Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

I had been a fan of this series for a considerable amount of time, right up until a few years ago when (infamously) Konami took their eyes of the ball and the product spiralled into a mire of mediocrity, particularly compared to FIFA 10, which was a phenomenal effort by EA. Consequently, this year I was torn. On the one hand, while FIFA 10 had been good, FIFA 11 had irritated the life out of me, not because it was particularly bad, but because it was near enough the same game as '10, but cost another £40. I decided to play on the demos, and found the new FIFA to be, for want of a better word, dull. So I went for PES instead. Here is what I found.

Gameplay
Relatively fast-paced (compared to previous efforts and FIFA) which is a plus point for me, as I enjoy playing with friends, and games can be quite end-to-end. The player movement option (where you can control an off the ball player with the R-analogue stick) is a really good idea, and while difficult to master, when you do get it right it is all the more rewarding. The option to do this with set-plays is also a good move, as I've always thought corners/throws/free kicks to be a bit of a 'punt' in other football sims, in the sense that it seems a bit arbitrary whether your player gets on the end of it or not.
There are a couple of negative aspects, mainly that play is sometimes slowed down by the new 'jostling' feature, where players fall over at the slightest contact with an opposition players, which inevitably brings a free kick. After the 3rd or 4th free kick in the space or a couple of 'game minutes', it can get a little irritating.
How 'good' a player is is also a bit of an issue. Messi and Ronaldo are so much better than the rest that you can literally run through an entire team with them, but you don't quite get the abilities of players like Xavi and Iniesta coming through in the same marked way.

Graphics
No major issues here. They have most of the players down to a tee graphically (something that nowadays is taken as a given) and the animation on the pitch is quite slick.

Presentation, Content and Features
Pro Evo has never really been too hot on this aspect of football sims, and this version is no different. I do not know the licensing arrangements, but team names like "London FC", "Merseyside Red" and "North London" really detract from the presentational side of things. I know that it isn't really that big of a problem, given that the player names are all correct, but it makes the game seem a little amateurish.
A big irritation (for me) is the "Official Champions League product" boast on the front of the case. While they may have the logo on the box, and you can 'play in the Champions League' the game doesn't even have all the teams who are competing in the Champions League this year!!! How the game can make these claims, yet fail to provide players with the option of competing in the competition as it is in real life, is beyond me. Again, I know it is only a minor detail, but I can't help but feel that if EA were given the Champions League license, they would have all the participants, the proper groups, the proper schedules, the proper stadia etc etc. For sad people like myself, the fact that you have to fiddle round with the groups trying to find teams who you can fit in in the place of those who don't exist is a real negative, and consequently I have not used this 'feature' that is meant to be one of the game's selling points.
Another content gripe is the continued existence of 'fake' player names for teams like Ukraine, Wales etc, despite some of these players existing in their 'real' form playing for their club teams! Again, a small issue, but it detracts from the realism of the sim, something which the producers are clearly intent on pushing as one of its main selling points, and if you wish to play a tournament (like Euro 2012), it leaves a sour taste. At least in older versions the names were recognisable (Ronnaldo instead of Ronaldo, Beecham instead of Beckham) now they are completely absurd!

Master League
Not a huge fan of this in all honesty. The speed at which you get through a season is dreadful. Cut aways to an animation of someone stood infront of a board, or you sat at your desk etc are too frequent, and the process of actually getting through a season becomes awfully fiddly. In all honesty though, I may be overstating the significance of these, as it may well be that you have more patience than I.

Online
Now a big feature, something with which Pro Evo has struggled with in the past, and I'm afraid it's more of the same with this latest effort. Although you don't get the ridiculous sequences where all of a sudden you are infront of an empty net, when seconds before you were passing the ball around midfield, playing online still feels a bit 'sticky'. Movement and passing/shooting are often delayed, meaning the game becomes frustrating and you never quite feel you're playing 'your best'. Unreliable at best, meaning I have again chosen to stay away from this feature.

Overall a fun game to play with your friends, but the game suffers for a lack of licenses and a failure (in my eyes) to live up to the promises of "Champions League football". You may wonder why I have scored the game 3 stars. Well, I bought the game to play with friends and to have a quick go at some of the cups by myself on the occasion. It fulfils the first part well, but the second not quite well enough, hence the above average 3 star rating.

Item arrived on time, wrapped up, packed and secured, and exactly as described. The game has a lot of features, my favourite is football life, where you can manage and also play a team of your choice. Enjoy!

All the package arrived on Schedule and with everything right. Great choice. I strongly recommend it to everyone. All the best.