Kotaku: pro evo 2009

Video Game To Sponsor Pro Football Team

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:30:00 MST

Games companies sponsoring sporting teams is nothing new. Sega (Arsenal), Nintendo (Fiorentina) and Microsoft (Seattle Sounders) have all tried their hand at it. But a game sponsoring a football team, that’s new.

Reason we bring this up is that Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 will be taking centre stage on Italian Serie A club Lazio’s jersey for their game next week (and that game only) against Inter Milan. Just in time for the Christmas shopping rush.

It’s a smart move on the part of Konami. FIFA has beaten Pro Evo at both the sales register and the reviews circuit for the first time since, oh, ever, so the more exposure the series gets in front of die-hard football nuts, the better.

PES 2009 e S.S. Lazio dal calcio virtuale a quello reale

Siglato l’accordo tra S.S. Lazio e Digital Bros S.p.A., distributore esclusivo per l’Italia del videogioco PES 2009, per la sponsorizzazione della partita Lazio-Inter del 6 dicembre p.v..
PES 2009, il videogioco di calcio edito da Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH, si conferma “il più amato d’Italia”, attestandosi al vertice delle classifiche di vendita italiana ed internazionale.
Continuando la tradizione, infatti, anche quest’anno PES surclassa il successo delle edizioni precedenti registrando, ad un mese dal lancio, oltre 675.000 copie vendute solo nel nostro Paese.

Grazie alla partnership con S.S. Lazio, oggi, PES 2009, raggiunge un nuovo record: è il primo videogame ad essere main sponsor di una squadra di calcio per una partita di Campionato di Serie A, passando così dai campi virtuali a quelli reali.

In occasione della 15° giornata di campionato, infatti, i biancocelesti indosseranno una maglia speciale - un vero “pezzo unico” - che riprodurrà il marchio di PES 2009.

Per Digital Bros e PES 2009, la collaborazione con la S.S. Lazio, rappresenta una scelta importante che apre un nuovo orizzonte sul mondo del calcio i cui dettagli verranno spiegati nel corso di una speciale conferenza stampa congiunta, che si terrà venerdì 5 dicembre alle ore 12.00 presso la sede della società sportiva a Formello (Roma), via Santa Cornelia, 1000.

Japan's Latest PS3 Bundle

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:30:00 MDT

Just like Microsoft in Europe, Sony Japan are going bananas for hardware bundles this holiday season. With Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and LittleBigPlanet deals already in place, they announced over the weekend a third bundle, this time for Pro Evo 2009 (or, as it's known there, Winning Eleven 2009). It'll include a new (for Japan) 80GB PS3, a copy of Pro Evo 2009 and not one, but two DualShock 3 controllers. The bundle will sell for ￥46,980 (USD$500), and goes on sale November 27.

5000円以上お得！『ウイイレ2009』PS3本体同梱版のパッケージはド真ん中にメッシ [Famitsu]

Pro Evo 2009 Already Getting Major Update

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:30:00 MDT

Pro Evo's been out for, what, a day or two? Least, it has in Europe. And already, it's getting an update. A major update at that. Due to be available for download in "about three weeks", the update will introduce correct licensing for Spanish clubs Athletico Madrid, Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valladolid, while many other teams will receive the correct rosters and playing strips. Controls have also been tweaked, allowing special moves to be performed more easily, and a replay sharing feature has also been added. Good to see Konami are devoted to keeping the game in tip-top shape, but you can't help but wonder whether this is them hitting the big red PANIC button after rival FIFA's critical resurgence.

New licenses coming in PES update [CVG]

Europe Gets An Eighth Xbox 360 Bundle (This Time, With Pro Evo)

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:30:00 MDT

Because seven just wasn't enough. Hot on the heels of the announcement that Europe would be seeing a range of new Xbox 360 bundles - three of which we already knew about - comes new that there'll be an eighth hardware bundle for the Holiday season. This one includes a 60GB Pro, a single controller and a copy of Pro Evo 2009, which you'll get for £190/€270. The bundle will be available in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK, and will go on sale on October 24.

Getting My Arse Kicked At Pro Evo 2009

Luke Plunkett — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:00:00 MDT

I know, a demo's already out, but I hadn't had a chance to download it, so one of the first games I ran for this TGS was pro Evo 2009. Why the running? Because I'm torn on the Pro Evo franchise. Once was a time football purists would buy Pro Evo for the simulation, and everyone else would buy FIFA because it had all the major league licenses. But the last few years? Konami have gotten sloppy. Current-gen Pro Evos looked like last-gen Pro Evos with the cracks painted over, while FIFA has come on strong with a new engine and improved gameplay. In fact, FIFA's come on so strong that many people have already declared it the winner in this year's tussle. Me, I'm going to give the old bird one last chance to impress before doing anything drastic.

Before we begin, know a few things: I was playing the game on the PS3. Against some Japanese kid. He beat me 4-0. My flimsy defence being that I've never actually played the game using a PS controller (Ive only ever used Xbox/360 pads), but hey, it could just as easily have been my flimsy defence.

First thing I noticed? My goodness, Konami have actually changed some things. Important things. While it's not a completely new engine, the player animations both look, and feel, different. This is not a cheap reskin of Pro Evo 5, as 6 and 2008 were. Your players move with a great deal more fluidity, and the ball is even more of a separate entity from the player's feet, adding a surprising level of realism to play when moving through crowded spaces.

Players also seem slower, but in a good way. Because they're more fluid, and there's more animation (players now move in more directions than the old eight-way turns), the game takes on a more deliberate pace, as old tactics of putting your head down and running through defenders didn't work anywhere near as well as they did in 2008.

One totally new thing I noticed was that players would extend their legs to reach for the ball. This was for defenders making tackles, but also midfielders who were clashing over an unpossessed ball. So instead of having to crash your entire player into the other to initiate a challenge for possession - or to gain possession - they'll flick a leg out in front of them, getting the job done quicker.

As for the licensing, I opted for Liverpool (sadly, Villa didn't make the cut for the demo), and my opponent went for Barcelona. Player likenesses looked better than last year's, particularly on the more high profile guys like Messi and Torres, while the kits look a great deal more detailed. The Champion's League license was also being rammed down our throats, with the competition's logo and theme song used at every possible opportunity. Feels a bit strange, to be honest, as that level of licensing is something you'd expect from EA's FIFA, not Konami's offering.

And...that's all I could get out of a 20-minute match. Oh, that and the realisation anyone thinking this year's FIFA v Pro Evo matchup already over is being more than a little premature.

Konami Smacktalks EA Soccer

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:40:00 MDT

Claws out! Time to get catty. Konami makes Pro Evolution Soccer. EA makes the FIFA franchise. And with Pro Evo 2009 coming out this October, it's time for Konami to remind folks that it makes the better soccer game. Oh yes. Here's Konami Pro Evo leader Jon Murphy:

It is all very well for EA to say that FIFA is making great strides, but general opinion suggests that they still have a long way to go before they can match the intuitive and absorbing gameplay of Pro Evolution Soccer... That is not to say that we are resting on our laurels, though. PES 2009 has a vast number of new additions that elevate it far beyond anything anyone else is doing.

Yep, Konami just told EA "nice try, keep going, kid". For the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer title, Konami secured the Champions League license for four years, plus signed deals with Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United. It's also the official video game of the England national team.

Full PES 2009 details revealed [MCVUK]

New Pro Evo 2009 Screens

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:30:00 MDT

While the in-game action looks eerily similar to Pro Evo 2008 (and 6..and 5...), one area Konami are trying to add a little extra depth in the latest game is the presentation. Take the game beyond the pitch and into the tunnels and the changerooms. No idea how successful the emphasis on individual players will ultimately be, but hey, here's what it'll look like.

Pro Evo 2009 Kicks Off In Europe In October

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:40:00 MDT

Time to go trade in that copy of Pro Evo 2008, kids, because the 2009 edition's been dated for release. Continental Europe, you get it first, on October 15. Britain, you get it October 17, because traffic on the channel tunnel is just a nightmare these days. Japan, you get it sometime in November, and America...no idea. Sorry. Import it from Europe if you're that keen.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 gets release date [VG247]

First Real Pro Evo 2009 Gameplay Footage

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:00:00 MDT

It's from the Leipzig showroom floor, so don't expect fancy camera angles. Plus, it's two Average Joes playing it, so don't expect to see any kind of fancy goalmouth action. In fact, if you were hoping to see the game's "radical aesthetic upgrade" don't expect to see much of anything at all, because if it weren't for the new font on the bottom of the screen we'd have had a hard time telling you this wasn't Pro Evo 2008. Or Pro Evo 6, even.

360 Gets Improved Controller, But Only For A Limited Time

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:20:00 MDT

No sooner have we hated on the 360 pad's useless d-pad for the 1,165th time than we hear that a new 360 control pad is on the showroom floor at Leipzig. Microsoft, your sense of timing is impeccable. While the pad looks identical to the existing one, the d-pad is apparently much-improved, as it can now register movement in 32 directions, as opposed to the existing one's...4. That's the good news. The bad news? Well, the bad news is comical. Microsoft told Eurogamer the improved controller will only be available for a limited time, as it's a tie-in with Pro Evo 2009. And not just that, they say it'll only be available in Europe, Asia and Latin America. It'll be out on October 24, so if you want (or want to import one) one, get in early.

Microsoft confirms revised 360 d-pad [Eurogamer]

First Pro Evo 2009 "Gameplay" Footage

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:40:00 MDT

Curious as to just who the hell Lionel Messi is, America? He's the long-haired, Argentinian midget that stars in this debut trailer for Konami's Pro Evo 2009. While my patience with the Pro Evo series is wearing thin - with both current-gen releases doing nothing to improve on the PS2/Xbox years - I'll at least give them credit for this trailer. While it's had a few (dozen) more rendering passes than the actual game will boast, as you can see by the stilted player animations, that's at least in-engine footage.