The sound isn’t enlightening either. Although the soundtrack is quite OK, the commentary sounds old, too and there are so few lines recorded that you’ll learn them by hard after 2 matches and always guess what you’re going to hear. So if you leave the commentary on after the fifth game, you’re either a hero or a true masochist.

There is another element where Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 lacks power, at least if you are going to compare it with FIFA: football itself. Although usually PES was the one considered to bring a more lifelike experience and FIFA was the more “arcade” version of the sport, now it appears that roles have changed. Although, as I said in the beginning, the overall speed of the game has been toned down, the game can still prove to be obscenely simple if you go for a “use wingers” quick tactic.

The defense (your defense) seems to be made of pre scholars who are just starting to learn the game since they’re really chaotic, the buttons you have to press for double teams or to get the keeper narrow the angle for the opposing striker don’t really work or can backfire if you forget your finger on a button for too long and, generally, a match is like a soft breeze compared to what you would expect from a real, hardcore football game.

Conclusion
As I said, for Pro Evolution Soccer fans, all the problems PES 2009 has will probably matter less than the improvements brought by Konami. For everybody else, though, it will be a rather strange and incomplete experience (but not necessary a bad one). However, if you did play FIFA 09 on your PC before or after playing a PES 2009 match, you’ll most likely stick to playing EA’s game.

Final Rating:

Confused? Learn more about our rating system!