Part of the “Launch Titles Revisited” reviews
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D was launched alongside the Nintendo 3DS. It is the first football game for the Nintendo 3DS. Is it enough to turn me, a FIFA fan, into a PES Player? Or does it put me off PES games?
Find out after the break!
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D is a port of the latest PES game to hit consoles. But it certainly doesn’t play like a bad port. PES 2011 3D features a few modes, including the Master League, the Exhibition mode, Wireless mode (local multiplayer) and the Champions League.
All of the mentioned modes play well, and generally don’t have any prominent problems. However, there is one mode missing. Online mode. It seems rather stupid that Konami missed this one out, as it could have made PES a defining title among the often criticised 3DS launch line up.
The Master League mode allows you to take control of a team and buy/sell players, oversee their salaries and a little more. It’s not the most detailed of modes, but it will certainly consume a lot of your time.
The Champions League mode is where you choose a team and try to win the Champions League trophy. It’s a pretty good mode, and portrays the competition very well. Other than the Champions League trophy, there’s no other trophy competition. That’s right, no World Cup, no FA Cup, no Premiership league. Which takes out from the replayability of this game, especially when we know FIFA 12 for the Nintendo 3DS will have a lot of cup competitions and a Street football mode.
Another feature missing from PES 2011 3D is a training mode. Players like me who’ve not played a football game for a while will need a way to practise and get used to the controls. It’s not major, but a training mode would have sweetened up the package in my opinion.
The graphics of PES 2011 3D are simply amazing. The character models are smooth, detailed and are quite similar to the players they represent. The animations are very fluid, however, you can notice some frame drops during the goal celebrations. The 3D effect is quite good too. The developers at Konami have even tried to make the 3D effect more prominent by introducing a camera angle similar to the the Be A Pro camera from FIFA games.
However, the angle just doesn’t do a great job. It does show off the 3D effect very well, but I find no problem using the standard camera angle, because I feel the 3D effect still looks good. The 3D effect is very depth heavy, and it makes you feel like you’re actually at the stadium.
The controls are quite simple, but it took me sometime to get used to Y being the shoot button. The Circle Pad is great, however, PES 2011 3D only moves the players in 8 directions. But the Circle Pad has full 360° movement. So the players’ movements aren’t as accurate and fluid as they should be.
The sound of the game is fairly standard. You do hear crowd cheers and boos, but that’s all standard in a football sim. PES 2011 3D also has commentary, but you wish you’d hear it more often. It’s just not as common as the FIFA games. Which I feel makes PES feel less realistic.
In terms of gameplay, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D plays pretty well. Konami have managed to keep most of the set-pieces, skill moves, one-two passing and much more from the console versions. The CPU’s artificial intelligence is very, very good. The computer controlled team will make complex passes and great tackles. Even in “Regular” difficulty, the AI feels a little too good, but that’s great, it makes PES 2011 3D more realistic, which is key for a football sim. If you pause the game when you’re playing a match, you’ll be able to view replays of a recent moment and look around the pitch, which is a treat to see in 3D.
This game also features StreetPass support. Every time you pass somebody with PES 2011 3D in their 3DS, your Master League team battles their Master League team. Fairly simple implementation, but nonetheless it’s a welcome addition. The ability to edit teams is present in this game. A nice little perk.
Overall, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D is a great football game, and definitely is a great early effort from Konami. While it does lack some key content, I feel that it’s worth $40. It’s a good game, not fantastic, but good. If Konami can take note of all the problems of PES 2011 3D, then I feel that the next installment will be a definite gem among the Nintendo 3DS library.
Loved:
- Amazing graphics
- Great gameplay
- Champions League mode is an accurate portrayal
Hated:
- Not a lot of modes
- Lack of online multiplayer
