The fat lady warms up
Posted by: not-Greg in European Cup (ECC), Konami, PES2009, Seabass, league table, pes2008, tags: European Cup (ECC), FIFA08, FIFA09, Konami, league table, pes2008, PES2009, SeabassSo it’s season 2016 and I’m going for my first Treble in Master League on PES2008. (I’m getting a lot better at keeping these periodic recaps short.) Due to some, ah, ‘liking issues’ between me and the PlayStation3 version of this year’s PES, I’m happily playing the PSP & PS2 version of the game—which seems to me to be the game that should have come out on the next-gen platforms (with a coat of Hi-Def next-gen paint, of course).
Over the past week I’ve played FIFA08 again for the first time in a few months. I shouldn’t have left it so long. Old-gen PES2008 is such a great game that I’ve hardly been able to bring myself to play any other computer game, never mind any other football game. But now I’m easing up on my PES2008 play-sessions and FIFA08 has got a look-in again. All the reasons why I liked it are still there; all the reasons why I disliked it are still there too. The CPU’s keep-ball script, especially in the corners (it will get its cross in and there’s nothing you can do about it), is equally as bad as anything in PES. FIFA08’s staid, technical football is not to everybody’s taste. I love it but thousands hate it. If you’re looking for fast-paced, arcadey action with tons of spectacular goals in every game, FIFA is the wrong place to be for once. It still sounds strange to be saying that.
I’d love to have been a proverbial fly on the wall when Seabass first played next-gen FIFA08. This is a game that works out of the box (i.e. no 130MB patches required), plays flawlessly online, looks good graphically, feels satisfying to play and to score goals in, and remains challenging for its entire life-span. I really hope that Seabass felt suitably chastened, and inspired to get back to work. If PES2009 lands in October with any of the problems that afflicted its predecessor, I’ll probably be playing FIFA09 and old-gen PES2008 until 2010 rolls around.
This is all just my personal opinion. Plenty of PES fans love next-gen PES2008. I think that my habit of playing nothing but one Master League career indefinitely is the reason for my particular loathing of the game. After about four seasons it becomes ridiculously, preposterously, ludicrously easy. For those people who love to play other game modes or offline multiplayer, I can see how PES2008 is more than satisfactory. In many ways I envy them. They’re free of the gnawing bitterness that has take root in my soul. Only a great PES2009 can redeem Seabass now.
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Back to my Master League, things are shaping up for the second half of the season. I passed the mid-season negotiations without purchasing any new players. I don’t need them. I’ve already got a great squad.
I beat Atletico Madrid 4-1. It was a good result because Atletico—newly-promoted this season—were one of the eary pace-setters. They were top of the league for most of the first third of the season until Valencia took over. Now they were just part of the chasing pack, along with myself. It was important to beat them and I did. It wasn’t a very good game. I was 3-0 up before half time and never in serious danger. Even when the CPU got its goal (the inevitable goal that it absolutely has to get) I wasn’t in any danger, and just went and got myself another. Yet again one of the teams up near the top had been easy to beat. It really is the ones down near the bottom that you have to watch out for.
Unfortunately, though, I’ve drawn and lost a couple of other games. This leaves me 11 points behind Valencia. 11 points! It doesn’t look as if this leg of the Treble—the most important leg, the league—is going to be mine this season. There’s still a chance, of course, this being PES and ‘only’ a computer game.
But it’d be no good overhauling the league leaders if I took my eye off the ball in the other competitions. The Division 1 Cup qarter-final is coming up in a few weeks. In the European Championship (i.e. the Champions League) group stage, I finished top of my group after a very dodgy start against Benfica. Happily I found my form (and my fortune) in time.
What I should do is just concentrate on the Cup—and on securing second place in the league, thus avoiding having to qualify for next season’s European Championships. I should regard 2016 as a write-off and focus now on 2017. Yes, that’s what I should do. But I’m going to go all-out and try to win every one of my remaining 11 games. One of those games is against Valencia. If I could win that one, the deficit becomes just 8 points, which seems much more doable.
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Glad to see your playing FIFA again! I don’t think PES 2008 ps2 would be good enough with just high definition graphics. I need more these days. Realism and atmosphere, as FIFA provides well.
Wonder why Valencia are so good in your ML? Do they have any cast of English players that happen to be really good? (or play really well like mark noble!)
Good luck in chasing them down anyway! It is a shame you didn’t find Yamada to be as absolutely god like that he was for me.
Valencia don’t have any of the cast-off English clubs’ players! Maybe that’s why they’re so good… (I’m one of those who is sceptical about the English Prem’s claims to be ‘the best league in the world’. I think it’s one of those things that’s repeated so often that people just end up going along with it. The power of suggestion and all that.)
Re. Yamada, just because I never mention him doesn’t mean he’s not good for me. He is good, in flashes. But, no, I don’t find him as god-like as many others do.
As for FIFA…. you’ll be interested in this. If that’s true, roll on September, eh?!
Hi Greg
Something very strange has happened, I went out and bought EURO 2008 yesterday. This is the first FIFA I have played properly played since Road to the World Cup 98.
I absolutely love it, I love the playing style, the cut scenes, the HD graphics, the water on the pitch, small details like wrinkles on the shirt. It is everything next gen PES is not. It plays like real football, the atmosphere from crowd all adds to the excitement. If this is a sign of FIFA 09, Konami have a lot of ground to make up.
I have played it solidly since yesterday, trying to get used to the new game play, and I am so impressed and pleasantly surprised at the high standard of it. I took a look into the thread on PESFan, and a lot of disgruntled PES fans are saying the same thing.
It does not bother me no league teams, I am a big fan of Spanish football, technically the best league in the world. I have a soft spot for Barcelona, been to their ground a few times. Playing in the qualifiers with Spain at the moment.
me again,
Due to my ignorance towards FIFA, I thought it was too arcadey and easy to score in previous instalments.
I now see your argument with regards to next Gen PES 2008, I thought you were over critical. I can now see why you are so disgruntled, PES is way behind FIFA in many respects, I hope I am so wrong, but can they bridge the gap in PES 2009? The link you posted shows that FIFA is going from strength to strength. PES has always been the game media’s choice, but the link shows that is turning.
It is a shame in many ways as PES was always the football connoisseurs choice, real football. Having played the PS2 version, which is still that way and still classic PES, it is something short of disgusting the PS3 version. The omission of kit selection, the extra game modes, editing the list could go on.
You cant fool gamers. loyalty only goes so far as you touched on your blog for a while.
I really hope Konami can pull out the stops and make PES 2009 the game we all desire.
I agree with you about the Spanish league Heraldo!
Thanks for the link, I am excited about it. Thats two people you have turned to the dark side! Seabass is going to haunt you in his sleep..
heraldo - you’re by no means alone. Loads of PES players have been caught out this year. The complete change in game style on FIFA’s part is something they don’t know about and, oddly, don’t want to know about! They’re sticking to the ’same old FIFA’ line and refusing to budge.
Next-gen FIFA08 really was a slap in the face for Konami and Seabass. It worked out of the box, still plays flawlessly online (I just had a game online last night - a 0-0!), and you have to play something like realistic football to get anywhere.
It’s intriguing that FIFA09 seems already to be substantially complete.
And you’ve made me start thinking again about getting UEFA2008! I was almost over it as well. I downloaded the demo on my 360 (I had it on PS3 but deleted it a few weeks ago to make room on the HD) and played it for an hour yesterday morning. Wow. And they really have worked on the shooting! It’s much better than in FIFA08. If either of you guys ever pick up FIFA08 you’ll notice that the shooting is much less satisfying than it is in UEFA. It all bodes well for 09.
Not Given - It’s not my fault! It’s just the way things are this year. Check out all the threads on PESfan that are full of former diehard PES players unable to believe they like a FIFA game. I still can’t believe it myself, and I’ve had 7 months to get used to it now. After a decade of FIFA-hating, it’s going to take time to come to terms with myself for liking FIFA!
All we can hope for now is that the rumours are true and FIFA09 is another step up, not a step back. The reaction to FIFA08 (and to UEFA2008) from some quarters - notably some gaming magazines and websites - was so negative that I worried they’d turn back the clock and return FIFA to its arcadey past. But no, UEFA2008 shows that they’re sticking with the ultra-sim vision. Whew.
p.s. I’m putting £20 on Spain winning Euro2008. They’re way overdue to win a tournament.
Also - just found this article, another sneak preview of FIFA09 - http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/previews/183588.shtml
Greg
Followed the link, it really sounds exciting.
As football gamers, all we want is the best football title. If that happens to be EA, then so be it. I really hope to see Konami pull out all the stops with PES 2009, and hopefully we will have 2 GREAT football titles.
I have been played semi-pro 10-15 games to get a feel of the game play and controls, having not played FIFA for 10 years. I have just moved up to PRO and cracked in a long ranger with Fabregas, the swerve on the ball was amazing.
SPAIN have been underachieving for years on the International scene, they are due success. With Torres in top form and confident, an excellent midfield maybe this will be their year. I hope so, always had a soft spot for them since the days of “the Vulture” BUTREGUANO, what a striker.
Cheers
heraldo - I had another blast on the UEFA demo last night… I am indeed sorely tempted. The shooting mechanic just seems all but perfect to me now. Still, I MUST RESIST getting it… I have just too many games on the go at the moment, as well as some books I’d like to get round to reading, and International football (for me) would only have a limited appeal. I’m going to stick it out until it either drops below £20, or just wait for FIFA09 and get that.
I’ve got high hopes for both PES2009 and FIFA09. I think PES will be a return to ‘classic’ gameplay with fabulous graphics, but I worry about Master League. It’s starting to look a little creaky in this day and age. FIFA09 I think will be fantastic. If that OPM quote is borne out in reality, the football gaming world will be turned on its head.
I remember all those Spanish players… in the 1982 World Cup (yes, I’m that old) I was fascinated by the butcher of Bilbao!
I only got 8/1 for my £20 bet on them to win Euro2008, but it’ll give me an extra reason to watch their games.
Greg
I have many games aren’t seeing the light of day, since buying PS2 PES and EURO 2008 notably GTA IV, which I got on release night from asda.
I can’t put Euro down, thank god the Mrs at work, or she would be nipping my heid.
Aah World Cup 82 (Spain) my favourite world cup.
I will tell you a little story, I was crying my eyes out when Brazil got knocked out by Italy, my dad came and found me under my bed. I was devastated. I used to throw water over my Brazil top to replicate the sweat from Socrates, Falcao, Junior, Zico et al. My mate even mentioned this in his Best Man speech at my wedding.
The Butcher of Bilbao, he was a real hard man, that sadly would not fit into the new pussy style of football nowadays, where contact is not allowed. Remember Gentile of Italy? Another hard man.
I still have my Spain 82 mascot mug, I will never throw it away.
I’m less impressed with GTA4 the more I play it. The most over-hyped game in history? Probably.
That Brazil-Italy game in ‘82 was one of the greatest football games I’ve ever seen in my life. Italy in that tournament were superb, the best they’ve ever been or probably ever will be. They played magnificent attacking football from the Quarter finals onward and deserved to win the tournament. Brazil weren’t bad either, but that was just one great game that somebody had to lose.