I've been playing PES 2009 – it's released this Friday - since the weekend and well, it's hard to know what to think really. The game feels slightly slower than last year but still plays noticeably faster than FIFA. The ball zips between players, despite feeling – and sounding – heavier than you would expect. And the Champions League licence adds some much needed pizzazz. All good. And where it matters – on the pitch – I still find PES more enjoyable to play than FIFA. But, and this is a very big but, I haven't been able to play online yet.
Usually when you get final retail code for review – normally only a week or so prior to general release – all the Live (or PSN) features work as normal. Not with PES 2009. Online play has been unavailable all week, apparently for last minute tweaking. So until Konami flick the switch I have no idea if the laggy mess of last year has been fixed. Sure, fiddling around with the offline master league is fine but for me playing online is what brings the game alive. So yes, PES still plays a cracking game but if the online hasn't been fixed then this could be the year I defect to FIFA. Fingers crossed for Friday..
