Pro Evolution Soccer 09 vs FIFA 09

I haven't posted anything in a while, I've been really busy lately and I apologise for the delay. I thought a good way to make my "comeback" would be to do the second annual Pro versus FIFA battle. So let's get started:

Not many noticeable changes this year for FIFA. EA seem to have concentrated on the little, irritating bugs and have ironed those out nicely. Things like more realistic passing and shooting will go down well with FIFA faithfuls.

Konami's answer to FIFA has seen two major changes. The first being the addition of the UEFA Champion's League, which will be warmly welcomed by Pro Evo fans, since the series has always lacked any of official competitions. The second being the new "Become A Legend" mode. FIFA fans were angry when they first heard about this, as they labeled it a clone of EA's "Be A Pro" feature. However, Konami were the first to allow the player to control a single person during a match, but it is only now that they developed it further and made it into a separate play mode.

Just like last year, here are the comparisons.

Realism: Pro Evo still seems to lack some of the "next-gen" glamour, and that is why more and more are switching to FIFA. In terms of player models though, Pro Evo is in a league of it's own. For me, no matter how nice the stadium looks or how detailed the grass is, the players get priority. So I'll put that as a slender win for Konami.

Sound: FIFA is still miles ahead in this category. With it's licenced soundtrack and great commentators that change what they say depending on the situation, such as, what teams are playing or who has the ball, it's a clear win for EA. While Pro Evo's soundtrack has drastically improved since last year, it is still disappointing. In addition to that, the commentators are so vague in what they are saying, that you might as well turn them off.

'Career Mode': Konami are still ahead in this category because the Master league is simply more fun than domestic leagues, but domestic leagues are still an option for those who want more realism. The Champion's League is also a nice addition.

Gameplay: I was quite disappointed when I saw how much Konami slowed down the gameplay since last year. Fast-paced matches have always been the essence of the series. But even with this change that was supposedly applied to make the game more realistic. it is still more fun than FIFA's. The amount of time it takes to perform actions on FIFA is very frustrating, and takes away some of the fun of playing with friends or online. Speaking of online, slow loading times and lots of lag are the reasons Pro Evo doesn't win this category this year. While fast gameplay is more fun, what good is it if the game lags? This year, it's a tie.

Overall Impression: This year's battle doesn't have a winner but instead, a question. Do you prefer realism of fun? Both games are good but also very different. It's like comparing Halo to Unreal Tournament. Ultimately, i dont think there will be many people switching sides this year, people will tend to stick with what they already prefer, simply because neither one has gotten significantly better or worse since last year.