Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Sports
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: October 19, 2010
Preview by: Benjy Ikimi

So here comes another year when Shingo “Seabass” Takatsuka, the brains behind Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, attempts to reclaim the crown stolen from him by EA’s FIFA series. For a good few years, Konami has produced the ultimate football (soccer) experience, but once the FIFA developers got their act together, they seemed to take large steps in the opposite direction.

After the absolute atrocity that was last year’s Pro Evo instalment, Konami had to do a lot of work to get up to FIFA’s standard. Pretty much everything from last year has been reworked and improved. A whole new passing system has been borrowed from FIFA to allow more detailed passing without the arcade-style ping-pong matches that Pro Evo once had. The player animations are now more realistic, and the overall physics of the game have taken a more accurate approach, comparable to the real thing.

I have to mention last year’s entry because the improvement made is truly staggering. That version only lasted for about two minutes of my precious time that I won’t mind having back. In this new one, Pro Evo has gotten back to the feeling of being in a real match. As I was playing with Bayern against Barcelona, I began to reminisce about the days when Konami produced top-notch games in this genre.

I know there are a lot of FIFA fans out there, and many Pro Evo fans who have been converted, but I have to tell the deserters that Pro Evo is getting back to form. Be careful—I said getting back to form; they aren’t there yet. The new passing system and the movement and animation of the players all come together to make for very exciting matches. Just by playing the very generous length of a demo match (are you listening, EA?), there’s a strong sense of the beautiful game that has been captured here by Seabass. Player animations, the manner in which they react when a shot is missed and when they dribble show the understanding Takatsuka has of the sport.

It was never going to be a miraculous comeback, and there are still serious issues with Pro Evo. It’s clear that the developers don’t yet have the hang of the passing system, with perfectly good passes going astray. Also, there is still an arcade feel to the game, and a sense of polish is badly needed to make you believe this could be a real game. Sadly, that’s the department in which EA excels.

I’m hopeful. Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 makes it look like this genre has now gotten competitive again. Yes, there are improvements to be made, but what exists is still a realistic football engine that can provide lots of fun matches. Don’t be surprised if some Pro Evo deserters take a dip back into their long lost love.