The most beloved football title of all time returns to redeem the disappointing 2008 version: will he have succeeded?
Konami football is back
Certainly Pro Evolution Soccer has lost some of its luster with the advent of the new generation. If at the time of Playstation 2 it was the undisputed ruler of football simulations, now it does nothing but run, in trouble, behind a FIFA in amazing form which is confirmed, for the second year in a row, the best product of the genre. However, this is not an immediate rejection for the new game made by Konami. We can also talk about a good game. Improved by the disappointing 2008 edition but which still has to take that extra step to reach the Olympus of football games again.
Despite the promises of the team, in fact, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 does not overturn the formula that made it famous. The graphics engine has enjoyed some slight aesthetic and structural changes, while the play system has remained practically identical by moving the arrow a little more towards the simulation, although compared to the direct competitor it appears a much more arcade game than you think. 
Game mode
However, there is no lack of news, starting with the game modes. Thanks to an agreement signed with UEFA, it is now possible to play the entire Champions League both with the teams that qualified this year, and with groups created specifically by you with your favorite teams. The construction and care is impeccable, the guys from Seabass evidently did not want to get ugly now that they have finally obtained such an important official license. Every detail has been perfectly captured by the most important club football event. Entering the field, on-screen graphics, music in the menus and much more will make you breathe the air of the Champions League perfectly. 
The whole path and the structure of the tournament are beautifully recreated, making the mode certainly not very long-lived, but still fascinating and a nice variant to the usual types of game present in Pro Evolution Soccer.
Another novelty is represented by "Become a Myth". Basically, it is a game mode that strongly recalls the "Professional" one present in Fifa 08 and 09, giving you the opportunity to create your own virtual football alter ego to make it breakthrough in this sport, to make it the best in the world by controlling only him in the field. Compared to that of the competitor, here everything is decidedly more accurate.
First, you will have to do training matches with unknown teams to convince the scouts to buy you. Then the first offers will arrive (of course from medium-low-level teams), and during performances, in training or when the coach decides to call you into question during the match, you will have to convince him to make you the owner and, in a certain sense, turn into the true soul of the company. You will start as 17, and within 17 seasons (with the possibility of retiring at 31) you will literally have to become the greatest footballers in history. To convince you of this, each match is always awarded a best player in the field, while at the end of the season a golden ball is dedicated to your championship and to your world championship (like the real one).
In fact, the succession of convincing performances will allow you to wear the coveted national team jersey to participate in even more important events such as the World Cup or the Europeans.
The other mode present is the classic Master League. There are no major changes from previous editions. Everything has in fact remained unchanged: take a team and take it to the top of the world. Plain and simple. Pay attention to the team's balance sheet and carefully consider the purchases to be made to fix the tactical assets on the pitch. Finally, there is the presence of a mode dedicated to leagues and cups, although we cannot fail to complain about the lack of numerous licenses (above all the complete one of the Bundesliga teams, totally absent).
Game structure
The truth is that Fifa and Pro Evolution Soccer are much more different than people think. The first runs without frills towards pure simulation, perhaps forgetting immediacy. The other has become a weird mix of arcade and simulation, winking at the occasional user but still maintaining the lucky structure of the Playstation 2 times. Now, this choice always risks being counterproductive because in the eyes of all it risks appearing as old and out of step with the times. However, years later, it still manages to amuse a lot. Game exchanges are always fluid and convincing and the artificial intelligence of the twenty-two on the field has also been improved (even if that of your teammates still needs dramatic improvements). 
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 has abandoned the speed verve of the previous episode, so criticized by fans of the series. The maneuvers are more reasoned and you finally have a greater feeling of playing football although some defects have remained unchanged. For example, the practically unlimited resistance of the strongest players, who can perform inhuman long runs all over the field without being particularly affected. Or, again, some out-of-this-world shots that risk peeping through the goalkeeper's goalkeeper. However, the simulation component has definitely grown compared to the previous edition. This can be seen from the execution of the shots, which now also take into account the position of the body or the execution of the through passes which depends exactly on the position of the attackers. In short, after the disappointment of last year, the playful sector of the game manages to convince us clearly although, we repeat, Fifa has remained (or become, given the great improvements achieved for the EA product) decidedly on a completely different style.
Technical and online sector
As for the graphics, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 presents itself in an excellent way by giving us polygonal models of stadiums and players improved compared to 2008. A special praise goes to the creation of the most famous players, perfectly recreated compared to the real counterpart. A few notes, we must do, on animations. It is true with the 2009 edition there has been the inclusion of some animations never seen before in the series, but it is equally true that many have remained unchanged, even compared to older editions of 2008. The feeling of deja-vu is in fact huge and we would have expected greater improvements also in this respect. 
The sound sector sees the debut of the Sky Altafini-Pardo duo, which turned out to be much more convincing than the previous editions although the former Italian-Brazilian footballer risks becoming very repetitive with his jokes soon. On the other hand, the stadium choirs, heavily anchored to the times of Ps2, are disappointing.
Some problems also for the online components. While Fifa holds up a mammoth 10 vs 10 almost perfectly, Pro Evolution Soccer struggles to show a much lighter 2 vs 2, also due to not particularly stable or well-built servers.
Final conclusions
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is definitely a good soccer game. It does not reach the simulation glories of Fifa 09 but it remains an extremely fun and immediate product that we recommend in a closed box to all lovers of the series. The new game modes "Become a Legend" and "Uefa Champions League" do nothing but enrich the plentiful pot of Konami's offer, which always proves to be convincing from this point of view. For 2010 we return to wish ourselves a truly new generation game that definitively cuts with the past on Playstation 2. In any case, if last year Pro Evolution Soccer was literally crushed by the competitor, this year we can talk about a defeat with honor. . These are two compelling soccer games. If you are looking for the best football game in circulation you will have to throw yourself on Fifa09 but if you are a lover of the series then PES09 can definitely be for you.
