7.4

(Winning Eleven) Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is the latest installation of Konami's venerable football franchise, complete with a new AI system.

Konami have introduced an entirely new AI which learns and adapts to your style of gameplay. It will learn new ways to build up attacks and to counter specific movements. This makes every game you play unique, a feature which has never been seen in previous Pro Evolution titles. The new AI ensures that defenders work to close down space and block efforts on goal. Similarly, distribution of passes works along the same lines, with players using the space available to them to switch the ball. Close control has also been enhanced with more control when dribbling the ball, and a number of subtle moves added to bypass defenders and move the ball into space.

Set-pieces have been improved, with full control given over the number of players and the position of the defensive wall. A wider range of set piece options are also available to make use of specific talents within the team. Getting use to the new AI will at first prove frustrating and annoying. Also be aware of the refs as they will give cards out for the slightest tackle, which again is very frustrating.

Pro Evolution 2008 feels like a truly next-gen footy game, especially on the surface. The amount of detail that has gone in to the players is absolutely amazing, especially the celebrity players such as Christiana Ronaldo. Incredible animations are another awesome noticeable improvement.

Konami has also added a selection of new game modes that, while not completely revolutionary, do add to the longevity of the game. First up is the world tour, which puts you’re national or club team in a series of missions against the rest of the world. These missions are driven by match conditions that have to be met, such as starting the game at half time and/or winning by a set number of goals. In a nice touch, you can export your world tour to a PlayStation Portable over USB, but only if you're feeling flush enough to buy two different versions of the game.

The other new addition is the community mode, which allows up to 16 people to compete in cups and tournaments. Once competing players have entered their names, they can challenge each other to single matches, cups, and leagues. All matches and results are tracked in an impressive database that can sort the results in pretty much any order you want. If you have a multitap adaptor, you can pair up for two-on-two games, while bonus challenges include penalty shoot-outs and free kicks. It seems slightly out-dated to get 16 people together in person these days, but the community mode certainly has everything you need for a party.

Aside from these new modes, the usual Pro Evolution leagues, cups, and the master leagues also make an appearance. They're all exactly the same as usual, and although the majority of teams feature incorrect names (Chelsea as "London FC," for example), you can set up any tournament that you like. It's something we mention every time a new version of the game comes out, but the lack of official team names is a recurring problem that shows no signs of improving. For example, the English Premiership's two licensed teams have changed from Arsenal and Manchester United last year to Tottenham and Newcastle United this year. If you do want to edit the default information, then the editing mode is pretty comprehensive, allowing you to edit everything from the boots of players to stadiums and league/cup names. But this is very time consuming.

Online play allows players to meet up and play friendly matches as well as create groups. The PS2 version and PS3 version are similar when it comes down to online features. However, as with the PS3, the online mode lags and can feel unplayable in its current form, which is a great shame. Hopefully Konami will release a patch to change this. There are also issues with the design of online mode. The game doesn’t seem to store your login details, so you have to enter it manually every time you connect, which is extremely frustrating.

Pro Evolution 2008 is a cracking game and although the improvements are subtler than we would like, there welcome all the same. It’s a great time to be a football fan with both Pro Evolution 08 and Fifa 08 out.