Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 includes all of the basic things you would expect from a soccer game: exhibition, league, and cup play, along with the inclusion of a UEFA League mode with licensed, European league teams. Of course, that’s not enough to really balance out the fact that Pro Evolution Soccer doesn’t include much more than a standard soccer game.

Along with that, it’s failure to include multiplayer seems like a huge oversight to me. Even WiFi and bluetooth multiplayer would have been great, and with the competition such as X2 Soccer including online multiplayer, Konami did something that was quite surprising. Multiplayer is a standard now in most iPhone games, and it just seems like a huge misfire by Konami.

Other than that, Pro Evolution Soccer contains a lot for the $1.99 price tag, regardless of its lack of multiplayer. Sure, it’s not the best game on the platform and it would have been nice to see more, but the single player mode is actually much improved from its predecessors.

Likes

Speed: In PES 2010, the speed of the players feel normal; they’re not going drastically slow such as the case with X2 Soccer 2010, and when they’re sprinting it actually looks like they’re sprinting. Some people may have to adjust to the speed (although I highly doubt it), but PES 2010 adds much needed quickness to a should-be quick game.

Player models: If I said the graphics were good, I would be lying to myself. The grass detail is lacking, and it looks just like a green rectangle angled a bit to “look” like grass. But enough of that aside, PES 2010’s player models are probably the most detailed of all soccer games on the App Store. They actually look like people, compared to other soccer games that have players with very pixelated arms and legs, with little or no eye or hair details.

AI: If you’re one of those people that love a challenge, this is definitely the soccer game for you. In the regular difficulty (mind you, there’s two levels higher than that), I never lost, but I did tie three times with teams I just couldn’t score against. But that’s a huge improvement from Real Soccer 2010 and X2 Soccer 2010; I was able to score 11-0 and 7-0 respectively pretty much every match. The average scores for PES 2010 range anywhere from 1-3, as I haven’t scored four goals yet. That’s much more realistic and akin to professional soccer matches; you won’t even find an 11-0 score in a kiddy game.

They actually block the ball: Wow, what a surprise! The players can actually be used as blocks now, like they are in real soccer games! If you kick the ball and happen to hit a player, the ball actually bounces back! This is how it should be in any soccer game, but I first encountered it here in PES 2010; this shows that iPhone soccer games still have a ways to go.

Dislikes

Lack of multiplayer: This is a HUGE oversight by Konami. With multiplayer, I believe the game would have easily achieved the Must Have award and proclaimed the best soccer game so far. But without it, PES 2010 is somewhat crippled in terms of features, and without any new game modes other than the standard, I just don’t understand why they didn’t include it.

No commentary: Meh, I’ve never been a huge fan of commentary, as soccer players are on the field and not in the commentary box. Games such as FIFA may be trying to achieve a more “TV” type of soccer game, and it just feels natural and not as quiet with commentary in there.

Nothing more: Like I mentioned before, there’s nothing more than the standard gameplay modes: League, Exhibition, and Cup. X2 Soccer atleast has the Dream Team mode, FIFA the Be A Pro mode, and Real Soccer 2010 with something similar to the Be A Pro mode. PES 2010 has nothing more, which in turn takes a huge hit on the amount of content it has.

Manual switch?: Is there a button to manually switch players? I can’t seem to find it. If it’s not there, then someone at Konami really needs to wake up, as it’s yet another huge oversight.

PES 2010 is, at best, a good soccer game. There are a lot of feature and content problems that I know could have been nonexistent had Konami been more creative. Along with that, it would have been very nice if they included some sort of multiplayer in here; a single player experience just isn’t enough anymore with App Store games. Other than that, the gameplay experience is definitely one of the best out there, and the AI is probably the most intelligent of all.

Due for release in the Autumn, PES 2011 has been astounding football fans with its free-flowing, unfettered gameplay. Total control is the new game’s mantra, and PES 2011 delivers this with an all-new power gauge system wherein players govern the strength and position of every pass. Total 360-degree control adds a layer of realism to the series, and Konami has showcased this innovation with an all-new trailer.

The new footage shows the total freedom of passing PES 2011 offers, alongside closer looks at its new dribbling, defensive hold-up play, and jostling. Similarly, the trailer gives an insight into the new power gauge, while also showing how feints and tricks can be mapped on to the R3 button and accessed with ease. PES 2011 utilises over 1000 new animations, and these are also on show as the newgame demonstrates its key attributes in the footage.

Konami has also released a number of new screens to accompany the trailer, and these reveal for the first time the new ‘Stadium Edit’ mode, that allows users to create their own home ground for use in thegame , and the first screens for the massively reworked Become a Legend mode, where players are cast as an upcoming starlet and strive to earn major honours and become the world’s greatest player. More information will be released in the coming months.

Apologies for not uploading video – i’ve not got enough time to do this, but I’m sure you won’t mind going to WENB or youtube to find the latest video…

UPDATE: Here’s a video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOCaN_1RdrU

It’s a pleasure to report, thankfully, that there’s a palpable sense throughout PES 2010 that Konami, rather than stalling its release, has simply been working from a more ambitious blueprint than its rivals. Perhaps for the first time, PES 2010 feels less like a football game for iPhone and more like a bonafide football game.

Its greater ambition is best highlighted by the sheer proficiency of its three – yes, three – control methods.

The default setup has you take charge using a virtual analogue stick on the left, and two buttons on the right for passing, shooting, pressurising, and tackling. No doubt it’ll be familiar if you’ve tackled football on iPhone before.

The analogue stick remains, but all other actions are triggered by taps made elsewhere on the screen. Short touches instigate passes when you’re in possession. Conversely, holding a finger to the screen results in a shot – a power bar pops up at the bottom letting you know just when you should let go.

The game handles your inputs similarly when out of possession, though full-on tackles are usually only triggered when your player is in a position to do so without chopping his opponent’s limbs off as a result.

Even the accelerometer setup – which, admittedly, takes some getting used to – has its strengths, turning what is otherwise a passer’s paradise into a battle of the long, winding runs.

The one touch passes are thankfully retained here, with all other movement handled by tilting the device in the direction of your choosing.

When in possession, this works especially well: dribbles into the box past two or three defenders are commonplace. However, defending can become difficult because it’s hard to see what’s going on when the screen is tilted to and fro.

Pass and move

Nevertheless, the fact that such care has been paid to controls that could easily have been strapped on as a gimmick shows the level of care invested into PES 2010 as a whole. This is a game with high standards, and the impression is only strengthened by the matches themselves.

On the pitch, PES 2010 is very much a thinking man’s game. Matches feel slow compared to the likes of FIFA 10 or X2 Football 2010, but they’re never short on action because the AI is the best yet seen on iPhone.

Your teammates make runs at just the right time, meaning creating chances comes from holding possession until you spot them in open space. This gives each game a real sense of flow, and the defences you have to pick apart are no pushover, either.

As such, PES 2010 does something fundamental that none of its rivals has managed: it teaches you something in defeat.

There’s little luck here. If you lose, it’s usually because the other team has opened you up fair and square, rather than because the opposition has put together a scrappy goal or your back line has handed them a chance on a plate.

Seeing Reds?

As a result, it’s perfectly possible to watch a match unfold on PES 2010 as it might in real life.

The fact that the player animations are a league above those offered by the game’s rivals – making FIFA and co. look visually archaic, at times – does no harm, either.

It’s a pity such confidence couldn’t have been driven into any form of online mode, which is sadly lacking.

PES 2010 also suffers from a lack of licences – while it appears to have a full roster of Italian and Spanish teams, for instance, the English league is populated by fictitious alternatives.

Even the Champions League and Europa League have mixed line ups, with the likes of Liverpool popping up, but Manchester Utd predictably substituted with the Manchester Reds.

Regardless, while some of its opposition can boast all the big names, PES 2010 can console itself with having the best engine out there.

The matches are a genuine step up from anything that’s come before, and while such solid foundations still manage to leave plenty of room for improvement, PES 2010 proves to be just as great as it is late.

After a crushing 4-1 defeat once more at the hands of Germany in the world cup, you’d think that football (soccer) was the last thing on my mind. However, I simply couldn’t ignore the release of the second high profile rendition of the beautiful game to hit the AppStore.

EA have released two games based on their hit FIFA license. Gameloft have done admirably too, but it’s been the two releases from X2 that have stolen the show thus far. So how will Konami fair with Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 for iPhone and ipod Touch?

There are a ton a play options and a bevy of cups to play for, 19 in all, including the European cup, Italian cup, Spanish Cup, UEFA champions league cup and Europa league cup. Konami have added their custom ‘Konami’ Cup, which lets you mix and match any of the cup teams into a dream cup. The Europa cup is the biggest league to play, with 48 teams to play through before cup glory. As well as cups and leagues you can play quick matches which randomly pics two teams to battle it out, or you can choose an exhibition match and choose any two teams from the full roster available. This includes club teams and international teams. So, for example, you could play Liverpool against Spain, creating an interesting doppleganger of Fernando Torres as a striker for both teams!

While the full roster of international teams are available, the same cannot be said for the cup teams. Only Liverpool FC and Wolves are available from the UK, due to licensing, with other teams and the Premier League given fake names instead. I assume EA got the license to use those teams officially on the platform.

If there is one thing that Konami’s offering brings to the table well, it’s great controls. There are three options in all. One is true flow, which uses accelerometer and one touch passing and shooting. The other two options use a virtual analogue stick as usual, with either one touch, or A and B buttons for ball control. To be honest, the accelerometer doesn’t really work well… however, the one touch ball control works great, especially for beginners. Instead of worrying about complex button taps, the game intelligently works out what shot you are trying to do, and for the most part it gets it right. Used as a training aid you can get good at the basics before moving onto the the standard A and B setup. I’m not sure why, but I found PES’s v-stick and buttons to be easier to use than the other games, and found my goal tally to be far higher, even on harder difficulties. Does this make PES easier than the others? Possibly, but it’s certainly more fun!

The graphics are another standout for PES. For me it looks the best out there. It might not have the effects as the others, but it looks the most realistic and authentic. The colour palette across any four of the weather effects all look natural, and the player animations are some of the best i’ve seen so far, perfectly blending from one sequence to the other. Up close the character models aren’t the highest in polygon count, nor bear any likeness to their player names, but from a distance you can almost be fooled into thinking you are watching a real game on the TV.

Unfortunately, while PES 2010 has great graphics, some of the best controls and the basic gameplay is great, it cant keep up with the competition on options. Both EA’s, Gameloft’s and X2’s offerings give you multiplayer, with the last two offering full online. Multiplayer is probably one of the main reasons for playing in the first place, and it’s an odd omission from Konami. Small details such as recording replays, and Gameloft’s Youtube uploads is also amiss. And finally sound. While the game does sound good with a mix of rock and classical in the menus, the on-pitch sound effects fall short. The Crowd sound good for the most part, but it’s the lack off commentary that is most apparent. You could argue that some of the other football offerings don’t do that great a job of the commentary, however, it is a traditional part of football, and to leave it out is, well… like removing one of Pele’s legs!

Overall then and it’s another great football game for iPhone and iPod Touch. If, like me, you prefer the simpler controls, then PES 2010 might be for you, but you may want to weigh up the pros and cons of the other offerings out there…. Especially the current champion, X2 Football (Soccer) 2010.

DOWNLOAD :

• EPL
• Ligue 1
• Serie A
• La Liga
• Bundesliga
• Eredivisie
• Coca-Cola Championship (inc stadia boards)
• Brazileiro
• Liga Argentina
• Poland Ekstrasklasa
• Portugal Liga Sagres
• Turkcell Superlig
• FIFA World Cup 2010
• Africa Cup of Nations 2010
• Russia Premier League
• Austria Bundesliga
• Greece Super League
• Indonesia Super League (Thanks to capsoel for this and Indonesia stadia boards)
• Romania Liga 1
• Allsvenskan (Swedish)
• Scottish Premier League
• Jupiler Pro League (Belgium)

• default
• vuvuzelas
• ambient
• EPL
• Beta (non vuvuzelas)

Download: