Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review

Costas Stephanides’s Review

Back to the glory days

Where do you begin with PES? The game has been around for years and for the most part has been the leading footie sim on the consoles. To be fair, the quality has waned a little on the big machines and Fifa has regained the title. On the mobile however, PES is going from strength to strength.

The latest version of mobile PES has the free flowing gameplay that made the series a success back from the SNES days. The graphics may not have come a long way since then but then this is only a java handset. The focus here is on the gameplay and the controls.

PES 2010 has two control options that should suit amateur and pro alike. The one-touch control system only requires the D-pad and the centre button/5 to move your players and make your plays. Pass the ball with 5, shoot with 5, press the defence with 5. In fact almost everything can be done by double tapping or long presses of 5. If you prefer a bit more control you can opt for the standard controls. 5 still does quite a lot but 0 takes care of the shooting and # and * are almost brought into play. Even though there are more buttons involved, the controls seem more intuitive (at least to a console player). The overall controls do allow for some good passing moves and shots, however, don't expect any sophisticated tricks or close dribbling skills.

PES 2010 Mobile does feature a fully licensed team sheet across the major European leagues and national squads. Unfortunately some of the actual team names and flags still have the dodgy titles but that's hardly a deal breaker. If licenses are what rock your boat, then play the UEFA Champions League mode. It follows the full format with qualifications and mini leagues. PES is packed full of modes. Along with the standard cups and leagues, there is also a mission mode and a challenge section. These include a free kick challenge and a fastest goal challenge. There's plenty on offer if you want a long drawn out affair or just after a quick fix. There's also a pretty fast loading time which helps keep things nifty.

As far as mobile footie sims, PES ticks most of the boxes and it's hard to find many faults. At the end of the day, it's still tricky playing such a fast paced game on a mobile, particularly a slider like the N81. But if you can get over that, PES has plenty to offer you.