Jon Murphy, the project manager for the most recent Pro Evo game on the Wii, has announced that, due to gameplay upgrades and better reviews, is superior to the PS3 version. Evidence has come from a number of sites, with the Wii version consistently beating out both the PS3 and 360 versions in score for reviews.

"The Wii version offers the best online experience to date. Online play is the logical next step to extend the competitive nature of the game and will be vital in the progression of the series."

This is a large shift from the typical view that Wii games tend to be inferior to the other platform games. You can check out the entire article at the source below!

[Source]

The Sun recently made an article tossing out their thoughts on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, for the Wii! Like most other reviewers, they enjoyed the innovative play style available in the game, and are happy to see it come to the Wii. They also provide us with a quick look at how the game goes for how long you play.

5 mins: You’ve more control over the action than ever before. Using both the Wii remote and Nunchuk, you not only move the player in possession but can send teammates on lung-busting bursts before you deliver the killer pass.

20 mins: You set off on a mesmerising dribble, changing speed and direction at pace – it’s like Ryan Giggs in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final. A quick body swerve and a shimmy later and all your opponent will have to worry about is wiping the grass stains from his rear end. All down to your skill on the Wii remote.

45 mins: Nearing half-time and a whipped cross comes in. This is your chance to break the deadlock – simply by shaking the Nunchuk. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Timing is everything and will determine whether you stick it in the onion bag – or Row Z.

90 mins: You’ve performed brilliantly but there’s always room for improvement. Pack your bags for the training ground where you can take advantage of the wide-ranging tutorial mode.

You'll be coached how to pass into space, clear dangerous crosses, perform slide tackles and even improve your man-marking – without the need to sharpen any studs.

Post-match press conference: You’ve fielded the usual questions about how your side will perform in the league and cup but the real challenge on the Wii is the all-new Champions Road.

Check out the rest of the article at the source below!

[Source]

The long running Play.com PES competition came to an end this weekend with some of the country's best PES players coming face to face in a battle to win the £50,000 cheque. Well known gamers such as oldboiler and Footimaster were present to make it one of the most exciting finals in memory.

Hosts of the event, PES Rankings, have released an article which explains the ins and outs of the competitions including the finalists and winner.

Taking place at the inaugural Play.com Live event at Wembley Stadium, the competitors had been whittled down to just 32 via months of online gaming and for all of them it represented the final chance to get their hands on a life changing amount of money. They had already proved their worth by getting this far, but only one winner would walk away with a cheque for £50k!

Many of the other players had made a name for themselves online, but the added pressures of their first offline event meant they still had it all prove against some seasoned PES Rankings campaigners.


To view the full article, click here.

Contact Music recently released an article going more indepth into improvements with the newest game in the PES series, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.

The main focus of the article was to find out how the game differed on the PS2 from the PS3, which was previously played by the article writer, Harris, and to see if there was a large enough improvement over the previous PES games to warrant going out and buying it.

The statistics are still the same with a mix of license purchases and random names that look similar to the team/player they are meant to be. This said the statistical game analysis, if this is your bag Andy Gray, beats the PS3 version hands down. Here you can analyse the game from all angles to assess your performance, a feature lacking from PES 2008 on the PS3. This aside the only addition I can think to name of note is a `FIFA-esque' World Tour mode where you face varying challenges to overcome. Everything else from audio to visuals is pretty much consistent with PES6. If you are hoping that I am going to sign off here by telling you that the online playability is what has been improved and that it is awesome, then you are about to be disappointed. It is even worse than its PS3 counterpart and teeters on the edge of the `why bother?' category.

PES 2008 is a brilliant game in its own right, but if I had PES6, I would think twice about upgrading. Save your cash and put it towards your PS3.

To see more why it got a 7.5/10, check out the entire review here!

In-game advertising took another leap lately as Massive Network began advertising within Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, as dynamic ads and such are added to online gamers around the world. Companies, hoping to be exposed to the large gamer demographic present, will have their company logo's within the games.

The games creators Konami Digital Entertainment Co. Ltd said: “We are thrilled to work with Massive to deliver blue-chip advertising into one of our most significant titles and to contribute to the growth of dynamic in-game advertising. Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer delivers premium ad inventory with truly global reach, while providing a natural, player-friendly setting for fully integrated ad placements.”

*snip*

“Konami creates extremely exciting game content that is very well-suited to Massive advertising partners,” said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of Massive. “The addition of popular video games such as Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer into the Massive network reflects the evolution of in-game advertising into a mainstream channel for marketers around the world to reach and engage the youth demographic.”

The full article can be found here.

Two highly successful Football Franchises, creating two highly sucessful Football Games. Now the problem comes down to "which is best". Well we all want to know (if we don't already) whether or not we should buy PES 08 or FIFA 08. Well to make things easier for us, the kind folks at Sony UK have given us the arguments we all have inside in the hopes to help us decide...

(Though I'm sure we all know what we need to get... Pro Evolution Soccer 2008)

Feast your eyes on this. An exclusive look at the newest installment of Konami's Pro Evolution franchise, with a match between Newcastle and AC Milan with full commentary and many new features shown.

The Folks at XBOX360 Achievemenst have managed to aquire a full list of Achievements for the XBOX360 version of the upcoming game, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Here's a quick rundown on the achievements:

First Glory (10) - Achieved with your first victory.
Winning Streak (50) - Achieved after 10 straight wins.
Hat-trick Hunter (15) - Achieved after scoring 5 hat-tricks.
Gentleman (25) - Achieved when your foul per match ratio drops below 1 foul in the most recent 10 matches.
Owner (25) - Achieved when your possession in the most recent 10 matches is above 60%.
Long Ranger (30) - Achieved when you score from a distance of more than 35m.
World Traveller (20) - Achieved when all stadiums have been used.
PK Master (20) - Achieved when you have won at least 10 penalty shootouts following regulation time.
Goal Getter (25) - Achieved when you have scored 100 goals.
Silver Service (25) - Achieved when you have made 100 assists.
100 Matches (20) - Achieved when you have played 100 matches.
100 Wins (30) - Achieved when you have won 100 matches.
Ace Striker (30) - Achieved after 20 matches when you've scored an average of 2+ goals in the most recent 5 games.
Super Striker (40) - Achieved after 100 matches when you've scored an average of 2.5+ goals in the most recent 10 games.
Attacking Midfielder (30) - Achieved after 100 matches when your pass success ratio is 85% or more in the most recent 10 games.
Sniper (40) - Achieved after 100 matches, when your shot success ratio is 70% or more in the most recent 10 games.
Brick Wall (30) - Achieved when you have kept 100 clean sheets.
England League Dominated (25) - Achieved when you have beaten all England League teams.
Ligue 1 Dominated (25) - Achieved when you have beaten all Ligue 1 teams.
Serie A Dominated (25) - Achieved when you have beaten all Serie A teams.
Eredivisie Dominated (25) - Achieved when you have beaten all Eredivisie teams.
Liga Española Dominated (25) - Achieved when you have beaten all Liga Española teams.
National Teams Dominated (40) - Achieved when you have beaten all national teams.
Ultimate Player (100) - Achieved when you have played 500 matches, scored 1000 goals and have won all leagues and cups.
Winning Streak (Xbox LIVE) (70) - Achieved when you have 5 successive Ranked Match wins in the Xbox LIVE.
High Win Ratio (100) - Achieved when your win ratio in Recent 20 match results of Xbox LIVE goes above 75%.
FK Goal (50) - Achieved when you score from a free-kick directly in a Xbox LIVE Ranked Match.
Hat-trick Hunter (Xbox LIVE) (50) - Achieved when you score a hat-trick in a Xbox LIVE Ranked Match.

Version 4.0 of what many PES gamers regard as the best option file available in the world is now out! The New NeoPES file comes in maxdrive, x-port, PS3, PC and PSP formats to allow all gamers to play it. Some of the new features are detailed below, but a full rendition of the file's features and download links are available from the thread on the forums, .here:

* The file is completely up-to-date for the new season, containing every transfer, new player, new kit, squad number and promoted teams for the 2007/2008 season.

* The file is considered to sport the 'Ultimate Master League Experience' due to features like increased injuries, less fatigue, long-term formation fixes and better appearences for Master League youth players and default players as well as extra players from around the world in the PES shop and Under-21 teams replacing classic ones to offer even more young players at bargain prices! Every kit in the game (even licensed ones) is fully editable, meaning you won't be stuck with the same kit for a team you start an ML with.

* The main selling point of the file is the incredible new gameplay dynamics it offers. The stats of goalkeepers have been tweaked and the uniquely un-complicated formations (ie, no attacking arrows) mean that opponents play more intelligently and offer a new gameplay challenge - effectively giving the game that extra 6* difficulty level that was inexplicably ommitted from PES6 but was on previous installments of the game.

* The game also contains massive amounts of appearence fixes (every player in the Premier League has one, as well as every player from the major european clubs). There isn't a single team on the game without at least 5 or so appearence fixes.

Over 20,000 people downloaded version 3 of the file, and version 4 is set to be even more popular. Get your copy now!

NEOSEEKER OPTION FILE

This one-off match was played between team's selected by TVI and Sweeney comprised of players that they feel have peformed the best over the course of the previous season in the draft league. Kudos to anyone who's players were involved - these players have been among the best performers in the draft. Sweeney's selections comprise the top three tiers, and TVI's Tiers 4 and 5 - the tiers they were playing the games for.

The match was played by TVI, and a highlights video is presented below:

With only a matter on months until the release of Konami’s next version of their extremely popular football simulation, initial impressions of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 are extremely promising.

As Konami venture for the first time into the new world of Next-Generation gaming, they’ve promised considerable improvements and additions to all aspects of the game, including a new commentary team, more licensed teams than ever before, revolutionary game play through the innovative ‘Teamvision’ system, a much more in-depth and new-look Master League, new dribbling and passing animations and the controversial addition of diving to the game. Combined with the processing power of the Next-Generation consoles, improved graphics and greater player detail is a given.

And one of the first steps in upgrading the game was to change the commentating team. For the first time in the game’s history, Brooking and Brackley will not be commentating in the game, and the responsibility will instead be burdened upon the shoulders of John Champion and Mark Lawrenson. The new style and character of the commentating promises to give the game a much more realistic soundtrack; all most as if listening to live commentated game. Although this change will not be received by all as a positive step-forward, with the cult status of the two former commentator’s signature impact on the game, many agree that the overall level of commentating has been relatively poor compared to PES’s rival titles, with many phrases being overused and lack of variation and personality in previous editions of the series.

Xbox 360 owners will be pleased to hear that an extensive edit mode will actually be installed into PES2008. Konami continue to improve their unique editing options, with ability to import faces through utilizing the Xbox 360 Vision Camera/USB Webcam to import your "face" onto players faces in the game.

Set-pieces have been improved, with full control given over the number of players and the position of the defensive wall. A wider range of set piece options are also available to make use of specific talents within the team. Konami have also confirmed that some new tricks will be added to game play to help you simply show off in front of mates or beat your last defender. Diving has been implemented, to the joy and despair of some fans of the series. There is a distinct split between the people that see diving as a worthy addition to the game and as a real part of our current footballing culture, and as such Konami are only being realistic. Other find that the ability to blatantly cheat should not be implemented onto a simulation game, and as such would like the ability to turn on and off the diving function.

As with every edition of the game, Konami continue to add more licensed teams to the game. In the current (unfinished) version of the game, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Honka, Wisla Krakow, AEK Athens, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Red Star Belgrade, FC Basel, AIK, Hammarby IF, Helsingborgs IF, IFK Gotenburg and Internacional are newly added licensed teams, with Panathinaikos, Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Besiktas, Boca Juniors, River Plate and Sao Paulo existing club teams from PES6 that have been given fully licensed kits, players and badges.

The major new feature is a new adaptive AI system entitled 'Teamvision' that will be implemented into the game. ‘Teamvision is a sophisticated AI programming that learns and adapts according to an individuals style of play. As such, it will learn new ways to build attacks and to counter specific movements and previous attacking or defensive errors, ensuring games are more in line with the tactical but flowing nature of the real thing.’ With these improvements, it keeps fans of the series knowing that Konami are not neglecting their game play issues whilst persevering for addition club and country licences. This new system will bring a new level of difficulty to the game, and a way to make sure that each game feels unique and different to the last.

So as can be seen, Konami truly have shifted a gear to make their first Next-Generation game the best Football sim they’ve ever produced. Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 looks like the real deal.

Yet another fascinating season of Neoseeker's Draft League has just finished. Stealth107's Soliloquy saw off stiff opposition from TVI's Sh*t Hot Shi'ites and Chelskiman's Thierry Henry-inspired Champs to claim the Tier 1 title for the first time. This year saw the relegation of Gnels' former Tier 1 runners-up Football Factory and MonkeyChicken100's Monkeys FC dropped straight back down to Tier 2 after just a single season in the top flight.

Draft League Option File maker Coldburn finally managed to get his superstars to work as a successful unit, and Strength & Honour will make their long-awaited bow in the top division next season. Also going up were HIK's Henry's Kings, returning to tier 1 after two seasons in the second division. Relegated from tier two were MILF and Kensinton Dragons.

The third tier was won in convincing manner by Deadwing's Maratha Warriors outfit, and LeonRE4's The Zombies claimed the other promotion spot. Bottom of the tier and facing the daunting prospect of a playoff to determine their fate was The Woodwork Hunter's Fulchester United.

Tier 4 was a new division added to the draft along with tier 5 this season, and few could have predicted the quality of some of the teams in this division. For this reason, a playoff system was devised to pit the top two sides in the tier against one another for the chance to play the bottom side of Tier 3 (Fulchester United) for a place in the third division rather than the standard automatic promotion according to league positioning. Rossco_Gers' FC Youngstarz dominated the fourth tier despite some rather patchy form in the second half of the season, but Matty1605's FK Ladyboy 1974 placed a deserved second. The playoff semi final was Ross' side against Matty's, but to the shock of everyone in the draft, the Ladyboys triumphed in a penalty shootout. However, their good fortune didn't continue for the final and Fulchester held on to their status in the third tier. Relegated from T4 this season were Kim Hyde's real-life inspired Besikstas side and Matias F's Garra Blanca.

Tier 5 was the closest of all the divisions in the DL this term, and by the end of the season, 7 out of the 8 teams in the bottom flight could have gained promotion on the final day. The teams that eventually did promote were Xpronic's Xtronic and WBA_4_eva's East Bromwich Albion.

The Draft League Cup was a fitting way to end the season, and the final was contested by reigning winners and tier 1 runners-up, the Sh*t Hot Shi'ites, managed by DL Tier 4 and 5 chairman TVI. Up against the Shi'ites was Draft League Chairman Sweeney's Notification, finally getting a shot at some silverware. Alas for Sweeney, The Shi'ites overcame them with goals from inspirational captain Mark Viduka and last summer's big Draft League transfer signing, Michael Ballack.

It was a fantastically enjoyable season for everyone involved in the draft, and summer transfer signings are already taking place. There is also a special charity match in the offing, whereby Sweeney and TVI pick the players from all teams that they feel have performed the best this season and pit them against each other in a one-off clash which will be filmed and presented as highlights.

---------------------------------

For those of you who do not know what the draft league is (you've been wasting your lives!), the basic format is this: Members who wanted to compete in the draft league signed up by private messaging draft organiser Sweeney, who then randomly decided an order in which players for the teams would be picked. Different positions on the pitch determined whether the team at the bottom of the random order picked first, or the one at the top did, and gradually each team picked their 11 starters (any currently playing player that is on the default PES database was pickable) and 5 substitutes and the draft could begin in earnest! The games themselves are played as CPU vs CPU games by Sweeney and TVI on their PS2's, and Sweeney posts up the results and organises the leagues etc and Coldburn is in charge of producing the Draft League option file for members to test out new tactics.

The real fun of the draft league for the participating 'managers' could be said to be the decisions as to which tactics to use, and the designing of their team's kits and other related things. However, most members agree that the real fun is in the transfer market, where players arrange transfer deals, loan signings and player swaps with other managers via the NeoPM system (and then announce them in the forum thread) using the £10 million fund they were given at the start of the draft, as well as any prize money and fees from transfers they acquire.

Season 4 looks like being the last season of the draft before PES2008 comes out, but fear not! The DL will make a return to the forum for this year's game.

A year of hard graft for the Neoseeker Goal of the Month competitors has culminated in these two mind-boggling good videos, courtesy of NeoPES' resident movie maker Xpronic! These tomes of quality give testiment to the incredible lengths to which members will go to to score the ultimate goal, and this is all set to a background of the member's favourite music.

In part one of Various Artists, multiple GOTM winner THE BULLET is accompanied by Wednesday Til I Die, Highbury Highs, Februarys Shadow, Stealth107, Orion Chuzzlewitt and Gaza7.



The obviously superior Part Two (thanks to me being in it ^_^) sees me (TVI), Toonami, Matias F, Memento Mori and ofcourse Xpronic showcase our best material.



The level of the goals in these videos just goes to show the ability of some of the players on the neoseeker forums, and I think this bodes very well for the future of GOTM competitions on neoseeker. Well done everyone, especially X who has not only been entering the competitions (and usually beating me in them ¬_¬), but making the videos all year. Pats on backs all round!

The final round of league games for neoseeker's original, unique and incredibly absorbing Draft League are just around the corner! The relegation and championship issues in the top two divisions have already been decided, with Lazio's unbeaten Argentinos Cerbranos team claiming the Tier 1 title thanks to the tightest defence in the Draft, and Ronaldo77's UClan and Toonami's goal-shy Newtown Wanderers facing the prospect of a campaign in Tier 2 next season. TVI's Sh*t Hot Shi'ite's have all-but sewn up the Tier 2 title, and have bounced back to the top division at the first time of asking thanks to the goal-poaching exploits of Andriy Shevchenko and Mark Viduka. MonkeyChicken's defensively-awful, but offensively-brilliant Monkeys FC are looking good for the other promotion spot after a fine second half of the season, but Winning XI and February's Shadow have both been relegated to the murkey depths of Tier 3.

The real interest in the final round of league games lies in the bottom tier, where 5 of the 8 teams in the division can still be promoted! Nicodm's Kensinton Dragons are currently top of the table, and look likely to gain promotion, but WFTA, FC Masterdam, TM FC and the Michael Owen inspired Fulchester United are all in the thick of things!

Also to be decided are the semi-finals of the Draft League Cup, with TVI's Sh*t Hot Shi'ites and league organiser Sweeney's Notification to battle it out in one semi-final. The other semi sees another step in a wonderful cup story - Stealth107's Tier 1 runners-up Soliloquy and Deano's giant-killing, massively popular Tier 3 side Deano's Unbeatable United going together in a truly fascinating clash!

For those of you who are unclear on what the draft league is (where have you been??!), the basic format is this: Members who wanted to compete in the draft league signed up by private messaging Sweeney, who then randomly decided an order in which players for the teams would be picked. Different positions on the pitch determined whether the team at the bottom of the random order picked first, or the one at the top did, and gradually each team picked their 11 starters (any currently playing player that is on the default PES database was pickable) and 5 substitutes and the draft could begin in earnest! The games themselves are played as CPU vs CPU games by Sweeney on his PS2, and he posts up the results and organises the leagues etc. The real fun of the draft league for the participating 'managers' could be said to be the decisions as to which tactics to use, and the designing of their team's kits and other related things, but most members agree that the real fun is in the transfer market, where players arrange transfer deals, loan signings and player swaps with other managers via the NeoPM system (and then announce them in the forum thread) using the £10 million fund they were given at the start of the draft, as well as any prize money and fees from transfers they acquire.

The league is set to get even better next season with the addition of a fourth tier! This was set up to allow members who missed out on the original draft selection, but still showed an actice interest in the progress of the league to finally get their chance to become a manager! Some shrewd draft picks by the likes of Derp, MatiasF and Matty1605 have ensured that they will not be at too much of a disadvantage compared to the top three tiers!

Plans are in the offing to improve the draft league still further, so make you keep a watchful eye on its progress over the next few months! Sweeney has created one of the greatest threads in the history of Pro Evolution Soccer forums, so anyone with even a slight interest in PES on neoseeker should check it out!

GOTM on Neoseeker is still going strong, and the quality of goals is getting frighteningly high, increasing with every month that passes! Some friendly banter between regular competitors Xpronic and TVI has heated up the anticipation to the May competition - can Xpronic yet again take victory for the third time this year, or can TVI finally break his duck, and actually manage to finish in any position other than second, or will another seeker steal the win from under their noses?! Neoseekers, prepare to cast your votes on the fabulous array of goals on display in this month's video (credit to Xpronic for making it), and decide who deserves the bragging rights for another month at least! As always, follow the link from this article to the forum thread, and NeoPM Ronaldo77 with your two choices of goals.

Good luck to all the entrants!

Just a few hours ago, Video Game Generation posted up a review for the PES game released some time ago for the DS. Much like the last few times that a review has been posted for this game, the first thing which draws our focus is the lower than usual mark (this time, 7.1/10) and it's immediate reference to graphics and WiFi, one of which is limited due to using the DS, but unlike many other reviews for this game, they say that they enjoyed the WiFi options given to them through the use of the WiFi console.

They do enjoy the gameplay, a common aspect of reviews for PES, if not finding it a little only the simplistic side, and also make several references when it comes down to the AI.

Bottom Line:

Even though it has its flaws, the game is still worthwhile and is as well done as can be expected considering the limitations the developers had to deal with on the DS. The game is oversimplified to make it workable on the hardware, and you're not going to get a game that's on par with the console versions, but if you’re looking for a portable soccer game I’d definitely recommend this one.

[Source]

Recent news of a rumour going around indicates that folks who get the newest Konami title on the next generation systems are going to be a lot happier if they own the PS3. From the sounds of it, the PS3 manages to beat out the Xbox 360 when it comes down to how the graphics look. While things are not official (heck, this came through a Korean site supposedly quoting from Konami Insider) fanboys are no doubt rejoicing over this news.

Features:

predicted capacity is 18GB over. current rendered modeling capacity is 10GB.

60 fps

online play for PS3, Xbox360, PC,PS2 but no online for Wii.

Huge quality gap between PS3 and XBOX360 ver. PS3 is better. maybe three times.

If this is a rumour, most likely it's back from the processing capacity that Sony's new platform has over it's Microsoft equivalent.

[Source]

By Mishtram

Start a Forum thread on this news story

PLATFORMS

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 [PC, XBOX360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS]

Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 recently made the leap up the charts for all platforms to number four, leaping, in the last week, 21 spots.

The other prime mover in the top ten is Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (aka Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007) which moves up twenty-one places to number four following the Platinum budget re-release of the PlayStation 2 and PSP versions. This again puts the title in direct competition with Electronic Arts’ FIFA 07 which also recently re-entered the charts following retail promotions, particularly for the £9.99 ($20) PC version.

Good going Komami!

[Source]

A lot of games out there have continued to have bugs, but one has been dropped from that list, as compatibility issues, as of update 1.70, are no longer an issue for forms of PES recently affected by bugs. While we did declare it backwards compatible from this article some time ago, the game managed to accrue some bugs, not an uncommon problem when it comes to several titles in the past few months.

Have fun gaming, folks.

[Source]

The "Winning Eleven" franchise earned its crown by faithfully reproducing the world's most popular game. The magic is still here -- controls are impeccable, the flow of action realistic, and when a goal is scored in a low-scoring battle, it feels like winning a war. ~ Detroit Free Press Review

Overall, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is definitely what I wanted to see on the PSP. With just about every mode from the console version, it has tons of replayability and has everything that was missing from the last PSP version, but the new loading times are a pain. If you love soccer and want something for gaming on the go, Winning Eleven is definitely the best available for the PSP system. ~ WorthPlaying

Those are two excerpts from two recent reviews for Pro Evolution Soccer 6 [EU]/Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 [NA] on the Playstation Portable, both speaking highly of the smoothness, if not incredibly enhances, graphics, and the improvements in the amount of forms of gameplay available. Of course, as with all reviews which come through the PES neoportal, the main focus stays on the gameplay aspect, which has carried through many different games as being the center point of the series.

Worthplaying gave this round of Pro Evolution Soccer an 8.8 out of 10, and has a review which is definitely worth checking out. Stay tuned on the Pro Evolution Soccer portal, for more reviews and news on the entire Pro Evo series!

Pro Evolution Soccer is now confirmed to be backwards compatible! For those fans out there who have got out to buy themselves a PS3, you'll be happy to know that both single player and versus modes work fine on the next generation console. However, due to hardware alterations, you will have to sacrifice online play if you want to make the step from the PS2 to the PS3.

[ Source ]

Pro Evolution Soccer 5 was a well sold game around the world, especially in the UK, when it was released. However, it was recently beat out by Pro Evolution Soccer 6, beating out 5 by a full five weeks making the one million mark in sales. Some attribute this quick rise when compared to 5 to the massive markets which were introduced when the series hit both the 360 and the DS with this game.

"We are committed to bringing Pro Evolution Soccer to as many sectors as possible," said Konami UK's general manager Pete Stone. "PES7 will mark the game's first appearance on PS3, and will see massively improved versions for the Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, PC and DS. We are certainly expecting to surpass sales of PES6 with the next version."

Good going for Konami and to the fans for racking up sales so quickly!

[Source]

Konami have announced that they are to make an Arcade version of the legendary Pro Evolution Soccer game series! With a few gameplay and control system alterations, Konami's super-realistic football simulation has been turned into a quick, fun, easy-to-use Arcade machine while still retaining the superb graphics and physics engine of the full console versions. The machine is currently being tested in two arcade locations in London; at the Hollywood Bowl and the Rocket Venue.

Source, IGN

With ConsoleGoals, users can:

* Upload, tag and share videos worldwide

* Browse millions of original goals uploaded by community members

* Find, join and create video groups to connect with people who have similar interests

* Customise the experience by subscribing to member videos, saving favourites, and creating playlists

* Integrate ConsoleGoals videos on websites using video embeds or APIs

* Subscribe to RSS feeds to keep up to date with the latest goals from the site

* Make videos public or private - users can elect to broadcast their videos publicly or share them privately with friends and family upon upload

Looking forward to seeing you there,

ConsoleGoals

Yes, its that time of the month again! Neoseekers, prepare to cast your votes on the fabulous array of goals on display in this month's video (credit to Xpronic for making it). Last month's winner was Chris5 with his spectacular volley from outside the box with Ashley Cole. Can he do the double, or will another member step-up and take the prize? Only you can decide! As always, follow the link from this article to the forum thread, and NeoPM Ronaldo77 with your two choices.

Good luck to all the entrants!

Cub3d recently released their review of the Pro Evolution Soccer 6 game for the DS, a game only recently released with both Europe and Japan, and what is hoped a release date sometime within the year of 2007 for the United States and surrounding areas.

Unfortunately for the game, it lost major marks in this review, as they found that, not only did the game lack anything interesting in the way of sound, and beginning screens, it also did not have much in the way of graphics, with little to no improvement from the popular football (soccer) games reminiscent of the N64 era. Alongside these issues, they also found that the game had connecting issues, so often attempts to play against human opponents with the game failed.

The game did, however, make up for it with superb and flowing gameplay with a total lack of slowdowns or lag. "There is no mistaking that this is a little brother of the PES main series, since its trademark moves and gameplay are about 85% in-tact. Other than a few little omissions, veterans will feel right at home.", is the word directly from the mark breakdown at the end of the review.

All in all, PES 6 for the DS gained a six in all categories with only a seven being the difference in gameplay. An unfortunate review for a game as popular as the PES series.

[Source]

NeoFC is upon us once again! As happens every year on the Neoseeker PES forums, members have submitted their appearences and stats ready to be made into two opposing Neoseeker soccer teams, ready to duke it out on the field of play! The squads for both sides have now been announced, with more experienced, established members making up the A squad and the newer forummers in B.

Tez and Ronaldo77 are currently editing the Neoseeker Option File to include these new teams so that members can easily download a file and play immediately! For those not fortunate to own a Maxdrive (to get data from their PC to PS2), the application forms will be made available for all to see so that members can create the teams themselves. Click on the thread link at the bottom of this news article to see more!

In other news, in celebration of the 'Alphabet Master League Challenge' which was mentioned in the last news article, the portal now has an entire section dedicated to using the notoriously poor Master League default squad! It is under the 'Tactics' section for anyone who wishes to improve their play with this motley bunch of players!

Is the ML becoming M-hell? Have you got to 2015, bought all the world's best players and won the treble three times in a row? Have you started more Master Leagues than you can remember, but become disinterested in them soon after?

Then look no further than the various Master League Challenge threads currently running on the PES6 forum!

Ronaldo77 has brought back his ever-popular 'Alphabet Challenge' for another game edition. In this thread, Neoseekers request a letter (which Ronaldo then assigns to them) and they must only buy players whose names begin with that letter, using a team beginning with it also! The real challenge lies in the fact that the games must be played on 'Top Player' difficulty, and starting with the infamously bad Master League Default players in the second division with just 7500 PES points to spend on transfers. To keep the thread itself interesting, members are asked to post 'Story of my Season' or 'SOMS' style posts. In these, users give a high level of detail about their Master League campaign using methods such as interviews with their team's mythical manager, outlining transfer targets for the season and giving league standings and formations used.

Stealth107 and LeonRE4's Eredivisie Master League Challenge has been in action for a while now, but you can still sign up and compete at any time. The basis of this thread is to use one of the lesser-known Dutch top division sides (pretty much any club excluding PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord or AZ Alkmaar) and bring them to the top! You start in D2 using that team's match mode players (who are usually pretty poor), but you can only buy players within a certain wage restriction, which varies depending on the club chosen. This creates a very unique game experience, since nearly no well-known players can be bought.

Sign up for one of these threads now to rekindle your love for the Master League on Pro Evo 6!

Another month, another neoseeker GOTM competition! Can Xpronic repeat his win from December's contest, or will a goal by someone else take the glory in the last competition of 2006? Only you can decide!

Simply watch this video (massive credit to Xpronic for making it) and go to the GOTM thread on the forums (linked to in this very article). Then all you need to do is Private Message Ronaldo77 casting votes for your two favourite goals out of this bunch.

As you can see, the quality of the goals this time is astoundingly high - good luck to all the entrants!

The newest incarnation of Pro Evolution Soccer has received a 6.5 out of ten in a recent review done by Mygen.com, giving the site a score which is considered merely passable for any game site out there. The reviewer was fairly disappointed when it came to the scoring of goals, calling it a difficult task even after you get into the game. He also mentions that the audio of the game falls lacking when compared to some other games which have been released at a similar time.

The two page review can be found at the source, with a small excerpt of the review below:

Another area in which the game is lacking is in the audio department. Whilst FIFA has always ensured that the in game music is of a high standard, with licensed pop music from fashionable artists, the music in PES is of the generic kind, seen in most games since in-game audio went multi-channel… and don’t get me started on the commentary. It’s not that Peter Brackley and Trevor Brooking are bad commentators; they do a pretty good job in real life. It’s just that the script they are given is pretty poor, and you’ll hear the same phrases often repeated again and again.

[Source]

With everyone on neoseeker playing Pro Evo 6 to death, its about time we had a goal of the month competition for us all to show off our nicest goals! The November competition saw a healthy number of entrants, and a video has been hosted on youtube to showcase their efforts:



You can vote by going to the thread on the forums (click on the comments hyperlink, just below this text), and private messaging Ronaldo77 your two favourites.

Massive credit to xpronic for making the awesome video!

Pocket Gamer, a few days ago, gave their review of the PSP version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6, praising the games amazing graphics and detailed statistics for making the game a hot commodity. While following the typical route that many reviews have been taking over the past few weeks, questions have arisen over the difficulty of such games. While fans might defend the new difficulty sections, Pocket Gamer goes into detail on the advantages that the AI seems to have, and the frustration factor that many are going to have to deal with when they get the game.

The entire review can be checked out at the source, while a small snippet is provided below:

Even in default Regular setting, PES6 is unashamedly challenging – every ball is keenly contested, each challenge and pass demands your full attention. Crafting chances demands mastery of passing and dribbling, while the combination of super-human keepers, all too human strikers, and incredibly sensitive shooting controls make slotting the ball home tougher still.

Although hardened fans will doubtless argue this is a realistic reflection of the game, ensuring that goals are genuine treasures, the flipside for the average player is an exponential heightening of frustration levels. This is compounded by the analogue nub of the PSP, which too often seems to lack the subtlety required and will be blamed rightly or wrongly for numerous stray passes, misdirected finishes and 'Bambi on Ice' defending.

[Source]

Boomtown recently released a review on the Official Game Guide by Piggyback, reported on the PES portal here, at the beginning of the month. The team comments on the use of the DVD, and the more indepth coverage that the now dubbed "The Expert Guide" gives to players older to the series, including a series of tips and tricks before unknown to the series.

All in all, the folks have given the the guide book a high score of nine out of ten, for it's excellent DVD coverage, and amazing reservoir of information, matching the excellent work that was done of the Piggyback Guide last year.

"The initial ‘How to Play’ section is very short and very much just for absolute novices. This is ‘The Expert Guide’ after all and they don’t dwell on the basics for very long. The next section is the ‘Coaching Manual’, which covers all of the ‘official’ moves in the game in immense detail. The section includes a ‘Moves Index’ at the beginning, a superb reference to the moves for PS2, Xbox 360 and PC gamers. The section then lists all the moves divided up into the various skills found in football like defence, ball control, passing, shooting and so on. The advice is superb and goes into enormous detail. For example, the excellent section on shooting includes a rather obscure tip on how to perform the ‘rabona’ shot. Every move in the coaching manual includes indicators to show both how difficult the move is to pull off and how effective its use can be. This means that you will spend less time trying to perfect a move that as well as being nigh on impossible to master, is also very ineffectual."

[Source]

The folks over at ContactMusic have created a review for Pro Evolution Soccer 6, remarking mainly on it's gameplay and subtle changes, along with a small bit on how there is a lot more fights for amazing goals, making you savour them all the more.

A quick preview below:

In a nutshell, hardened Pro Evo fans will recognise the update from the previous edition as subtle yet effective. On first look and feel, the game plays like the previous edition. However, as game after game unfolds the updates to the play and game reveal themselves almost tantalisingly slowly until you realise that you just aren't as good as you used to be. until you get used to the updates and incorporate them into your game.

A nine out of ten overall! Check the source below for the entire article.

[Source]

By Mishtram

Start a Forum thread on this news story

PLATFORMS

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 [PC, XBOX360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS]

Piggyback has teamed up with Konami Digital Entertainment to provide another guide for those interested in picking it up, for the newest game in the PES series, Pro Evolution Soccer 6. The languages are in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with covers matching the game covers of the area they are being sent to. The guide itself was released the same day as the game, the 27th.

The guide is meant to provide both indepth strategies and off-hand tips for all levels of players, focusing on visuals to get the point accross.

Features:

· Exclusive DVD containing footage on every move, shot, trick and an interview with the game's creator Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka
· In-depth explanation on every detail behind the game mechanics such as passing, shooting, goalkeeping, penalties, player positions, choice of captain and much more
· Discover all there is to know about the Master League with details on squad management, player development and a Talent guide
· All of the worlds best teams presented over a massive dedicated team and player section
· Back cover fold-out with a quick overview to controls and moves
· Front cover artwork identical to that of the game, 164 pages plus a 6-page cover
· Quick search, colour-coded index, user-friendly tab system.

[Source]

When playing the game, you're going to be noticing two things when it comes to advertisements in the game. For one, the side boards, soccer balls, and shoes, are all going to have been made by Reebok in the game, meaning that everytime you play a game, you'll also going to be seeing a new deal brokered to add this advertising in. Along with that, whenever you check out the replay, expect to see a Canon symbol in the corner of the screen.

“Maintaining sensitivity to gamers' needs is key whilst exploiting these new marketing techniques – we needed to ensure the advertising was true to the game content and added to its realism”, said Maryam Bazargan, Managing Director of New Street Media. “It's important not just to place brands within a game, but to follow the partnership through to offline co-marketing and joint events, which is what we've been working on with Reebok throughout Europe.”

[Source]

The folks over at Hexus gaming have come out with an article on Pro Evolution Soccer 6, for the Xbox 360, a hands-on in which they speak frankly about the game design, and what they've decided about the game overall.

In general, it appears that the writers were unimpressed by the work done on the game, considering it was going on a next-gen console, when it comes to such things as the static crowds, even with the improvements of the graphics.

Fill kits for each country are also mentioned in the hands-on. To check it out, just click the link below.

[Source]

Pro Evolution Soccer will be the first football game on the Wii, as announced by Konami on CVG last night. Shingo Takatsuka has mentioned that the game has already been made to work with Wii hardware, and has successfully been working thus far on that product.

This is definitely lucky for those in the Wii crowd, who looked to have very few sports games coming their way. With PES looking to be heading in their direction, it might be the basis for futher production in the Wii Sports Gaming area.

What will be interesting to see is how the Wii-mote will be used in the production of the game. As mentioned in the source below, such things as throw-ins seem easy to map, however, passing and such could lead to some difficulties.

[Source]

The Xbox 360's version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 got more of a spotlight today when Xbox Way but up an article done by the Xbox Community Network (XGN), with the legendary producer of that series, Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka.

Within this interview, they mostly speak about gameplay and some of the mechanics behind it, however, they also hit the topic shortly of fitting in with the massive Europe Continent, and some of the competition provided by the FIFA series.

Also, Takatsuka mentions several things that he hopes or expects are incoporated into the game series in time, like being able to have European fans play against the Japanese fans, full leagues online, or 8 versus 8 team against team.

XCN: Why are Pro Evolution soccer and Wining Eleven two different games and will we be able to play Winning Eleven players on Xbox Live with Pro Evo 6?

SST: There is a 6 month span from the Japanese version and the European version. We have not stopped to improve the game, so that is the main reason why PES6 is different. Currently, you cannot play against a user in Japan, but this is one of the goals that we have that we want to accomplish.

XCN: How many different leagues from around the world can we hope to see in the game and what are they?

SST: We have acquired 4 of the 6 major European leagues, and have made that 4 in the game completely. Also, we have obtained the French League 1 for the first time.

[Source]

IGN gets it's first hands-on with Pro Evolution Soccer 6, due to come out in mid- to late-October in Europe, and in 2007 everywhere else.

The author, Chris Roper, remarks on the fluid gameplay for the game, allowing for easy controls when passing and moving your character. However, he had difficulties when it came to selecting players, with the CPU automatically selecting the nearest character when switching between them, which is not always beneficial.

Graphics, regarding framerate, are excellent so far. When it comes down to such things as the franchise play, unfortunately, they were working with a Japanese build and have not had the chance to work with it yet. However, they remark that, overall, the game has given them a solid performance, and complements the rest of the series with intuitive gameplay and it's excellent graphics.

[Source]

Australian soccer player John Aloisi will be gracing the cover of PES 6, with the now famous shot of him with his arms spread wide, when he sent Australia into the World Cup Finals.

As well as being the match winner against Uruguay in 2005, Aloisi is remembered for his impressive third goal in the come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Japan in Australia's opening game at the 2006 World Cup finals.

Pro Evolution Soccer 6, or Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 in the United States will be hitting Australian Stores in November for the Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PSP, and with a December release for DS gamers.

[Source]

Efytimes.com has reported that Konami Digital Entertainment has finally given out the release date for Europe for Pro Evolution Soccer 6, which will be October 27th, 2006.

“This is the date all football fans have been waiting for,” commented Martin Schneider, European Marketing and PR Director for Konami Digital Entertainment. “October 27 will see established Pro Evolution Soccer fans looking to get their hands on the latest version, while we are delighted to be bringing the first Next Generation version to Xbox 360 users, and taking the many delights of Pro Evolution Soccer to an all-new audience. The season truly starts here – and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will once again top the table of the football genre.”

[Source]

Microsoft revealed yesterday that it secured a one-year exclusivity term for Electronic Arts' FIFA 07 and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 on next-gen console platforms, meaning both games will only see release on the Xbox 360 with the PlayStation 3 editions to wait until later next year at the earliest. According to feedback GameIndustry.biz has gathered from retailers in Europe, while the exclusivity contract will certainly prove to be advantageous for Microsoft, it's certainly not a death knell for potential European PS3 sales once the console launches. Said retailers point to the PlayStation's permeating brand power in the console game market alone as a factor which will keep demand for the PS3 strong.

"The market for PS3 is going to be relatively immature for its first year, so EA will be able to release FIFA in 2008 into a more mature market with higher penetration... FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer are still going to be on PS2 this Christmas and that's where the money is going to be for publishers in December, not on PS3," added [Pinnacle Software' MD Peter Sleeman].

"It's a hell of a coup for Microsoft, extremely well done, and by the time PS3 does get a FIFA title it'll be FIFA '08. But it won't change our predictions for the PlayStation 3 one iota," offered [Chips' MD Don McCabe].

Looking to expand their appeal in the European gaming market, Microsoft confirms at the Leipzig Games Convention that both Electronic Arts' FIFA 07 and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Winning Eleven 10 outside of Europe) will be exclusive releases for the Xbox 360 platform for one year after their official Europe launch dates. In other words, both games will not see release on next-gen gaming platforms aside from Microsoft's until late 2007, as FIFA 07 and PES6 are scheduled to ship in Europe this September and October, respectively.

Please note this announcement will not affect the release of editions for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and PC platforms. Whether or not it proves to be a setback for Sony's PlayStation 3 (the only victim) in Europe on the other hand depends on how readily available the console ends up becoming after its November launch.

FIFA recently hailed PES, stating them as the reason that the football sporting industry for gaming has grown so much and forced FIFA to work on newer and better additions to their games each year.

Joe Booth, experienced with the FIFA series and now the producer of FIFA 2007, and soon FIFA 2008, says that he has been driven by the competition laid on him from Pro Evoltion Soccer to keep up and add more and more to the game, and by extension, to improve the market to have a high enough revenue to justify bringing these additions into existence.

"If you follow what's happened in the football video game market in the last eight years, its grown by a huge amount, and 'Pro Evo' and FIFA have driven that.

[Source]

The UK gaming charts show little change in the leading games, with Grand Theft Auto: LCS staying in second after recently being moved into second by the game Cars.

Pro Evolution Soccer has also stayed on these game charts (which have been described as sluggish) in fifth position after having been out for 44 weeks.

The chart is updating weekly. To read the entire article and see the leaders on this chart, click here.

[Source]

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be one of the playable games at New Zealand's Black Box Session competitions this year, replacing the game Winning Eleven 10, if it is released on time, joining other games such as Gran Turismo 4 and Table Tennis.

The gaming competition will be taking place on Labour Weekend for PES 6, with the winner having a chance to pick up a variety of games plus $500 credit from QQ Games, which has become the major sponsor for Winning Eleven and Pro Evolution Soccer tournaments for the next six months.

Good luck to all the contestants!

About Black Box Session: Black Box Session is New Zealand's largest console event, this year hoping to break the 100-attendee mark this year, and is taking place in Aukland. Next year, iWay will be joining QQ in sponsoring this event.

UK fans will be delighted to learn that English Captain John Terry will be on the cover of the packaging for the game Pro Evolution Soccer 6, being joined by Brazillian Striker Adriano. John Terry will also be appearing in a specially shot TV campaign for the game as well.

Terry, according to John Murphy, PR/marketing manager for Konami, was chosen for both his skill in soccer and the respect he has gained from the football community, including his giving all for his country.

“As a life-long fan of the Pro Evolution Soccer series, I am delighted to be working with Konami for the second year running,” John Terry added. “No other game can touch Pro Evolution Soccer 6 in terms of realism. The way the players move on and off the ball is second to none, and I am honoured to be the face of the best football title around.”

Check back to the PES Neoportal for more updates.

[Source]

By Mishtram

Start a Forum thread on this news story

PLATFORMS

Pro Evolution Soccer 2 [PSX]
Pro Evolution Soccer 4 [PC, Xbox, PS2]
Pro Evolution Soccer 5 [PC, Xbox, PS2, PSP]
Pro Evolution Soccer [PS2]
Pro Evolution Soccer 2 [PS2]
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 [PC, PS2]
Pro Evolution Soccer [PSX]
Winning Eleven 6 Final Evolution (Import) [GC]