Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 cover art
Developer(s)	Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Publisher(s)	Konami
Series	Pro Evolution Soccer
Version	1.40
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Wii, Microsoft Windows, Mobile[1]
Release date(s)	EU 17 October 2008[2][3] NA 12 November 2008[4]
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E
Media/distribution	Blu-ray Disc, DVD, UMD, JAR (file format)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (abbreviated as PES 2009) is a football video game in the Pro Evolution Soccer series, which was made by Konami. It is also the exclusive licenced game of the UEFA Champions League.^[5]

Gameplay

Gameplay has been changed from previous versions for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, with key additions to the Teamvision system, tactics changing according to situation, off-the-ball fluency, and AI recognizing strategies that works accumulating data on an ongoing basis within Master League and League modes. Another new addition is the readjustments for ball movements, with new air resistance calculations for the trajectory of the ball. There are also new friction routines to affect ball movement in terms of ground conditions, backspin routines are calculated so that ball slows accordingly, and the bounce of the ball can be used more effectively: players can flick the ball up to tee a shot, or to lift it over a defender's trailing leg. If a player has the ability, they will be able to perform skilful turns. PES 2009 also features a new game mode called 'Become A Legend', much like 'Be a Pro' from the EA Sports FIFA Series. This mode was originally only in the Japanese versions by the name of Fantasista, it was released as a special edition for J-League Winning Eleven 2007 Club Championship.

Leagues

The following leagues are fully licensed:^[6]

• France: Ligue 1
• Netherlands: Eredivisie

The following leagues are partially licensed:

• England: Barclays Premier League (2 clubs licensed)
• Spain: Liga BBVA (11 clubs licensed)
• Italy: Serie A (All clubs licensed, but the logo and name of the league are unlicensed)

Unlicensed clubs have real player names but use fictional club names, badges, and kits.^[7][8] These can be edited by the user.^[9]

There is also a separate league with 18 generic teams (Team A, Team B, etc.), which can be edited fully, as in the previous versions. This feature does not appear in the PS2 version of the game and the PSP version only has two teams in this extra league.

Competitions

Konami have the rights to the UEFA Champions League for the years 2008 - 2012, securing exclusive rights to the League for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.^[10][11] Manchester United and Liverpool are the licensed English clubs in PES 2009.^[12] Since the UEFA Champions League license does not include the rights to all the participating clubs and a number of licenses are held exclusively by EA Sports, not all Champions League clubs will be licensed in the game.

Cover

Lionel Messi and Andrés Guardado appear as the cover athletes of PES 2009.^{[13][13][14][15]} As part of the new agreement, Messi is featured on the cover of all versions of PES 2009, and also appears in promotional materials for the game.^[16][17]

Wii version

Main article: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Wii)

Building on the control system of its predecessor, PES 2009 expands on the basic concept of players controlling both the player with the ball and those around them.

PES 2009 for Nintendo Wii will feature a number of key additions, with an enhanced shooting system offering more control. The development team has also reworked the defensive elements of the game, with more control over defenders and more ways to close down attacking threats. A new AI system has also been implemented and results in more sophisticated and intuitive movement from team mates according to the player's commands.

The Wii version was released on 31 March 2009.^[18]

Demo

A playable demo became available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 2, 2008. Players are able to select from Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Italy, or France for a full five minute exhibition match with a multi-player option.

The demo also includes promotional videos detailing the new game's "Become a Legend" and online "Legends" modes, which see the player controlling just one player within a team and attempting to forge a career in football. Starting as a promising 17-year-old, players must force their way into the first team and produce a series of blistering performances which will ultimately result to a move to one of Europe's biggest sides. Or, on the flip side, poor performances can see a player struggling in the lower leagues and eventually being released.^[19]

Updates

Version 1.10

Patch version 1.10 was released as scheduled at 07:00 BST on October 23, 2008 to correct issues that have affected user save data in various modes of "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009" including the PS3 and PC versions.^[20]

Version 1.20

Patch version 1.20 was released on 5 November 2008. The patch updated kits and team rosters for four Spanish sides including Atlético Madrid, Sevilla FC, Racing Santander, and Real Valladolid – all being officially licensed. It also updated the kits and team rosters of many teams within the game to match those registered by teams at the close of the summer transfer window of 31 August 2008. The UEFA Champions League mode was also updated, with 12 more teams added to the club list, with proper UEFA Champions League kits and kit markings added. Amongst the teams fully updated within this mode are Olympique de Marseille, Juventus, and FC Basel. The following new features added by this update file include "Replay Upload" and "Theatre of Legends" for Legends Mode, and a new "Download" feature in the "System Settings" used for updating various game data.^[21]

Version 1.30

Patch version 1.30 was released on the 17 February 2009, after the January Transfer window. The patch includes updated transfers, player statistics and over 200 new players.^[22]

Version 1.40

Update version 1.40 was released on 28 March 2009. The update features the new England team kit and more player updates.^[23] All save files will remain intact. However, certain edit data will revert to default including Player Register and Formation Data. Save data which is created whilst the download is being validated will be invalid once the downloaded content has been removed. Only users who have downloaded content data which has been validated will be able to play online. You can confirm each player's game version from "Version" of profile. The latest version is 1.00.04.^[24][25]

Association with Setanta Sports

In late September 2008, it was announced that PES 2009 would have Setanta Sports branding.^[26] As in Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, the English language commentary team are Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson.

The link was confirmed when Setanta Sports put logos on their website announcing they were, indeed, in association with the game.^[27]

Reception

Publication	Rating	Link
MetaCritic	79%	Link
PSM3	88%	Link
OPM	9/10	Link
Eurogamer	7/10	Link
IGN UK	8.5	Link

The PlayStation 2 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 was the 100th best-selling game in Japan in 2008, selling 135,128 copies, with total lifetime sales of 680,152,^[28] while the PlayStation 3 version of it was the 32nd best-selling game of that year in Japan, selling 297,896 copies.^[28]

References

1. ^ Luke Plunkett (2008-06-23). "Pro Evo 2009 "Announced"". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5018726/pro-evo-2009-announced. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
2. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3)". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Evolution-Soccer-2009-PS3/dp/B001DU6OH4/. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
3. ^ "PES 2009 – Pro Evolution Soccer: Playstation 3". Amazon.de. 2008-11-01. http://www.amazon.de/PES-2009-Pro-Evolution-Soccer/dp/B001ECF1FC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1224072487&sr=8-1/. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
4. ^ Suffwan Eltom (2008-08-07). "Exclusive: PES 2009 Launches in North America November 12th!". Winning Eleven Blog. http://www.winningelevenblog.com/news/exclusive-pes-2009-launches-in-north-america-november-12th/. Retrieved 2008-08-07. 
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ http://www.winningelevenblog.com/news/konami-release-licenses-info-images/
7. ^ "Screenshots: Pro Evolution Soccer PES 2009". Cynamite.de. http://www.cynamite.de/_misc/galleries/detail.cfm?pk=1577&fk=93990&opv=gal. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
8. ^ http://www.cynamite.de/_misc/galleries/detail.cfm?pk=1568&fk=92756&opv=gall
9. ^ http://www.winningelevenblog.com/news/pes-2009-edit-mode-exposed/
10. ^ Tom Bramwell (2008-09-11). "PES 2009 includes Champions League News". Eurogamer.net. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=234124. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
11. ^ "Fear comes CALLING". Voltage PR. http://www.voltagepr.com/release.asp?r=&r2=. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
12. ^ Anderson, Luke (2008-09-11). "Man Utd, Liverpool join PES 2009". Gamespot.com. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197542.html?sid=6197542&part=rss&subj=6197542. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
13. ^ ^{a b} http://www.wemexico.com/blog/?p=59
14. ^ "http://www.gameindustry.com/ih/item.asp?id=1885". gameindustry.com. http://www.gameindustry.com/ih/item.asp?id=1885. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
15. ^ "'PES 2009' Latin American content revealed". Digital Spy. 2008-10-05. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/a131858/pes-2009-latin-american-content-revealed.html. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
16. ^ "PES 2009 scores on new formats". Uk.games.konami-europe.com. http://uk.games.konami-europe.com/news.do?idNews=341. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
17. ^ guy_cocker. "Messi cleans up PES 2009". Uk.gamespot.com. http://uk.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26529422. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
18. ^ TVG:Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Wii
19. ^ http://www.winningelevenblog.com/news/pes-2009-demo-dated/
20. ^ "New PES 2009 patch Released". Uk.games.konami-europe.com. 2008-10-23. http://uk.games.konami-europe.com/news.do?idNews=366. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
21. ^ "PES adds to its rosters". Uk.games.konami-europe.com. 2008-10-16. http://uk.games.konami-europe.com/news.do?idNews=364. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
22. ^ "PES 2009 January Transfer Window patch info". pesgaming.com. http://www.pesgaming.com/blog/pes-2009-news/367/pes-2009-january-transfer-window-patch-info/. Retrieved 2008-02-06. 
23. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Network Portal Site". Konami.jp. http://www.konami.jp/we/network/2009/. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
24. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009". Maintemgr.konamistyle.jp. 2009-03-28. http://www.maintemgr.konamistyle.jp/mds/2.0/client/web_pes2009/detail.php?os=o&pid=ps&did=uk&mid=4479. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
25. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009". Maintemgr.konamistyle.jp. 2009-03-28. http://www.maintemgr.konamistyle.jp/mds/2.0/client/web_pes2009/detail.php?os=o&pid=ps&did=uk&mid=4486. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
26. ^ PES 2009 to be branded by Setanta
27. ^ Page showing logo of Setanta in association with PES 2009
28. ^ ^{a b} "2008 top 100". Kyoto.zaq.ne.jp. http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/dkbkq103/yso/top100/2008.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 

External links

• Official Site