Only nine months to go…
This morning, I gathered the lads together for a team photo. There they are below – all my beauties. I’ve never even considered lending out or trading in any of them, with one exception…
No, not PES2008. The PS2 version of PES4 is missing from the line-up. At the time of PES5’s release, I was unemployed and poor. I had to trade in PES4 to help make up the cost. There was no choice at the time.
I also have the PC version of PES5 somewhere, but I couldn’t find it just now.
The PSP version of PES5 is also missing. I lent it to a work colleague after I got the PSP version of PES6. I hadn’t worked at the office for long. He overheard me talking about PES6 with another colleague, and asked to borrow PES5. I didn’t feel that I could refuse. It was one of those awkward dilemmas – you know? He resigned a few weeks later and promised to bring back my game on his last day – but he didn’t, and he gave me a mobile phone number that nobody has ever answered. I haven’t seen him since. Pete, if by some miracle you’re reading this, I haven’t forgotten and I will get you one day…
I did consider excluding PES2008 from the photo, as if it was the idiot son whom no one likes to talk about. But I relented and allowed it to join in. It would have been churlish not to. I played PES2008 for 130+ hours. There are plenty of other games on my shelf that I wish I’d got a fraction of the play-time out of. PES2008 is by no means all bad. It’s just not good enough.
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So I’m about to start playing PES5 again. I had to have a break from PES today. I had to lick my wounds, which are still raw. I still cannot BELIEVE that Konami and/or Seabass EVER thought that next-gen PES2008 was worthy of the name.
In my opinion, PES5 was the best that PES has ever been. I played it almost every day for its entire year, right up until the night before I got PES6. I played around 45 seasons with the same ML team. I loved it to bits. How will PES5 seem to me now, after my months on PES2008?
The switch shouldn’t be a massive shock. I’ve been playing a sneaky PES6 Master League career on my PSP that I’ve never mentioned on this blog. It’s just something to while away bus journeys and lunch breaks. I play an average of one or two matches a day in it; progress is slow. But it has kept my eye in, so to speak, when it comes to ‘last-gen’ PES. PES6 is not that much different from PES5. I’ll re-adapt to PES5 very quickly, I think. I hope.
Having said that, I’m going to treat PES5 as if it’s a brand-new PES game. My routine with a new PES game is set in stone and cannot be altered.
There can be no instantaneous jumping into a Master League. First I’ll acclimatise myself by playing several Exhibition games on the default difficulty level. Then I’ll play some International Tournaments on the higher difficulty levels. My tradition dictates that I have to win one of these tournaments before I can even think about moving onto ML. In addition, I’m not allowed to reload the tournaments if I’m eliminated – I have to start all over again in a new tournament. It can take a while. I think it took me a week or so to progress to Master League back in 2005.
The only potential fly in the ointment is how PES5 will run on my PS3. It failed to start the other day when I tested it out, but was fine on the second attempt, and played very smoothly thereafter. If it gives me much trouble I will switch to the very PS3-friendly PES6 – another great version of the game. I could get my PS2 out of mothballs, but I’ve got used to a wireless controller now.
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Today I fancied having a few games on next-gen FIFA08. So I did.
It’s a dangerous game, is FIFA08. It has the siren-call of a fully-functional (offline and online), nice-looking, solid and enjoyable football sim. It breaks my PES heart just to think about next-gen FIFA08. The game’s got its knockers, missus. Yes, it’s tough to dribble, it’s tough to shoot, it’s tough to do anything well on the higher difficulty levels. And that’s why I think it’s a great game.
But this is still peschronicles. I am still a PES man. Only another annus horribilis for PES would see me turn my face permanently against the franchise. And even then I’d probably just play the old versions forever.
PES2009 has a lot riding on it. It’s more than a little odd to think that there is almost certainly a playable version of PES2009 running on a development console somewhere in Japan at this very moment. Only nine months to wait for us. It’ll be gone in a flash.
For now, I’m off to play some PES5.
Will you be using an Option file, or going with the ‘factory settings’?
I’ve got a copy of PES 5 en-route, and I may have even hit on a means to play my Euro copy of PES 2008 finally.
(twirls moustache)
ck – I’ve never used an Option File. I’ve never been concerned enough with the lack of licenses to want to. Gameplay is king for PES.
I do make some changes myself in Edit mode. Usually I just change the team names for the English clubs – Merseyside Red et al are the first to go. I think there was one year I had to do the same for the Italian/French clubs, or some of them. I leave all the other teams alone. Yes, I make do with FC Bosphorus and the like. It doesn’t bother me.
Other than the English team names I tend to change the classic players’ names to their real ones as and when they crop up in my game. Elcherino being an exception – I got used to thinking of him as Elcherino before I found out he was Eusebio.
Enjoy your PES2008! At last, eh….
I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the PSP version at the end of the month. As I said in the post I’ve been playing an ML on the PSP PES6, but it’s pretty rubbish as there’s no player development. It feels peculiarly hollow without player development. PES2008 on PSP – the *third* instalment on the console – is rumoured to feature a full Master League for the first time. Better late than never, eh, Konami….
I’m not counting my chickens yet! The fix I’m looking at is a mod that essentially tricks the PS2 into thinking that it is playing a US disc when it’s actually playing a Euro disc, but it pre-dates the build of the PS2 I have, so I’m not 100% confident that it will even work!
So, I have PES5 en-route as well as a back-up. I’m a bit over PES 6 at the moment, and am looking for a variant PES game to start a new ML with. I loved 5 as well, so you can’t go wrong with that one.
I think I know the mod you mean – isn’t it something to do with tricking the disc drive into thinking it’s a US disc, or something?
Let me know how you get on. I have an imported Japanese copy of WE7 that I’ve never been able to play.
I’m suprised you don’t use any option files getting the right sort of one can make a difference as I’m finding now.
I have the championship patch and the teams have been created so that while there are better teams they’re pretty equal so on their day they can all beat one another. I’m currently playing as Crystal Palace in my first season (with english clubs in 1st divsion) it feels like a much better game. I also like playing against only english clubs, it will make the european side of the game much more meaningful too! I haven’t bothered with them in previous versions of PES (didn’t have a max drive) but using a PC version of PES2008 so its easy to do.
Anyway with such equal teams its alot of fun. I must admit I have had a couple of days ending in 3-1 but also had some really good games where I’ve grounded out results or even lost a couple to late surges. I don’t know if its just a coincidence but I’m enjoying PES2008 alot more now with this patch in.
I suspect your at the end of your teather already with 2008 to even consider trying it. But if you do dig it out in future its worth a look.
Bearing in my I’ve set myself a few house rules in the transfer market to keep it realistic I think I might end up really enjoying it now. (only 3 games past mid-season at the moment so its still early doors)
Not that I’ll stop reading the blog but adding some depth to the leagues (with a patch such as championship – hey then you can play with the ‘real’ coventry team) it will make an even better read.
Paul
Paul – that Championship patch sounds intriguing…. Is there a PS3 version? I’m sceptical about altering the players’ stats to make a better game but would probably give it a try in due course. Someone on PESfan posted that he was so fed-up with the crappy goalkeepers that he edited all of them to 99 in everything – and they *still* palmed shots into the net.
Sneak preview of how I’m finding PES5: boy, it’s FAST. For some reason I remembered it as being a slow sim. It’s faster than PES2008. Really.
Ahhhh, but the gameplay…..
well, im sorry that this has absolutely nothing to do with your post (apologies) but i have had pes 2008 only a matter of short weeks before xmas, and i am already sadly contemplating putting it on the famous no-play shelf along with final fantasy(too god damm long), assasins creed (too god dam repetitive) and True Crime on the ps2(just god damm s**t)
As the first PES to hit a 3rd gen console, i was expecting nothing short of a real match between two teams playing realistic football, one of which i would be controlling. instead PES has become arcade like, and to say the least i am dissapointed.
to further my argument about how poor PES is, the game doesn’t even know the offside rule.
“A player is in an offside position if:
he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent”
im the kind of player who jumps up when i score a goal, i cant help it, but these default players do my knut in, so when i eventually get the ball to go in the net i do get excited.
the offside rule does not and can not apply if the ball is infront of the player. i know this as i often ref on saturdays and did a FA coaching course
i went to the byline (or near it) with my winger and crossed it into the box. the ball was met with my players head and ended up in the net, only for the linesman to raise his flag. HOW CAN THAT BE!!!!! i was rather annoyed and just needed to let someone know about this. i just couldn’t beleive that a game about football doesn’t even know the rules.
*GUTTED*
Stevey – I was 25 hours into FFXII when I got my PS3 and I haven’t played it since. I kind of regret it too, as I am a fan of FF and I thought XII had a good Gambit system. But I don;t have time to play long games these days, The bite-sized nature of footie games fits my life perfectly.
re. the PES offside rule – have they ever got it right?!
And like you I was expecting PES2008 on PS3 to be the best football game ever. The resulting disillusionment is correspondingly great.
Stevey – I was 25 hours into FFXII when I got my PS3 and I haven’t played it since. I kind of regret it too, as I am a fan of FF and I thought XII had a good Gambit system. But I don;t have time to play long games these days, The bite-sized nature of footie games fits my life perfectly.
re. the PES offside rule – have they ever got it right?!
And like you I was expecting PES2008 on PS3 to be the best football game ever. The resulting disillusionment is correspondingly great.