A shame we’ll get the first verdict so late, but there’s no need to worry if there’s an underhand tactic going on. In the current issue, OPM previewed the game very positively, feeling it’s still a step of it’s revived rival PES 2011.

Be sure to check the site around the end of the month for their final verdict, amongst others!

Some surprises in store? Make sure you keep on eye on his twitter account next week!

Under Pressure?

Anyone who has played Fifa10 will know all about player pressure and the way it manifests itself in-game. Whether it’s the AI pressuring you or your online opponent the outcome is exactly the same, frustration.

Not because pressure exists in the game or that it isn’t seen in real football (because it is) it’s the way it currently takes user skill out of the equation. Hold X, jockey backwards and let the AI do the rest. In Fifa10 it’s the grade A tactic for any aspiring defensive master online and it has been for some time.

It’s either that or facing up against the AI in a crucial match only to be swamped by two to three on-rushing players who are locked on with the precision of a heat seeking missile. It matters not to them which area of the pitch you are in or if you pose any threat what so ever to their goal, it happens anyway. These two outputs of pressure are far from pleasing and can force even the most ardent Fifa fan to down his controller in annoyance.

Along with game speed it was my other big pet hate which weighed heavily on my mind going in to the Emirates play test. How would the pressure feel now? What have EA done to minimise it? How does the AI use pressure? All valid questions but did they have answers?

Many of you will be pleased to know that the pressure has been toned down considerably in both areas. AI pressure and pressure initiated by the user are both a shadow of their former selves.

EA have managed to improve this facet of the game in a few ways. Firstly a new slow down in the pressure system has been added. When players are closing you down they now slow when they reach a certain proximity which gives you the opportunity to either get out of the pressure zone or to fire off a quick pass to a team mate. They are no longer able to effortlessly switch from a full blooded sprint to a tackle in an instant; this in one fail swoop this removes 90% of the frustration.

It also means that the classic Fifa10 scenario of being continually barged to the floor or mowed down by a bigger man is radically reduced. If a player stronger than you is in a better position then you will struggle to hold them off but the harshness of that exchange has now been smoothed out. It’s now a clear battle between two players rather than one winning by default as he is seen as the aggressor by the AI.

This is also where EA’s new three sixty battle for possession comes in. When a tussle created by pressuring happens it’s now played out in a more organic and fluid manner. You are no longer locked to simple right angles when jostling which opens up a whole world of options especially for big target men. It makes the contact feel less artificial because of its new freedom of movement.

The most pleasing thing to see visually is your small nippy winger pushing back forcefully against his stronger adversary. This adds a feeling of fight and determination to mix which we’ve never seen before in this area of the game play. The strong players don’t have it all their own way this year which is also imperative in my opinion. If you commit too early or pressure from the wrong angle you’ll find that your small, agile target has ghosted past you with ease. Tackling using pressure still works but it now needs to be reserved for the right occasion rather than simply Sellotaping the X button down on your controller and watching the AI work its magic.

There is another dynamic to pressure though which has fuelled a lot of community rage around this subject too and that’s continual pressure. A powerful pressing system alone can be a problem but combine it with a stamina model as forgiving as Fifa10’s and it really is a recipe for disaster. In the online arena particularly, continuous pressure is the bane of many a player, myself included. So what are EA going to do about it?

Well by now most of you will have seen this video from Gary Patterson on Stamina and Fatigue. It shows in simple terms how the minimum and maximum values work and how they affect players in game. Whilst this video is a clear step in the right direction, one run back and forth across a pitch, does not a stamina model make.

It isn’t just important how this works in a simple 90 minute scenario though it’s also imperative that this works across days, weeks and seasons. There needs to be a clear distinction between match fitness and natural fitness.

Take Frank Lampard for example in the last two seasons he’s played a staggering 108 games for Chelsea in all competitions. He is able to play week in week out and still perform at the highest level. So in Fifa11 if I play Frank three times in ten days, I don’t want a broken man in desperate need of a rest in my squad. Lampard might consistently tire after 80 minutes in individual matches but this does not affect his ability to string multiple games together and I hope EA have factored in long term accumulation and recovery in to the stamina model.

The true success of Career mode depends on this and its something I’ll be watching very closely myself after release.

So will you find yourself under pressure this year? The short answer is yes as it’s a perfectly legitimate tactic to employ against certain opposition. But with the new mechanics of secondary press in place, this experience should be much more real and much more subtle. I just hope the new stamina model does its job and matches the success of the other changes EA have already made in this area.

Dave Bryant

The teams in the demo will be Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Internacional & Chivas Guadalajara.

The stadiums in the demo are Konami, Camp Nou and Estadio Escorpio.

The demo will be available for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network with a PC version available from www.konami-pes2011.com. The download will enable fans to play against the computer or offline multi-player matches with a choice of four clubs: either FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich or Copa Libertadores pair Chivas Guadalajara and Internacional. A video presentation is also included outlining the full game’s content in readiness of the game’s UK launch on October 8th 2010.

A release date for the Xbox 360 demo via Xbox Live Arcade will be announced shortly.

The demo will be available for PlayStation(R)3 via PlayStation(R)Network with a PC version available from www.konami-pes2011.com. The download will enable fans to play against the computer or offline multi-player matches with a choice of four clubs: either FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich or Copa Libertadores pair Chivas Guadalajara and Internacional. A video presentation is also included outlining the full game’s content in readiness of the game’s UK launch on October 8^th 2010.

A release date for the Xbox 360 demo via Xbox Live Arcade will be announced shortly.

Well it seems like we had a good debate about the penalty system.  I know theres a minority who like it and fair play to them, its just not for me.  I don’t mind the practicing to get it right it’s the actual view from the side.  I play a lot of head to head, in the same room not on-line.  So a view from behind the player would just make a better experience for me and the others who play in competitions.

Having not played 2011 yet im becoming very frustrated watching all the video and reading about how good it is, how you won’t play 2010 ever again its that good…. The interview with Jon Murphy read well and the video on pes2011.com, despite not showing much gameplay, looks quite good.  I’m looking forward to it ive got to say !!  the demo is usually out mid-late September so I’m sure we’ll have much more to discuss then….

The clock running was just an idea, granted it probably wouldn’t work but they should make stoppage time more realistic rather than using it as a balancing feature to re-write the script.

Protection….

As in real football, goal keepers are offered a form of protection in PES.  I’d like to see this area re-modelled so as strikers we could attempt to head the ball as it bounces towards the keeper, if this is mis-timed and needs punishing then fine and equally if an injury is caused, then so be it.  At least having the choice here would in a game touted as ‘freedom’ of control would offer the striker the choice and if this results in having ten men then that would have been a conscious decision; this is obviously in frustration to when a deflected/parried ball is up the air and the keepers waiting, hands aloft, and as a striker your sat frustrated smashing the shoot button shouting ‘jump for it then!!!’.  Just a minor point that happens quite regularly and I’d like to do something about it.

All together now…..

A topic which has been cropping up more and more over the last few weeks is that Konami have a bad habit of removing ‘good’ things from the game of the previous year.  The cynics may suggest this is because we spend all of our time wanting more and not reflecting and praising what we have and how far its come.  So this got me thinking a little especially on the back of the Jon Murphy interview which this was also discussed, I like the community menu.  There has been no discussion or comment made about it.  So this worried me, perhaps worry is a bit strong but you get the idea, that this may be removed to make way for additional ‘new’ modes.  So the question I’d pose to you guys is; what is in pes 2010 which you like which you would not want to see removed.

A barrel of laughs….

For those who’ve seen the full trailer you cannot ignore the last minute revolves around players with pumpkin heads kicking a barrel ball.  I agree with Dan on this one as this is a feature I guarantee I will not be using.  So will any of you guys be buying this stuff in the pes shop as it makes a return?  The only thing the pes shop had worth buying was the extra difficulty level in my opinion, anyway.  So who’ll be using this feature of ‘cartoon’ football ???

That’s your lot this week, apologies for being a few hours later than normal, IT issues…….

Phil