Delightful soccer action game, the best that 2004 could offer!
The PES series didn't really task itself with changing the rules of soccer on the PC when it first started out, but it soon became the game to play for all those that had enough of Electronic Art soccer sims, that were beginning to stagnate. At any rate, the question is, what made PES such a nice option for soccer lovers, in what way was it different? Well, this full 3D gameshowed that you could pack in a lot of diverse tactical play and a lot of sensible control options in just a few buttons; it also showed that even if your game was an ation one, that did not mean it had to be deplete of strategic options. And so it did, combining crisp 3D graphics with player animations and stats that were actually making a difference in the game. Take for instance one of the stars of the game, David Beckham: the player stats actually make this player perform like the real Beckham, to a degree, which is at any rate, more than most other soccer games that used real player names could do. Also, very importantly, the menu layout and the overall structure of the game was simple and very player friendly, which again, while it might not seem as much was more than enough to steer a lot of players to PES. I for once love this 2004 jewel, and I can lose hours on end with it. It is a truly modern game, to this day.
