pro evolution soccer 4 review

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Average Ratings

Addiction Level	9/10
Graphics	8.5/10
Value for Money	9.4/10
Reviewer Rating	9.4/10
Overall Rating	9.6/10

100% Recommended8 out of 8 Reviews

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By 040500000127 on 6th Dec 2004

040500000127's Ratings

Addiction Level	9/10
Graphics	8/10
Multi-player	Yes
Value for money	9/10
Overall value	9/10
040500000127's recommendation

Good Points

One of the best things since sliced bread

Bad Points

None whatsoever

General Comments

This is what it feels like playing Pro Evolution Soccer 4 - I stand there breathing into my cupped hands and rubbing them together. It's bitingly cold. The crowd begin incessant chanting; the fate of the team lies in my hands. Staring at the ball, I contemplate what will happen if I miss. Not an option. I step back, blood coursing through my veins as I twitch my foot. I run, retract my leg with tremendous power when smack, "you idiot, how could you knock the joy pad out of my hand!" "Erm, you're only playing Pro Evo 4"
That's how immersive and unnervingly authentic Konami's latest footballing masterpiece is; It will make you squeal with delight and takes the whole experience of virtual football to near intoxicating levels. It oozes with such exuberance that you'll be convinced that 11 tiny men are squirming around inside your telly. Here's the deal: Almost everything has undergone the refinement treatment, especially that licensing issue, finally! Rejoice, footy fans, as Konami now have the rights to the Spanish, Italian and Dutch football leagues. While the English, French and German leagues are all in there, the team names still lack licence. Do not fret however since the teams are all instantly recognisable; Man Utd have now suitably been named 'Man Reds' instead of 'Trad Bricks' like in the previous installment.
Remarkably, Konami have been able to build on their extremely popular series, even though the standard of its prequel was so far advanced, it almost outsmarted itself. However subtle and apparently cosmetic these improvements seem, they create a digital depiction of footballing brilliance second to none. This year, the main improvements are focused on the individual players since each have been created with separate dimensions to reflect their real life counterparts. For example, Ronaldo has a blinding-fast pace and is able to tear through defences, while Gerrard prefers to stick to the flanks and provide the strikers with deadly through balls. The formation settings also play a much bigger part in the action than in previous offerings. Careful and meticulous planning and subliminal managerial inclinations all aid in leading your team to glory, so the strategic element is no longer a superfluous extra, it could be considered as necessary.
Most excitingly, however, is the new and improved Master League mode. For the uninitiated, this is the heart of the Pro Evolution series. Comprised of four divisions, it is your job to manage your team through transfers and training regimes and get them shipped into shape for each and every match. Starting out in the lower divisions, your only chance of promotion is success on the field. Doing this not only puts your team on the road to cup stardom, but also gives you the financial flexibility to acquire new players.
As another new inclusion for this year's Master league, Konami have thrown in a new training mode. The purpose of this is to slowly increase your players' abilities over time. Want to perfect Beckham's free kick accuracy or upgrade Rooney's ball control? Get down on the training pitch and see what you can do.
Whilst this next addition is not really 'new', it was so criminally underused in the last game that it may as well warrant a fresh aspect. Scouting for youth talent was never really that necessary, since all you had to do was purchase some of the top, A-list players like Raul or Owen. Impressively, though, this is now a genuinely mandatory job, in view of the fact that your individual players will now retire-either through injury or age. Their stats will gradually deteriorate over a period of seasons and so what you must do, as your responsibility of manager, is put your heart and soul into looking for fresh young talent. During our play, Van Nistelrooy dropped considerably in his performance through age and built-up fatigue. Our only choice was to browse through the market in search of an up-and-coming young star. Luckily, we found a 16 year old Portuguese lad who seemed to have good shooting skills. We took him under our wing, trained him painstakingly in every department for a couple of seasons until eventually, he was good enough to play on the pitch just in time for Van Nistelrooy to hand in his resignation.
But of course, we can never undermine the importance of the meat of the game; the football itself. It's good having all of these sparkly new features, but they mean diddly squat if the gameplay on the pitch isn't up to scratch. And, just as we expected, PES4 is yet another triumph. The sheer fluidity of the in-game action is astounding and every pass, throw-in and corner kick blend together almost poetically to literally challenge your senses as if to whether or not you're actually playing a live fixture on the telly.
The way the goals are scored is equally compelling. Scoring is almost like a Picasso painting - beautiful, flawless and teetering on priceless. Not only this, but the daunting prospect of being 1-0 down in stoppage time of the second half beguiles you to play a harsher, more attacking game. Imagine our ecstasy when we were 3-2 down, the seconds gradually ticking down to the final whistle, when suddenly, from a well-placed cross into the box, we nab in a cunning header. GOOOAAALLL! We'd scream and almost psychotically run around the room as if our backsides were on fire. It is the bedazzling random and haphazard nature of the scoring of goals that makes this game glisten like a Dentist's teeth and ultimately why the game is what it is: magnificent.
Yet another important issue that has undergone the retina-pleasing treatment for PES4 is the graphics. Likenesses in the previous instalments of PES were, at best, underwhelming. Thankfully, this years PES has been monumentally changed. In fact, PES4 puts the 'like' in likeness. Beckham has his squinty eyes and Rooney has his spud-like face structure and ears.
And while we're on the mention of likenesses, the player edit mode has been updated also. It is now possible to insert text onto your players' kits - for example "we are the best". But, naturally, you'll surely produce a better line than that pathetic effort.
Overall, this is a dazzling game. With a brand new myriad of streamlined features, it is the most responsive, fluid, realistic football game available on planet earth. The bewildering influx of impeccable style and proficiency wedged into Pro Evo 4 is wholly astounding and the sheer haphazard nature of the on-pitch action quite simply puts Konami's magnum opus on the number one podium for the fourth year running, and as a result, you're pretty much obliged to own it. Experience the joy, now...

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