At Waterloo Seabass did surrender
I’ve got to say it again: I’m finding that PES2008 on the PSP & PS2 is a superb addition to the series. If this version does mark the swansong of the franchise on the PS2, it’s a fitting end.
It’s a shame that the inferior (IMO) next-gen version has overshadowed the better version this year. I think there’s a sense in which everyone playing the PSP/PS2 version thinks they’re slumming it, making do with an inferior game while Seabass gets his act together. But it’s not that way at all. They should really have just canned the next-gen version—or at least the PS3 version of the next-gen version—and focused on promoting the last-gen one. But anyway. I’m almost tired myself of the way I keep harping on about this. It just hurts so much.
It’s almost time to start looking forward to PES2009 and wondering what Konami and Seabass have in store for us. If it’s more of the same that we saw on the PS3 this year, then I’ll probably just play PES2008 on my PSP and PS3 until October 2010. Seriously. I’d do that. I think many others would too. And the frightening thing is that if FIFA09 is as good as I sense it’s going to be, skipping a PES year wouldn’t be any great wrench.
This is why Seabass was playing with fire when he allowed a shoddy PES2008 to release early and unfinished (on the PS3 in particular). It gave EA’s startling next-gen FIFA an opportunity to establish a bridgehead within the PES community. But even now it’d be premature to see next-gen PES2008 as Seabass’ Waterloo. There’s still a chance for him to claw back the advantage and the goodwill that he has lost—but it’s got to happen with PES2009. I really think PES2010 would be too late. Just my opinion, I know.
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I’m now 12 games into this oh-so-important season 2013. The PSP is the reason why I’m playing so many games. I love it. I could easily play a season a day if I wanted to. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration—maybe a season every two days would be more realistic. The point is that I’m motoring through the games and I’ve actually had to restrain myself, otherwise I’d be playing PES2008 to the exclusion of almost every other activity, and that would be bad. Even I can see that.
I’m not doing very well. The old saw on this blog about me being an average player is being proved abundantly true on last-gen PES2008. Every time I start to advance and think I’ve got the game cracked, I’ll hit a run of poor form that can’t be explained in any way other than my own shortcomings.
I’ve lost 7 games out of the 12, which is pretty damn miserable, really. On the upside I’m doing well in the D1 Cup. I’ve just played the first leg of the first round and I won a resounding 4-1 victory. But I’m not interested in the cup. It’s a nice bonus and I’d take any success it brings me, but I’d swap it all for a few more results in the league.
I’m languishing in 9th place. I suppose I should be grateful that I’m not further down the table—those 7 lost games are really shocking. My goal difference is keeping me afloat in mid-table. I could still make a run for the top 6 in the remainder of the season. Here’s hoping.