Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. I sit here typing this slightly gutted by the end of the Master League Beta which closed on Sunday. For those of you that took part, I wonder how many of you who are in the same boat of simply not wanting to play PES 2010 anymore, having experienced what is to come? The fact remains that Master League Online is a very good game mode that will arguably rival anything else currently on PES. I can not comment for anyone else, but in my experience I had no lag at all, I could only blame my own inability for mistakes that were made and apart from a couple of dodgy animations, was very please by the whole experience. If you haven’t played it, I think its pretty fair to say commenting on the game is a bit silly and once you have your views will be as valid as anyone’s, love it or hate it. I haven’t spoke personally with anyone who has genuinely disliked the game in its current build, and this looks a positive step for the launch in October! Whilst I will touch on the mode again later on, let’s crack on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“That Interview”
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Jon Murphy for taking time out of what is a very busy schedule to do the interview for PES Gaming. Under no circumstances is this me sucking up or flattering for the sake of flattery but fact remains he took the time to answer questions, and that I appreciate.
The answers he has given range from the straight forward to the slightly more awkward and I am hoping that whilst you may not agree with everything he has said, at least he has come out and given his opinion on the issues made. I will quickly look at a couple of these questions now, taking on board what you guys have said in the comments section too.
Like a bad smell, the net issue is seemingly not going away. I have made it perfectly clear to everyone who wants to listen the nets don’t bother me at all. I think this is the impression 60% or so of the PES Gaming community have too, however, the 40% have the right to have their say, and I believe Jon was just as surprised as myself by how many of you actually do care about the issue. Simple fact, the mode will not be featured in PES 2011, and by the sound of the feedback I assume it will be reviewed to be featured in PES 2012. Is the lack of net editor going to make a blind bit of difference to the way the animations, the AI or the game plays, of course not. However, it is (for many people) an important cosmetic addition similar to boots, balls and stadiums and in the current ‘editing’ generation needs to be included. Fact is now, following the feedback and the interview, the voice regarding nets has been heard and registered.
The frequency of downloadable content is something that concerns me slightly. If the previous years are anything to go by, we are going to be waiting nearly a month to get anything near an up to date squad list for PES 2011 following release, and this simply won’t do when playing online. The fact it is free shouldn’t be used as an excuse, and whilst I can understand the ‘once every couple of months’ philosophy on Konami’s DLC policy, it needs to happen quicker after real events occur.
The weather is one issue I feel could really work, and am a bit disappointed it has been overlooked again this year. Whilst I do agree that certain aspects are more important, I would have personally put dynamic weather effects that genuinely change the way the game plays would have benefited the all-round experience as opposed to a stadium editor. Playing against Russian sides in the snow or Brazilian clubs in the sweltering heat would have made for much more realistic and accurate in game challenges, and the addition of further conditions (snow, wind, or humidity levels) would have adverse effects on certain team’s styles or tactics. Again, it is interesting to see Konami looked at it and looked past it, but as long as it’s on their radar, it was be included in 2012, once the 2011 issues (if any) have been ironed out.
They are my views, but I would be more than happy to discuss any views you guys have via e-mail. The address is at the bottom of this article.
“S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G, We’re Shopping”
Already the novelty features in the PES 2011 Shop are getting ridiculed. I for one never purchased them on previous games, as the appeal of a horses head or riding a dinosaur just wasn’t there, and I feel they are a strange addition to add to the western version game. In Japan, novelty features in games like this are much more common and almost expected. Nothing ruins the drama of Resident Evil 5 more than Shiva in clubbing attire, and games such as Tekken or Street Fighter are littered with novelty modes. For the European market, there are no such easy fixes when it comes to unlockables, as we tend to ask for something that enhances our game experience as opposed to adds a bow or gives it a new coat of paint.
These additions, whilst petit and trivial would only have taken minutes to add to the game. A feature such as a net editor or dynamic weather would have taken days, as they are more than just cosmetic overlays. Different styles of nets would have to react differently to when a ball hits them, a player runs into them, a player slides into the, etc, whereas the barrel ball is simply a ball that looks like a barrel, using all the same properties as the original match ball.
The issue was raised that many people asked the return of the PES shop, well aside from classic players and teams, what kind of features did these people really expect to be included in the shop? New stadiums or editing options perhaps, but as a general rule the quick add-on features were always going to be there or thereabouts.
“It’s Over”
For those of you who didn’t get in the Beta, I am offering an opportunity for simple questions about the whole experience. With the demo to be released soon, and the game just over a month away, it isn’t too long for you guys to wait, but if you have any questions about the incarnation of PES 2011 I have played, please get in touch and I will do my best to give you an honest and frank answer. Please ask the questions via e-mail and I will either get back to you directly, or in the form of an acknowledgment in next weeks column.
“It’s Out Of Date”
Finally this week, I will leave you with one big concern from the PES 2011 beta. Whilst yes, for the most part it has very much been a case of roses and puppy dogs, the one issue that is unavoidable is the current state of the game’s database.
The online beta only featured the English, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and French leagues, and therefore being a team from the Europa League or South America wasn’t an option, however the teams featured on the game were grossly out of date when it came to squad lists. Newly promoted teams were on the game (Tangerine Dream is Blackpool for anyone that is interested) but the players at each team, including the newly promoted were the same that ended at their clubs last year. Manchester City had no Silva, Yaya Toure or Milner, Arsenal still had Sol Campbell and Real Madrid were yet to receive Ozil. This obviously didn’t matter too much in the mode we were playing as you were using fake players to start off, and you would just search for the signings you were after, however this does not bode well for the first week in October, especially as the domestic transfer window closes today.
If Jon’s comment is true about DLC, we may have to wait until November, 3 months after deadline day to play with anything that resembles accurate squads online, and for a game that is meant to be the real deal this year, this simply won’t do.
That’s your lot for this week, with quite a few interactive points to get your teeth into. Comments are welcomed as always, and e-mails can be directed to inteferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk. For universal football gaming news, make sure you check out www.soccergaming.com and next week will see the return of the Interfering With Play Player Of The Season awards.
Thanks For Reading
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