Pro Evolution Soccer 2009: The First Night

Last night was the first night of the rest my life… words by Danny ‘Evo’ Walker

Ok, so yesterday I opened a suspicious package and was rushed straight to hospital to my house to play Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. On the way, my creative cranium was carving out certain thoughts, ‘What if FIFA 09 outshines this year’s Evo outing?’, ‘What if I don’t like this year’s Pro?’ and ‘What if Bradley and Stacey never get back together?’ A very nervous journey home, I assure you.

With EA’s recently released football franchise improving tenfold it was a tentative start as the Lionel Messi featuring intro worked its magic on the Xbox in true 720p form (I need to upgrade, you’re right). After the first exhibition match – in new Champions League mode – I was clear the new Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is big. It’s deeper than the inside pocket of King Kong’s best dinner jacket.

The first thing I noticed that you don’t pickup in the annoying demo is that Pro Evo is slick. The new ‘Become A Legend’ mode is addictive as whatever Winehouse is on, hence the reason I was late this morning. After starting at a random non-league club I was soon snapped up by Sunderland, following that stint in the reserves I found myself being watched by talent scouts and during the Christmas break Newcastle came-a-calling.

From the 17th onwards…
When you get to play the full version on Friday you’ll realise each pitch feels different – especially Wembley – and the grass acts as an extra force of nature that will make or break your through balls. The re-worked passing model is exactly that, reworked and players no longer pass to Casper the Friendly Ghost on the touchline. You’ll also note the serious edit mode allowing you to pixel edit badges and more.

On reflection, last year’s Pro was a little lacklustre, 2009 features essential changes that make this the best Pro yet.