No, it doesn't have the Master League, before you ask. We thought we'd better get that straight from the start.
The fact that this'll be many people's first question about
Pro Evo mobile hints at the weighty expectations around the game. Leaving aside the Master League (and really, it was never likely, was it?), the real question is around the gameplay. If it doesn't
feel like
Pro Evo, then it'll be a huge disappointment.
Thankfully, it does. And we're about as tough an audience as you could get, having gorged ourself over the weekend on the new PlayStation 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, not to mention our enduring
Pro Evo 6 PSP habit. We fully expected to find the mobile version a let down, but instead, it's a triumph.
Let's cover the basics, though. You can choose to play individual matches, get some training practice, compete in leagues and cups based on real-life tournaments, and take on the Super Challenge mode, which is kinda like a cut-down Master League with the transfers taken out.
Matches can last three to ten minutes, there are three difficulty levels, and two camera options – both side-on, but with one looking further ahead of you for attack-minded players. Oh, and there's two control systems, too.
This shows how hard Konami's been thinking about how to bring
Pro Evo to mobile. The standard control system is pretty similar to those seen in
FIFA 08 and
Real Football 2008, with movement controlled by the number keys, where '5' passes, '0' shoots, and '*' and '#' are used for through balls.
However, there's also a One Touch control option, with every action handled using the '5' key. We didn't go for it, for we are two-thumbed
Pro Evo ninjas, though we expect it'll help less experienced mobile gamers get straight into the action.
But as we said, it's all about the match action.
Pro Evo 2008 just feels right, which is a hard thing to explain. You can stroke passes around the pitch, through balls feel comfortable, and the players' movement off the ball is both slick and intelligent. The power bar for shooting feels a little sensitive at first (experienced
Pro Evo gamers will raise a knowing eyebrow here) but it takes very little time for you to be smacking shots into the top corner.
In fact, we'd identify this as one difference to the console versions: shooting from outside the box reaps more rewards earlier. The fact that you'll be thinking about this sort of thing within minutes, rather than still wrestling with the controls, shows how well-designed the game is. Like we said, it's all about feel.
Tactical tweaking is sensibly limited to picking a formation and changing players, with a nice touch being the way you unlock some new formations as you play through.
Licence-wise, the player names are right, but it's good old London FC, Man Red and Wearside for team names. Players are rated in the usual
Pro Evo pentangle showing Attacking, Speed, Technique, Power and Defence, with most being capable of playing several positions, to aid your tactical shifts.
Criticisms? The goalies are a bit pish, certainly on the easier skill levels, where we had fun cracking shots in from just past the halfway line, before we remembered this probably counts as a flaw. The graphics are solid rather than spectacular, with few of
Real Football 2008's bells and whistles. Some might criticise the relatively slow pace, but a) we'd call it 'considered', and b) it's hardly skinned for pace by the competition.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is a class act, presumably a result of the long development process (which might also explain why loading times are so impressively short). If you've never played Konami's footy franchise, it'll welcome you into the fold – and if you're a longtime fan, trust us, this won't disappoint.
