitors & adjusts the performance of all players in the in-game leagues against the real world FIFA database, meaning that if the actual players are having a particular good (or particularly poor) season then their in-game statistics & on-screen performance will be adjusted to, erm, match.
This feature is dubbed as a new “premium service” (translation: ‘at extra cost’ maybe?) & will provide a weekly update for the statistics of each player from the launch of the game to the end of the 2008-2009 season for the Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, & Mexican Primera Division.
“PES 2009”, on the other, erm, foot, has an improved “Teamvision” system (whatever that means?!?). Tactics can change according to situation, and the console-controlled players can “recognise” strategies in play to offer better “off-the-ball” movement. I wish I knew what all this guff means… but wait, there’s more… “PES 2009” also takes into account air resistance calculations for ball trajectory & environmental factors such as the pitch condition affects the bounce of the ball so that (human) player strategies need to adjust with groundwork needing to be undertaken to establish if balls can be flicked or volleyed or whatever else footballers do with their regular shaped spherical objects.
Needless to say my kids will want “FIFA 09”, even though the “PES 6” is still considered one of the better sports games from the PS2 back-catalogue (and we have two copies of this for some inexplicable reason & they never play it!).
Oh well, roll on next year when “PES 2010” will go up against “FIFA 00”. I’d get your name down at the DVLA for those ‘cherished plates’ now before the development teams beat you to it…
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 1, 2008 @ 11:53 pm
Lovely write up TS, im going for pes.
Comment by gazo — Oct 1, 2008 @ 11:54 pm
..and yes, I know next year with be “FIFA 10″… what’s ten years between football games?
Exactly my point
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:00 am
@8…
actually is more than that…I remember playing FIFA 95! (ooops…time flies)
Despite last year’s problems…I’ll pick PES, absolutely. FIFA09 demo does not convince me.
Comment by rom — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:19 am
i have had fifa 09 for the past 3 nights now and i find that the buid up play is alot more fluid than 08 and plus the increase in reactions has also made a great game aswell.
Comment by killogrady — Oct 2, 2008 @ 9:23 am
FIFA09 all the way for me. I have taken a two year break from both PES and FIFA after playing them both and owning both in previous years. With about 7/8 of my PSN friend list all getting FIFA its a pretty straight forward decision for me. I think the online options in FIFA outstrip PES and its proven to work well online this gen unlike PES……
Comment by Nathaniel — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:00 am
I’m a Fifa traditionalist but might pick up both for an in depth comparison this year…
What the world is missing is a game cross over e.g. Kratos from God of War leading a ‘PS3 Fantasy Team’ which could have a sackboy goalie!?
Am thinking of making a footie LBP level - so that might be the closest we get but nice to dream!
Comment by matt adcock — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Even though PES 08 was a big turd I will still sticking with the series.
Fifa I have to admit has caught up leaps and bounds in terms of actual game play but there still seams to be something missing imo.
The whole licensing thing is over played anyway just go to any PES forum and there will be countless patches that fix all the kits, stats, and face mapping (you have to love those nerds).
Usually this would be a pre-order but after last years balls up I’ll be waiting for reviews before I purchase.
Comment by manley — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:27 am
Last years PES was disappointing graphically and laggy as hell online and though Fifa’s online was better I could never get over its (beach)ball physics.
PES will always be best in my eyes, its the purists game and most like the real thing imo. I hope this years is better. As manley says the licencing is a mute point as there will be update files to be had from the net but this comparison tells nothing but a few lines from both press releases.
Unfortunately, theres so many games coming I want I’ll wait before getting my fix this year.
Comment by marvzilla — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:50 am
How’s the frame-rate in pro-evo? The last instalment ran like cr*p on PS3.
Comment by reakt — Oct 2, 2008 @ 11:49 am
I played the Fifa demo and loved the tricks you could do with the ball on the practicecourt against the keeper. However in the match I found it very hard to move and pass. what are you going to do with all the tricks if you can’t give a good pass?
I have been a fifaplayer before but switched to ISS and am now a PES fan. Allthough I must admit their online play was crap. I hope hey fixed that big time.
Otherwise for the first time in 12 years no new footie game for me
Comment by Kris — Oct 2, 2008 @ 11:50 am
PS.
“PES 2009 Pro Evolution Soccer Demo” (Playable) is now on the UK (so, presumably, European) ‘Store.
Download size is 1,456Mb.
HTDV screen resolution: 720p.
“BioShock Demo (Playable)” is also there; 1,814Mb.
1 player; HTDV screen resolution: 720p, 1080i, 1080p.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
“HTDV” is like “HDTV” only with a different acronym!
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
off topic. any1 see ps3 fanboy have revealed the trophy list for gtaIV cant wait. no release date for it tho.
Comment by adairdevil — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Re: Polde’s comments, how do you think games reviewers review games if we had to wait until the games were in the shops? The games companies give us pre-release copies and/or code to review. And I’ve not written on every major facet of the gameplay in 400 words, just what I’ve experienced PLAYING both games.
Comment by Chris Burke — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
400?
972 if you count the next two…
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
Seriously, though, “Pro Evolution Soccer 2009″ scores 9 out of 10 in the latest “PlayStation Official Magazine - UK”.
With an overall 89% at GameRankings.com, taking into account the score in the publication above as one of the 13 reviews on record.
On the same site, FIFA (Soccer) 09″ scores 88% from 42 reviews.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
@18 : does that mean BioShock will run natively at 1080p? That would be great. Developers need to get off their respective arses and start pumping out AAA games that run from 720 up to 1080p! Full HD gaming for all. Like garlic bread, it’s the future.
Comment by Savage( PSN : CartBlanche ) — Oct 2, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
@24 [Savage...]:
I cannot tell you from first-erm-eye experience as I do not have a HD-TV, but according to this Joystiq article, the output should be the same as the Xbox 360 variant of the title:
[ http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/bioshocks-ps3-graphics-identical-to-xbox-360/ ]
The game uses the Havok physics & the Unreal Engine 3.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
Sensible Soccer.. or nothing.
Comment by formally known as MobileTone — Oct 2, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
@mobiletone
I agree Sensible Soccer (or my favourite edition SWOS) is simply the best game ever. I used to spend days playing ultracomplex 64 team tournements, playing every game.
Comment by John — Oct 2, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
PES looks like a last gen game in comparison, it’s possible to pass the ball up the pitch with the ball pinging from player to player (old fifa style) the action appears very stop-start in comparison to the new fluid style fifa gameplay
Fifa’s fluid gameplay style should not be underplayed it, really has improved so far so far in front of its competitors it’s now unfunny
Having played both demo’s extensively, I would now say that the presentation/new features/gameplay of FIFA makes PES appear distinctly last-gen
Comment by Chris — Oct 3, 2008 @ 9:26 am
Well I was outside HMV at 8 this morning, got Fifa, and got in two games before I had to go to work.
I say two games, as at halftime in the first game it crashed. This worried me a little bit, but the next game was fine.
In terms of gameplay it is very similar to FIFA 08, but smoother animation, and a larger variety of movements, certainly looks better. My typical goals from 08 (run straight at the post and hit it straight past the keeper on the near side) no longer work as often, which is good, generally the keeper seemed more aware, though the defence seemed less able to deal with through balls.
One thing which really annoyed me last time was that you had to do loads of boring challanges to unlock the third kits, and there was no cheat code. This time there are no challanges. I much prefer this, I just want to have the kits, but not enough to sit there for 5 hours trying to score a hatrick for Accrington Stanley in the first 5 minutes against Barcelona on Legendary just to get Charlton Athletic’s third kit.
Overall an improvement, and certainly recommend it.
Comment by John — Oct 3, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
If only you’d waited until this weekend (only) to buy “FIFA 09″, John.
There is a rival supermarket “price war” this weekend, and Blockbuster has got involved too.
Tesco will be offering the title (for both the PS3 & Xbox 360) for £29.99.
Asda have it for £32 for both platforms too. Use QuidCo to get another 2.5% if you buy online.
Blockbuster are charging more (at £34.99), but you also get a free football & a discount of £5 off any other game.
BFN,
fp.
PS. In other news, “PES 2009″ demo is causing problems signing-in on Xbox Live. The console is just halting (”freezing” up).
Comment by fanpages — Oct 3, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
Thanks, fp, but i would have still bought it from hmv anyway, it’s within walking distance of my house. That alone is worth the difference.
Comment by John — Oct 4, 2008 @ 11:16 am
PES IS YEARS AHEAD FIFFA STILL AINT EVEN CAUGHT UP WITH PRO 05 YET HAHAHAHA I PLAYED DA DEMOS FIFA FEELS VERY STIFF EASY TO SCORE AND LOOKS LIKE STICK MEN
Comment by KAOTIC — Oct 4, 2008 @ 8:15 pm
i have played both demos on the PS3, i have played PES since the first one, and my friend, has played Fifa since 2001, but he and i both say, PES, even though he was fairly critical as the gameplay was “too fast”. Amateurs…
Comment by Ravi Parmar — Oct 4, 2008 @ 9:29 pm
i just can say,
reviewers giving Pes 09 more than a 7 (or 70% or 70 points)
are either being payed by konami or totally blind..
Pes stopped evolving 2 years ago,
and had the same bug when an opponent snatches the ball away,your player froze for a small amount of time
graphic wise it looks like the Wii is the main developplatform for pes..
i can only prey that 1 day 2K also brings out a soccer game and beats them both
then again ,only if the include the EA online rating system,since the 2K-version also sucks
Comment by terrortime(just bought a 360) — Oct 4, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
good for you terrortime!! i ‘pray’ that everybody else, doesnt share your same disregard for the best football franchise around (PES) because we all know that FIFA ’sucks’…
(its football NOT soccer, round these parts)
Comment by seedaripper1973 — Oct 5, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
Far superior write up by ‘fanpages’ in the comments to this article (see below).
Doesn’t seem like this article writer knew much about PES. Must play fair, Threespeech!
Comment by bibbob — Oct 5, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
I meant ’see above’
Comment by bibbob — Oct 5, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
Let me just end all this argueing. I’m a HUGE PES fanboy, but this year FIFA has really upped its game.
Its literally down to, which one do you prefer. I personally prefer PES, but i think FIFA should be recognised as a good alternative.
Though, if PES release the same game one more time, i’m going to go insane. I mean, SOME CREATIVITY PLEASE.
Comment by Reza — Oct 6, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
@37/@38 [bibbob]:
Thanks
PS. Anybody else found “FIFA 09″ [PS3] at W.M. Morrison for £25 this week?
[ community.eu.playstation.com/playstationeu/board/message?board.id=71&message.id=46504#M46504 ]
They’d sold out at my local store this evening
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 7, 2008 @ 1:32 am
[ http://www.mcvuk.com/interviews/126/GMAs-Mainstream-Media-Finalists ]
—
GMAs: Mainstream Media Finalists
Games Media Awards Special
Oct 2 2007
The first Games Media Awards take place on Thursday October 11th. So it’s about time we took a closer look at the event, and the finalists…
The Games Media Awards have been created to reward the very best in games journalism – specialist and mainstream, in print and online.
The winners will be unveiled and celebrated at the Soho Revue Bar on the evening of Thursday October 11th. The finalists, listed over the next few pages, represent the games industry’s most important links to the consumer.
Here’s a closer look at the nominations for the Mainstream Media category:
…
GAMES WRITER ON A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
Steve Boxer
(The Guardian)
Boxer has been a freelance games writer for longer than anyone can remember. He currently writes for The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Spong, Touch, Three Speech, MCV and several other publications and websites.
…
GAMES WRITER ON A LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
…
Chris Burke
(Loaded)
Burke has worked on Loaded for ten years in print and online, and recently left his position as associate editor, but he continues to edit its games pages as a freelancer. He also writes about games for the Daily Telegraph and Threespeech.com.
—
Who gets your vote?
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 7, 2008 @ 1:41 am
FYI: Interview with “Pro Evolution Soccer” (”Winning Eleven” / “World Soccer Winning Eleven”) creator Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka of Konami Tokyo where he relays that if EA offered the use of the “FIFA” game engine to Konami it would seriously be considered as a replacement for the current “PES” engine!
[ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=199142 ]
—
…CVG (John Houlihan): If EA said ‘we’re going to dump FIFA and you can have our engine - would you take it? Or would you say ‘no I’ll continue to do my own stuff’.
Seabass: Well I would think about it really seriously because I still believe that EA’s engine and animation is really superb, very good. The modelling of the characters is perhaps not really to my taste actually, so I might not take that part, but seriously I think their engine and their motion style is really great…
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 15, 2008 @ 4:03 am
fifa is for kids the only reason anyone is debating the 2 is becouse pes has shit license if pes did not nead ederting no one would buy fifA PES FOREVER
Comment by bobbo — Oct 16, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
@43 [bobbo]:
Is this the “ederting” you wish to see?
[ uk.games.konami-europe.com/news.do?idNews=364 ]
—
16.10.2008
PES adds to its rosters
Konami unveils first PES 2009 club update as eagerly-awaited football epic hits stores across Europe?
As Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH’s PES 2009 hits stores today for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360 and PC-DVD, the publisher has announced a free downloadable update for early November, expanding upon the games licensed teams and in-game elements.
The download will be available in about three weeks, and updates four Spanish sides - Athletico Madrid, Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valladolid, - all of whom will be officially licensed. Furthermore, it will also update the kits and team rosters of many teams within the game. The UEFA Champions League mode will also benefit from the new update, with twelve more teams added to the club list, with proper UEFA Champions League kits and kit markings added. Amongst the teams fully updated within this mode now will be Marseille, Juventus, and Basel.
The new raft of additions further demonstrate Konami’s commitment to expanding the licence roster in the PES series. Every aspect of PES 2009 has been reworked from the ground up, with new player models, AI elements and physics routines all combining to create the most advanced and realistic football game ever. The game also includes new Become a Legend and Legends mode, wherein players guide one player within a team either solo or online. Expanding upon this, the update also adds a new Theatre of Legends function which allows users to upload replay data for friends to view, and to view those of others.
The PES series has always been famed for its deep yet accessible control system, but the new game is aiming even higher. PES 2009 offers an unprecedented level of control, redefining the intricacies of first touch, close control and ball distribution, while also enhancing its shooting and AI mechanisms to create an all-round footballing experience. New control systems wherein the player can now perform tricks and feints without the use of special moves have been implemented, and the way the player guides the ball has been changed. The PES series has always treated the ball as a separate entity, but new calculations related to the air resistance and friction of the ground make passing and movement in PES 2009 a great deal more realistic.
“PES 2009 is already a million seller in pre-orders alone, but these new additions show how we are determined to continually improve the content of the game,” commented Jon Murphy PES European Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We hope the updated team data and new UEFA Champions League elements will show our ongoing support for PES 2009’s team rosters, and look to continually enhancing such sections in the coming year at no extra cost.”
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 17, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
“Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Pes)” at HMV for £27.99 with exclusive England cover, anyone?
[ http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?&sku=735646 ]
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 26, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
i prefer pro evo!
and you cant judge a game if you havnt played it, does anyone know how good the online mode is for pro evo, and the yearafter next should be good as the licinsing rights are up for grabs!
Comment by JamesS — Oct 26, 2008 @ 10:14 pm
FYI:
Play(dot)com are listing “FIFA 09″ [PS3] for £19.99 for today (Monday 3 November 2008) only.
[ http://www.play.com/HOME/HOME/6-/campaign.html?campaign=5896&cid=8708668 ]
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Nov 3, 2008 @ 2:19 am
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