Ah another brilliant handheld version of Konami soccer….and by ‘brilliant’, I mean poor. Despite the new name, and a few new gameplay changes, there isn’t much here to differentiate this and last year’s versions of Winning Eleven for the PSP.

Graphics 75/100

The first thing you notice once you walk onto the pitch in PES6 PSP is just how wonderfully crisp the visuals are. After playing hours upon hours of FIFA 07 for the PSP I was really wowed by how sharp everything looks in Konami’s game.

Player models are pretty much identical to those in the home console versions and are very impressive (in a ‘last-gen’ sense). Big name players are easily identifiable and the crisp resolution of the graphics really helps in this regard. Likewise, those kits that are licensed look very nifty.

As you’d expect from a Konami game, the animations are excellent and flow smoothly. The library of animations, however, doesn’t seem to be as extensive as the home console versions though there are still more animations here than you’ll find in any other non-Konami soccer game.

The slow-down that affected last year’s version has been largely eliminated and you can finally choose different camera angles. You can also modify the camera angles by rotating the field. With the default camera rotation there is no slowdown, however, when you rotate the field to about setting ‘6’ and beyond you notice the frame rate chugging when you have too many players on the field.

Two of the problems with the visuals in last year’s game were the poor TV-style presentation and the lack of stadiums. Unfortunately, neither has been addressed! There is only one (ONE!) stadium which is absolutely pathetic in this day and age. Likewise, the TV-style presentation is pitiful with no pre-match showmanship and no end-of-half highlights. The lack of stadiums really kills the sense of immersion in the (already weak) Master League as every match of every competition takes place in the same stadium with the same surroundings.

Finally, despite the sharpness of the graphics, the colour palate is a little drab and colours aren’t nearly as vibrant as those in FIFA 07 PSP. When you combine that with the lack of lighting effects (besides player shadows) and a single stadium, you find the visual atmosphere of the game takes a big hit. You play in the same boring, drab stadium every game.

Sound 10/100

No licensed music tracks. Lame, generic crowd chants. And no commentary, save an 8-bit style “Goal, he’s scored” shout when you put the ball in the back of the net.

This is an absolute insult. Even FIFA 07 for the Nintendo DS has commentary so there’s absolutely no excuse for its absence here.

Options 60/100

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for the PSP features the following gameplay modes; Match (exhibition), Master League, League, Cup and Training. The following leagues are available in PES6;

And that’s it. There is a decent selection of international teams and the club rosters aren’t up to date (e.g. Kuyt not at Liverpool). The League mode allows you to play single seasons in any of the featured domestic leagues or a league with International teams. Ditto for the Cup mode. There are no training mini-games and also absent is the fantastic World Cup qualification mode that was present in WE10.

The only new addition to the options is the Master League. Like many gamers I’ve become very bored with this mode and can’t wait for the day that Konami finally decide to implement a FIFA-style Manager Mode. In PES 6 there are no major surprises with the ML save for the format; there’s now one 3rd Division (in which you start), several concurrent 2nd Divisions which are Domestic Leagues (EPL, Serie A, Ligue 1, etc) and finally one 1st Division which is a sort-of Super-Division with the top European teams present. At the end of the day though, despite the new arrangement, it’s still the same old boring Master League.

The lack of options in this game is pretty damn sad. When compared to the wealth of options in FIFA 07 PSP it really speaks volumes for how lazy Konami has become when it comes to features and game modes.

Gameplay 70/100

Okay, okay, if you’ve read this far you’re probably sick of my whining and are saying;

“Yeah, yeah, the features are sparse but this is a KCET game so the gameplay will be top notch and that’s what matters most.”

Well, gameplay is important but I can’t say that the gameplay in PES6 PSP is ‘top-notch’. Based on the Winning Eleven 10 game engine, the biggest differences in gameplay come in the following areas;

Which of the two variations of the game engine you prefer depends upon your tastes. PES6 is slower and perhaps a little more sim-like, while WE10 is faster, the dribbling is easier and it’s a little more arcade-like. I’m also convinced that the defenders in PES 6 are on the juice – even crap defenders can catch up to and tackle fast players. Personally, I prefer Winning Eleven 10 as I think it’s a little less frustrating and more fun (if a little easier) – your mileage may vary.

Unfortunately, somewhere in the transfer to the PSP a lot of the enjoyment and intuitiveness of the controls has been lost and as a result the gameplay suffers.

The first problem that you notice comes from player movement. Like last year’s version you can choose to use either the D-pad or the Analog Nub (or a combination of both) to move players around. Unlike FIFA, dribbling and close control Winning Eleven requires a great deal of precision and neither control method on the PSP provides this.

Another problem is the lack of the R2 and L2 buttons and the features that are subsequently missing. Things like 45° turns, multi-speed dribbling, knocking the ball far ahead, and one touch moves are either missing or just far too annoying to perform. You combine that with the juiced defenders and the attacking gameplay that was so much fun in the PS2 version of Winning Eleven 10 is absent here.

Don’t get me wrong, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 still plays a solid game of football and there are a wide variety of goals that can be scored, but it just doesn’t have the same fun factor as the home versions and after just a single Master League season I found myself bored.

Longevity 60/100

The fact that the gameplay becomes boring after a while doesn’t bode well when you combine that with sparse gameplay features. I’ve played PES 6 for a solid few weeks but really have no desire to go back to play some more after this review. Anyone wanna buy my copy?

Overall 70/100

Hmmm…another Konami soccer game, another disappointment. The disturbing trend continues….

Not only does PES 6 disappoint from a features standpoint, the poorly implemented controls mean it’s a bit of a disappointment in the gameplay stakes as well. You’re much better off with FIFA 07 for your PSP soccer-fix.

Ah another brilliant handheld version of Konami soccer….and by ‘brilliant’, I mean poor. Despite the new name, and a few new gameplay changes, there isn’t much here to differentiate this and last year’s versions of Winning Eleven for the PSP.

Graphics 75/100

The first thing you notice once you walk onto the pitch in PES6 PSP is just how wonderfully crisp the visuals are. After playing hours upon hours of FIFA 07 for the PSP I was really wowed by how sharp everything looks in Konami’s game.

Player models are pretty much identical to those in the home console versions and are very impressive (in a ‘last-gen’ sense). Big name players are easily identifiable and the crisp resolution of the graphics really helps in this regard. Likewise, those kits that are licensed look very nifty.

As you’d expect from a Konami game, the animations are excellent and flow smoothly. The library of animations, however, doesn’t seem to be as extensive as the home console versions though there are still more animations here than you’ll find in any other non-Konami soccer game.

The slow-down that affected last year’s version has been largely eliminated and you can finally choose different camera angles. You can also modify the camera angles by rotating the field. With the default camera rotation there is no slowdown, however, when you rotate the field to about setting ‘6’ and beyond you notice the frame rate chugging when you have too many players on the field.

Two of the problems with the visuals in last year’s game were the poor TV-style presentation and the lack of stadiums. Unfortunately, neither has been addressed! There is only one (ONE!) stadium which is absolutely pathetic in this day and age. Likewise, the TV-style presentation is pitiful with no pre-match showmanship and no end-of-half highlights. The lack of stadiums really kills the sense of immersion in the (already weak) Master League as every match of every competition takes place in the same stadium with the same surroundings.

Finally, despite the sharpness of the graphics, the colour palate is a little drab and colours aren’t nearly as vibrant as those in FIFA 07 PSP. When you combine that with the lack of lighting effects (besides player shadows) and a single stadium, you find the visual atmosphere of the game takes a big hit. You play in the same boring, drab stadium every game.

Sound 10/100

No licensed music tracks. Lame, generic crowd chants. And no commentary, save an 8-bit style “Goal, he’s scored” shout when you put the ball in the back of the net.

This is an absolute insult. Even FIFA 07 for the Nintendo DS has commentary so there’s absolutely no excuse for its absence here.

Options 60/100

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for the PSP features the following gameplay modes; Match (exhibition), Master League, League, Cup and Training. The following leagues are available in PES6;

And that’s it. There is a decent selection of international teams and the club rosters aren’t up to date (e.g. Kuyt not at Liverpool). The League mode allows you to play single seasons in any of the featured domestic leagues or a league with International teams. Ditto for the Cup mode. There are no training mini-games and also absent is the fantastic World Cup qualification mode that was present in WE10.

The only new addition to the options is the Master League. Like many gamers I’ve become very bored with this mode and can’t wait for the day that Konami finally decide to implement a FIFA-style Manager Mode. In PES 6 there are no major surprises with the ML save for the format; there’s now one 3rd Division (in which you start), several concurrent 2nd Divisions which are Domestic Leagues (EPL, Serie A, Ligue 1, etc) and finally one 1st Division which is a sort-of Super-Division with the top European teams present. At the end of the day though, despite the new arrangement, it’s still the same old boring Master League.

The lack of options in this game is pretty damn sad. When compared to the wealth of options in FIFA 07 PSP it really speaks volumes for how lazy Konami has become when it comes to features and game modes.

Gameplay 70/100

Okay, okay, if you’ve read this far you’re probably sick of my whining and are saying;

“Yeah, yeah, the features are sparse but this is a KCET game so the gameplay will be top notch and that’s what matters most.”

Well, gameplay is important but I can’t say that the gameplay in PES6 PSP is ‘top-notch’. Based on the Winning Eleven 10 game engine, the biggest differences in gameplay come in the following areas;

Which of the two variations of the game engine you prefer depends upon your tastes. PES6 is slower and perhaps a little more sim-like, while WE10 is faster, the dribbling is easier and it’s a little more arcade-like. I’m also convinced that the defenders in PES 6 are on the juice – even crap defenders can catch up to and tackle fast players. Personally, I prefer Winning Eleven 10 as I think it’s a little less frustrating and more fun (if a little easier) – your mileage may vary.

Unfortunately, somewhere in the transfer to the PSP a lot of the enjoyment and intuitiveness of the controls has been lost and as a result the gameplay suffers.

The first problem that you notice comes from player movement. Like last year’s version you can choose to use either the D-pad or the Analog Nub (or a combination of both) to move players around. Unlike FIFA, dribbling and close control Winning Eleven requires a great deal of precision and neither control method on the PSP provides this.

Another problem is the lack of the R2 and L2 buttons and the features that are subsequently missing. Things like 45° turns, multi-speed dribbling, knocking the ball far ahead, and one touch moves are either missing or just far too annoying to perform. You combine that with the juiced defenders and the attacking gameplay that was so much fun in the PS2 version of Winning Eleven 10 is absent here.

Don’t get me wrong, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 still plays a solid game of football and there are a wide variety of goals that can be scored, but it just doesn’t have the same fun factor as the home versions and after just a single Master League season I found myself bored.

Longevity 60/100

The fact that the gameplay becomes boring after a while doesn’t bode well when you combine that with sparse gameplay features. I’ve played PES 6 for a solid few weeks but really have no desire to go back to play some more after this review. Anyone wanna buy my copy?

Overall 70/100

Hmmm…another Konami soccer game, another disappointment. The disturbing trend continues….

Not only does PES 6 disappoint from a features standpoint, the poorly implemented controls mean it’s a bit of a disappointment in the gameplay stakes as well. You’re much better off with FIFA 07 for your PSP soccer-fix.