PES keeps on the arcadey approach to football and comes out with yet another match winner. Awesome upgrade.
Passing remains as excellent as ever, with the trick of having to hold down the pass button to optimise power. But unlike FIFA, it doesn't feel like the ball is heavier than it actually should be. Although this impacts the shooting of the game as the ball will often be launched miles over the bar. But with a little practice in positioning, it's nothing that can't be sorted. Although as ever, he chip shot is quite hard to judge, but that's pretty much the same with every PES.
The only real complaint that I had with the gameplay in PES2009 was the manual pass switched to the right analogue stick, where the footwork used to be. It just feels odd, you would usually use it to turn defenders with a first touch, but as a force of habit I kept making the mistake of passing the ball out of touch. It's an odd change to say the least.
Graphically, PES keeps improving, the pitches are of a lush green and the players that are actually licensed, look like their real life counterparts. The crowds have also improved, although I expected a little bit better form Konami for them to adress that. If you can get over the awful menu BGM, then the sound is of a good quality in matches, not that they could possibly get that wrong.
The team roster for PES has long been an argument against the series, but for me to insult the game for something Konami have literally no control over would be petty. Let's just say that it's good news if you're a Liverpool fan or prefer Spanish football to the English premier league.
Online matches lag a little at times, but are fun for the most part. Plus I can't really blame Konami for this as much as the connection for the broadband.
So, if you're looking for an easy to get into football game, an alternative to FIFA or just want a football game in general. You could do a lot worse than PES2009, the smoother gameplay, improved graphics and Master league will hopefully keep you highly entertained until the next installment in the serie.