Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Review

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PES 2012)
Football (Soccer)
Nintendo 3DS
Konami

Pro Evolution Soccer first appeared on the 3DS as a launch title when the system first arrived, that version felt rushed with no online play and without many of the gameplay modes and options that should have been there, even on a handheld release. So eight months later, did they manage to do a better job with this second attempt? Yes, the two major let downs from PES 2011 3D have been addressed in this 2012 release. This time they did include online play and the selection of gameplay modes rivals what you would expect to see from the full console versions of the game making this a much bigger and better experience.

PES 2012 3D offers an impressive ten different gameplay modes from the main menu. The first option is the basic Exhibition Match, this is where you play a single match using two of the many teams on offer. The second option is Network Match, this is basically the multiplayer option. Here you'll find options for local wireless matches with other near by 3DS owners, it's disappointing that download play is not supported meaning both players must own a copy of the game to play against each other, as well as online matches against friends or random opponents.

Unfortunately I have been unable to get the online play to work properly. I tried on multiple occasions at different times to find a random opponent to play against but was only able to be matched with somebody once. I also tried to play with a friend, that also had trouble finding a random match, and was unable to connect with him. When I was able to play online I got a good, smooth, lag free experience but that was the exception. My online experience was one of frustration, unable to find an opponent and if an opponent was found then the game was unable to connect which is extremely disappointing given that online play is one of the games biggest features and sets it apart from the other football games available on the 3DS.

Next are UEFA Champions League and Copa Santander Libertadores modes. These are both real world competitions that have been licences for the game and play out just as they do in their real world equivalents. Each one has a large pool of teams to choose from their respective regions. Because these modes are usually a side competition along side a season campaign they can feel a little short in isolation. The League and Cup modes offer a selection of unlicensed competitions to play through. League mode allows you play through seasons as a team from one of seven leagues. You simply pick your league and team and then play your way through an entire season including cup competitions as you try to end the season as champions. In Cup mode you choose from one of six cup competitions and solely play through that competition until you win it or are knocked out. There is a lot of content here especially with the variety between the different leagues and cups in their size, format, regulations and in which teams are eligible to be entered into them.

Master League is the games main career mode and is a traditional part of the PES series. You take charge of a club of your choice with the aim of moulding them into a great club and taking them up the rankings. At the beginning you will have a team of average unknown players, it is your job to develop those players as well as recruit new ones and turn your team into champions. It is a fun mode to play for those familiar with sports management gameplay but for those that aren't the learning curve is steep and there are no measures in place to make it assessable to new comers.
Be A Legend mode and World Player mode are the alternate career modes in the game and in both you take control of one player and only one player on the field while all of you team mates are controlled by the computer. In Be A Legend you create a player and start out as a rookie with the task of working your way up the rankings and become a star player. At the start you'll be put on the bench until you have proven yourself, what is annoying though is that when you're not playing, you have to watch the match play out as a spectator. You can do this at double speed but an option to skip these parts would have been preferable. World Player mode is very similar with the difference being that you take control of an established pro instead of starting as a rookie. Both of these modes offer an interesting challenge that can be fun but also quite annoying as you are forced to rely on your AI team mates. Because you only control one of the eleven players on your team you will not always be involved in the action. Sometimes there are long stretches when the ball is no where near you and if your team concedes or even scores without you playing a part it can feel like your watching a game rather than playing one. Even so once you get the hang of things they can be very enjoyable.

Finally there is training mode, here you take a team to the field to fine tune your skills. You can choose to work on you shooting, free kicks comers or general play. While the training mode can be useful it leaves you to figure things out for your self and some kind of tutorial would have been useful especially for those new to the series because of the subtlety complex gameplay and controls.

There are a number of camera view options to choose from, the most familiar of which is the Wide view which is used as a default. It is what most players are probably used to using and it works well however this view point gains little to nothing from the systems 3D effect. There is though, a camera designed specifically to make the most of the 3D and it works brilliantly giving you a real sense of the depth and distances up the pitch. It does take some getting used to, in this view the pitch is seen vertically rather than horizontally which gives you a view right down the pitch. When your going forward this view is great. You can easily see the position of your team mates in front of you and the goal is always in sight, growing as you bear down on it. When you are trying to defend on the other hand it isn't quite perfect, while the view does a great job of showing you what's up ahead it isn't as good at showing you what's happening behind you making it hard to see the oppositions attacking players or intercept their passes. Dispute it's flaws it is a good addition and for the most part works well.

Having a ton of modes is nice but it'd all be for nothing if the gameplay didn't hold up, thankfully that’s not the case here as PES 2012 3D offers a very solid game of football. The controls, which are fully customisable, are easy to use. Passing and dribbling both work well and feel good using the Circle Pad. Some touch screen trick commands can be unlocked in the PES Shop using the Konami Code (↑↑↓↓←→←→BA) when asked for a password, this makes some of the tricks, which require quite complex button combinations to preform, much more assessable and I think this should have been available by default. The AI is good and multiple difficulty settings ensure the game will remain a challenge even as you improve. Scoring a goal proves to be a difficult task with the AI defending well, you will need to get the weight and timing of you passes spot on in order to create a goal scoring opportunity and then get the shot right to beat the goalkeeper, this makes scoring a goal is a very rewarding experience as you really feel like you’ve earned it each time the ball hits the net.

Konami have done a great job making a full featured PES game for the 3DS, the gameplay is solid, the graphics are good and it has all of the modes that you would expect to see in a console version of the game. The problems that I encountered with the online stop this from being a great game and there are a few things that I hope will be improved in future versions, like the 3D view for example. Despite those problems PES 2012 3D is a good game. If you want a football game for your 3DS then this is the one to buy.

Score: 7/10