Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

It seems like I've played this before, but is that a bad thing?

User Rating: 7.5 | Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 PS2

By BPWwrestler2002 | Review Date: March 5, 2012

In recent years the battle on the pitch has solely favors EA's FIFA series, but last generation PES owned bragging rights. So who in the world would believe eleven years after the release of the Playstation 2, and five to six years after current generation hardware was released, that new PS2 games would still be pushed onto the market? I didn't but since it seems the Playstation 2 refuse to die; maybe it's time to throw down a $20 dollar bill to relive past glory.

The first thing I noticed after seeing the new intro and start menu is at this point, PES is nothing more then a roster update. You have basically the same game that has been played since 2010. The same leagues are all in place, with officially licensed teams such as Manchester United, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. With that said PES 2012 is still a fast paced game that on PS2 leaves FIFA 12 in the dust in terms of speed. The frame rate is always smooth and the player's animation is still great, but a few problems they could have addressed are the poor defensive A.I. and the occasional passing problems, but both issues are very minor. Still the game modes themselves, Become a Legend, Master League, League Play, Training, all remain the same as previous versions of the game.

As for the graphics, they are still very nice to look at. Some players are spot on likenesses while others can be unreasonably disproportioned. I wish that Konami could at least take the time to throw in progression scan or at the very least a widescreen option. The colors are vivid and bright, and the shadows on the fields are cool even today.

Sound is another area I forgot how much PES really shined at. The crowds really get pumped up and help make the arena feel like a pure adrenaline rush. The commentary also remains good even if it's the same Jon Champion including in the game since 2007.

Overall Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is a great bargain for $20 bucks. If you don't have access to an HD system or just want a great fast pace soccer game, with an insanely deep editor and a stupid amount of replay value, I'd totally recommend this game. Just remember this is PES in all it's past glory, not amazing by today's standards, but still a rock solid game.