Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Nintendo DS) Review

To start with, unlike its big home console brothers, there are no fancy introductory sequences in this humble DS version. In fact, it just loads straight to the plain title screen without even a voice-over calling out the name of the game when there! And that is basically the theme of PES on the DS – it is totally minimalistic in terms of its appearance. Menus are very simple, rudimentary affairs that serve their purpose perfectly well, but without any of the glamour most gamers have come to expect from their products. Whilst navigating these menus, you are treated to some pleasant synth / techno-style music in the background, the likes of which sound reminiscent of the old ISS 64 days.

In fact, other than the odd bit of music like that, there is not much else in the audio department worth talking about, since there is no commentary and the sound effects are rather basic. At least the crowd is responsive to the on-going action, going quiet is it is a boring match, but showing their voice when things heat up. But it is disappointing how the N64 versions had commentary, but this (on a more powerful system) does not. And I wish I could say the visuals make up for everything, but they definitely do not, as the player models are atrocious – nowhere near the high standards of the ISS games on the N64, which is ridiculous given the power of the DS in comparison.

However, from a gameplay point of view, at least the reduced polygon count on player models means that the actual on-field action is very fast and smooth to play with. Unlike early videos shown, the ball now zips around the pitch at a surprisingly swift speed, with players charging along in good stead. The ball colour can be manually changed in the options screen, but sticking with the original white is what most will likely do to help with visibility. However, it does not matter what colour the ball is at the time, as you will too engrossed in playing what is as close to a home console version of PES as you could expect to find on the DS. The majority of the moves have made their way across to this edition, with cheeky one-twos (either along the ground or with in the air returns), through balls (again can be done in the air), step overs (by tapping 'L'), dashing with 'R', quickly changing players with 'L' and driving low crosses into the box (done in the same way as the home version, by repeatedly tapping the cross button).

Thankfully, other than when there are too many people on-screen at the same time (namely when in the penalty area), slowdown is kept to a strict minimum. This means that the free-flowing nature of PES is retained and lifts this miles above any current FIFA DS outing. After just a short while, it feels exactly like a miniature version of the home console game, which is no bad thing, especially considering PES on the PSP was rather dire compared to the full versions. Using the directional pad can come as quite a shock to your hands after the comfort and ease of an analogue stick, but adapting is not difficult at all, and neither is coping with the angle of passing and shooting using the less accurate control method of the DS.

When it comes to what is offered, there are several options to play around with. The first two major ones are the Konami Cup and the World Tour, the former of which has you in a knockout phase and the latter has you use your own special team to play through against each of the teams around the world in order to achieve ultimate success. For each match you play, you will receive a silver or gold coin depending on your performance. These can then be used to open up new players and other extras as you go along, thus allowing you to strengthen your side for the future. You can even create your own logo for your team's shirt, as well as change the names of preset clubs to their English equivalent.

In terms of clubs, there are 52 world teams, 7 hidden ones and your own team. In addition to this, there are ten club-level teams to choose from, ranging from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Inter Milan to Bayern Munich, Celtic and Roma. Fans may not be pleased by the lack of Juventus, Chelsea, Rangers and Barcelona, but for a first time effort that is miles ahead of FIFA, too much criticism cannot be levelled at Konami. This is definitely a decent enough first step into the football world overall on the DS. Other than the two main modes, there is a training section, exhibition mode and the Wi-Fi options. Yes, this game CAN be played online against an opponent from anywhere in the world.

Unfortunately, at the moment, it has proved to be a massive disappointment due to connection issues. Either it has been impossible to connect, or when actually connected it will merely cut-off during the various pre-match menus. It is almost like the issues from the Japanese version were ignored and the delay for the US and European release was merely to let people forget the negative press surrounding the Far Eastern release! Playing against a human opponent is nearly always more fun than computer AI, since there is less predictability in player control and movement, so it is a shame there are still such troublesome issues. Thankfully there is still local wireless...

As with the early Japanese play-test, things are not too bad at all, but certainly not what you would expect from the mighty PES series. There will definitely be disappointment in that it does not look anywhere near as good as its N64 ISS counterparts or even the PSone PES games, but thankfully most of the speed is there and the fluidity of animation, passing and little tricks help to lift it above the competition. Those are key components to what makes PES the FIFA-killer it is. And, thankfully, the goalkeepers and computer opponents are not a complete breeze. Unless you are on hot form, it is unlikely you will be cruising to ridiculous score lines, as you can do in quite a lot of FIFA games. Mix in the (shaky for now) Wi-Fi matches and PES will likely be staying in, or at least near your DS for a very long time. You really have to hope that the rumours of the European version being delayed until early next year are either untrue or done to tighten up various aspects…