Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Critic Reviews

"FIFA 09" feels like the better representation of actual football, while PES is the more fun, accessible game. And the end result is a score draw.

A big improvement on last year but has ended up as the lighter alternative to "FIFA."

The fall of the King! Although PES 2009 is better than its predecessor, it loses the duel against an extremely strong FIFA 09.

So for soccer purists, if you're able to remove the barrier to acceptance built by the licensing(though PES includes full Champions League support, including the images and music), this is a wonderfully deep, playable, and entertaining sim.

Sterling footy action but the lack of new ideas is starting to grate.

PES 2009 tremendously raises the level in the genre of football simulations. If Konami had invested more money in official licenses, the game wouldn’t have to fear any challenge.

In conclusion, PES 2009 is an improvement over its 2008 version that still contains sturdy gameplay and lush graphics to match. The control system of the PS3 is almost perfect and the only complaint of the title is the lackluster Be A Legend mode, however I'm sure Konami will address in this upcoming versions.

In this effort to regain the title, PES plays it safe and recovers the classic gameplay that conquered the players in the last decade. But while it can be enough to hold on the fans, the reused formula and the comeback of the same old flaws can be a growing problem for the future.

For all its problems off the pitch, there’s no doubting that PES 2009 is the most fun football game on the market.

While this game plays better on the pitch because AI teammates are smarter at taking runs, distributing the ball, and springing others with through balls, it lags behind FIFA in its feedback to the player and the fact that it has a better sim feature while you are on the bench.

Putting aside the disappointments of PES 2009, on the pitch, the game is still the most realistic football sim on the market. I don’t believe the PES franchise is getting any worse, rather that EA’s FIFA franchise is barking at its heels and surpassing it in some areas.

It is not the best simulation, but it's as entertainment as few games, and a good challenger that we could say arrives one year late. But football fans can be happy: this year we can choose without missing.

PES makes changes to its formula that aren't particularly welcome for the most part and, while the Become A Legend mode has potential, the general gameplay has taken a downturn.

The best PES there has been for some time, but still no match for the everimproving FIFA. If you want two football games this year then they’re two worth having, but do you? Do you really?

If you want to play with your friends offline or love playing master league without any changes - this is the football game for you. But if you want to play online or look forward to the new game modes Champions League and Become a Legend - prepare to be dissapointed. It's a great game on the pitch and a lot of small improvements has been made, but everything outside the pitch is far behind the competition.

It still isn't quite sure if it's arcade or simulation, but at least the players aren't racing through the field like in last year's edition.

The quality of this game greatly depends on how you play soccer games. If you play together with your friends in the sofa, PES 2009 is tough to beat. But if you play by yourself or online PES 2009 is unfortunately too flawed when compared to the competition. This might be a much better game than last year's edition on Playstation 3, but the flaws are way to many and frustrating to make this a better game than it's competitor.

A step in the right direction for the franchise.

Overall I think PES 2009 has the makings of a great game that’s just been held back by the lack of forward momentum.

The more players demand by way of stats, management options, and formation flexibility, the more this franchise gets left behind. Having a limited selection of real teams playing in a fabricated league just doesn’t cut it anymore. The gameplay remains as a solid foundation, but that can only take a game so far.