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Pro Evolution Soccer 4 Review - Xbox

Although previously the majority of folk would have happily told you that Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was the best footy game ever made, there would have been some who disagreed. These people would perhaps be the eccentric whom prefers 'This is Football', the oldschooler whom prefers 'International Superstar Soccer 3' (which was once part of the Pro Evo games but the two licenses split a couple of years ago), or the poor chap who claims the FIFA games are the best.

Pro Evolution Soccer 4 should quite simply end any kind of debate on this subject; this is most definitely the most brilliant representation of 'the beautiful game' that has ever been created in terms of accuracy, longevity and gameplay. It's not perfect, that's for sure, and there are some annoying minor bugs. But this is without a shadow of a doubt the definitive choice for anyone who has any kind of remote desire to have a football game on their computer.

Gameplay

The matches in PES 4 play fantastically. Not only do matches play very realistically - creating the feel of a real football match - they are also consistently different and challenging. There is no certain way to score in PES 4. Getting goals will require changing tactics, opening up space, and a lot of intuitive gaming.

Unlike some football games, the ball in PES 4 is not 'glued' to the feet of the players. The game has been programmed so the ball is very much a separate entity from the players at all times. This means the bounces and deflections of the ball off the players, the crossbar, the pitch and even the referee are very realistic. The ball movement in general is actually extremely impressive - a slap on the back for Konami if you please.

The depth of control in PES 4 is also extremely impressive. There are plenty of options supplied by the controls when both on and off the ball. The controls on the ball include things like: pressing, bringing in extra men to press further, slide tackling, sprinting, etc. When off the ball the controls include things such as: pass, lob, shoot, two types of chip shot, many types of shot and pass feints, a 'one-two' pass, two types of sprint, jump for an attempted header on the ball, attempted volleys etc.

Almost nothing seems annoyingly unrealistic in this game, as is often the case with other computer footy games. Slide tackling is not overpowered; it's only occasionally useful and generally rather risky. You won't find yourself scoring the same kind of goals over and over; instead goals often only come by attempting a variety of techniques such as long shots, strings of passes, crosses and free kicks. You will not ever see a goalkeeper or defender perfectly take the ball all the way up the pitch to score by using pristinely accurate nutmegs, spins and other 'special skills' - there is ... (continued next page)