WTF has happened to this franchise??!!
However, I have stood out of the last couple editions, the last one on the PS2 and PES08 (played the demo and was very disappointed), so this was my first taste of the full PES experience on the PS3 and I have to say, I was quite disappointed. The other game I had to go on for the PS3 was FIFA08 (I took it back after 2 weeks), so I did have a gauge.
Sound
To say the commentary has gone down hill is a slightly understatement. It goes from very bland to, when you're just about to score, it sounds like the blokes spleen was going to fly out of his mouth due to the utter excitement and it sounded false. There is also sometimes a delay, from when you score to the crowd cheering and the commentator shouting that you've score. Commentary is a big part of a soccer gane and for this to be as disappointing means that its already losing ground to FIFA.
Apart from that, the sound is what you would expect really, nothing more, nothing less.
Graphics
I remember the reason I like this franchise was because of the detail, the players body movements seemed individual, when it rained, the water would splash up as the players were running along. Now, on a next gen console, there's not even that. Its on the replays, but not on the actual gameplay. The rain looks like its just some hazy lines going down the screen. As Liverpool Studios have shown from F1, rain effects can really show off the game. I'm not suggesting that the rain trickle down the screen, but surely they could have made it look part of the game, rather than just have rain noises.
They've jazzed up the menu system, but this seems to look like they're trying to look as if they're adding new things, and it comes off as a little fake
Gameplay
The gameplay hasn't changed that much, which is a good thing. Its still very free flowing which is why its always been the better of the two franchises.
There are quite a few gameplay options, now with the UEFA Champions league. I haven't yet tried this out (I normally go straight to the Master League). Even though it advertises the Champions League, there are still some clubs that have been re-named due to some licensing issues.
They've tried to incorporate the fans into it aswell with a popularity score, this makes negotiating contracts either harder or easier, depending on what the popularity grade the club has. This is a similar thing to what FIFA have done, but I think FIFA have pulled it off abit better.
Final thoughts
Even though this game will satisfy my soccer fix for the time being, this is still a fairly disappointing addition to this franchise. Konamis seriously need to look into refreshing this and breathing some new life into it as FIFA has clearly won the first 2 games on the next gen console and, having played FIFA08 for a short time, I can see why. They're going down the lines of a sim and put you squarely in the managers shoes. Even though PES09 is far better than their first effort on the PS3, they still have a fair way to go to re-invent this series to bring it back to its former glory