Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (XBox 360)

Great but not complete! And an option for an auto update for all teams as they are to date would be awesome but I guess that wouldn't be any use when you can EDIT TEAMS! I used to play FIFA. Honest, only because there was little known about Pro Evolution Soccer... when I was shown and then played FIFA, I felt that something was missing, the freedom, the difference in all opponents! It's magic!

It features amazing gameplay and realistic players, and it also features really cool tricks and moves. Also, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is the only soccer game where you can score scruffy goals as well!! It beats Fifa 07 easily!

The graphics are not that good. Well, they are good like, but not as good as Fifa's graphics, but Pro Evo 6 is far better by miles!!

If you buy this game, make sure to be the best team in the world, and you all know who that is!!??>>>>> Manchester United football club (in my opinion) lol.

We finally get Pro Evolution Soccer on a next gen system, and it's not the game it should have been. In fact, it's quite a big let down. Granted, I've only had the Pro Evolution Soccer 6 XBox 360 game for just over a week (as my local shop started selling them early), but as I've been a massive Pro Evo fan for years, I very quickly came to notice what's changed, and more importantly what's missing. Especially considering the PS2 version (which my brother has) has all the usual features you'd expect.

Firstly, although PES always has incorrect club names (such as Merseyside Red - Liverpool and Teesside - Middlesborough etc...), we have always had the option to correct this through the edit menu, but unbelievably, that has now gone! You cannot edit the clubs in any way at all; only some attributes for individual players. And although I never bothered to do so, my brother has complained that the create a player option has also gone.

Then other features to have disappeared is the PES Points shop. You can no longer save your most glorious goal replays, which seemed ideal with the 360 having a 12GB hard-drive... And almost all of the after match analysis has gone down the sinkhole too. You still get the shot total and yellow cards etc., but all the individual records have gone. And this is a little petty really, but you can no longer simply press right or left in the substitute screen to quickly move up or down the list. Little things, but it makes a difference.

It just seems to me that so much is missing that shouldn't be. Although thankfully, the Master League mode is as good as ever.

But despite all that, it's still got what was always best about PES, unrivalled gameplay. PES5 was a fantastic simulation, and I honestly didn't think Konami would be able to do much with it and not ruin it, but somehow they have, and it's all the better for it. Now it's far harder to score goals, as the defense (of both your team and opposing AI team) is radically better and more organised, and every time you manage to slip a sweet through ball through them you'll really feel good about it. The goalkeepers have been improved too, and the 'easy goal' methods from PES5 have been fixed, and so those spots where you could always or nearly always score from have gone, such as running to touchline in the box, passing back to a player running in and scoring an easy open goal, now a defender is likely to intercept or you'll likely slice it wide, as a player's movement and position now make a real difference on how they can shoot. (so no more easy 180 turning shots either).

The graphics are a bit disappointing. Up-close it's decent with some pretty good player likeness, but I thought the animation was superb, and better than the IGN review gave it credit for, and recognisably better than the PS2 version. But the audio is pretty good on pitch. The atmosphere is incredible, but elsewhere it's cheesy J-pop and worse than PES5, which is quite an achievement. And comparing the pace of the game directly to the PS2 version, it all seems a little slower, but a lot more fluid, and I find the camera is in a much better position. (with all default settings left intact anyway).

But having only had it for a week I know there's still a lot to see, and only time will tell if there are still any glitches to take advantage of for scoring easy goals. Although the missing features are a huge disappointment, it's still Pro Evo, and it still rules.

Finally it's here; Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for the Xbox 360. I managed to get it a day early (26/10) as some shops had released it early! The graphics and animations are amazing, especially the ball physics and 'keeper reactions. The players AI is very good, and the referee decisions have been tuned up a bit to allow a more realistic approach.

The problem I have is that this game seems half finished. The amount of stadiums is very few, and those die hard fans who like to make the proper kits and team names will be very disappointed, as there are hardly any editing options. Only the basic players attributes are available. Paul Scholes with blonde hair - no way of changing that - I bet he is happy (before anybody complains about 'gingerism', I 'am half one. You guess which half:).

The PS2 version has all the editing tools and a lot more stadiums etc, so are us XBox 360 owners going to have to pay for an update download just like GRAW chapter 2? I think Konami are going to make some money here.

Conclusion. The most realistic PES ever with great graphics, animations and AI but with only half the options. This should have been truly great, and I think EA will make up a lot of ground on Konami. Might give FIFA 07 a go (controversial I know), as it appears they may have developed a proper 'next gen.' footie game at the third attempt.