There is a strange number of my articles that start with a “Back in my day…,” story. This review will not deviate from this pattern either, as back in my day the only sports I cared for was when I played sports games, mostly FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer in the mid-2000s. It may be of personal opinion, but I think all sports are boring unless I’m playing the video game. This includes what some mistakingly label as “sports entertainment,” or rightfully call wrestling. I also have a fondness for racing and “motorsport” games, but their real-world equivalents don’t match up to sitting in traffic or smashing up multi-million dollar cars.

I should say, I haven’t played a soc… I mean, Football game since possibly 2009 and thus have no idea what the FIFA player packs and YouTube content is. I also have no idea of the Pro Evolution Soccer controversies have been, though I have heard of Konami releasing a previous year’s game as the new one. If there are things to be angry about as a player of the series, I couldn’t find anything of notoriety.

I don’t know why I enjoyed Pro Evolution Soccer for so long, as it was almost everything I detested about games. That being said, I don’t like to gatekeep or use the term “casual gamer.” Although I will say that, at least back when I played it, the FIFA series was a simple click and play. Pro Evolution Soccer, on the other hand, is made by Konami and takes influence from other Japanese developed games. It’s filled with menus and stats, allowing you to pick the best player and team, almost to fantasy league levels of customization and data to digest. Though I personally ignored all that information and played the game for what it is, a sports simulation.

Even in Master League, where you play as a team’s manager, I was focused on the game; winning match after match, cup after cup, tournament after tournament, and offered position after position. Following all of this, I was forced into taking care of the team; as I was to hire new players, renew contracts, and even balance the budget. I enjoyed my time until it became a job.

Of course, it could be misconstrued that by saying I relished my time, that I think Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 parallels my nostalgic experiences. It doesn’t. It may if you are looking for a large digital fantasy league which you can customize greatly.

Though I would say, if you want a fantasy league, you’d want to play with your dream team or the local team you support. You can’t do this with Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, and this is the biggest issue with the series. As a whole, it lacks the licenses, not just for teams, but also tournaments and cups. A majority of teams are either missing or mislabeled; teams stripped of their world-renowned status and made to look like cheap knockoffs. All of which is to make sure Konami are legally covered due to copyright and parody laws.

While International teams are in place and your typical big teams remain with their statuses, such as Arsenal, Barcelona, AC Milan, and a few others. Smaller teams such as West Ham, who reside in the 2012 London Olympic Stadium, are redefined as “East London” with swords in place of their signature crossing sledgehammers and a pink emblem instead of their favored color of claret or some kind of deep maroon. There is a lack of North American teams in this game. I would say that you are left without “some of the world’s greatest teams,” but I doubt most of us could name an American team other than the one David Beckham joined in 2007.

However, unlike FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 does have one feature that is improved with less. Stemming from the stripped back teams issue, there are fewer subliminal ads in the stadiums, with ample ad space left to advertise Konami. While playing as Arsenal I have seen their lead sponsor splashed across some pitchside boards and shirts. Though smaller and often fictional teams advertise in-game content throughout their stadiums.

For the most part, the gameplay of Pro Evolution Soccer hasn’t changed since the mid-2000s. Sure, there might be a few tweaks in the AI and the rules may have changed, which is said back in an F1 2015 review for another site; though I can still bed four goals on higher difficulties before the goalkeeper has woken up.

That’s not to say the AI is stupid or the gameplay isn’t lacking difficulty; in the first match, I was kicked to death by the goalkeeper for letting the other team past so many times. Though the AI have their moments as well: from tripping over each other, running into the goal posts, and the amateur dramatics of being tackled, which is typical in these types of games.

I could also make further jokes about the inaccuracies, as Joe Hart could stop a ball in front of his own net. That was until five coasted past him with ease in the second half of a game against “Lancashire Claret.” So yes, after some time with Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 you’ll likely feel as if you could lead a team to a world cup victory.

Even though this past year was a world cup year, it or any other significant tournament, including the UEFA Champions League is not in the game; instead opting for a distortion much like the teams. All the cups and tournaments are falsifications of the real world equivalents, apart from a few Konami bought the rights to portray.

With some research into previous releases, I learned these team names have been a general inconsistency in the series, with the ’08 release including Tottenham and Newcastle United. While other incarnations included Machester United, a team that this time is reduced to a mere color, Man Red. So if you have already played a Pro Evolution Soccer game you know what you are getting into. If you are looking for an alternative to the FIFA franchise you’ll find a home here.

However, my conclusion is based on the enjoyment that I’ve had, and how I think others may find the game overall. With that in mind, if you are used to FIFA then you’ll be missing out on the official tournaments and teams because [redacted joke about EA and Micrtransations]. Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 is, at the very least, a good sports simulation; a genre which only advances as long as there are next-generation consoles to drive graphical fidelity another inch.

If FIFA is the simple pick up and play, or [redacted Microtransaction joke], then Pro Evolution Soccer is the model train set your dad plays with down in the basement. It’s fun to the infinitely boring selection of us that like management games, though there are bigger and better brands out there for such ventures.

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2019

$29.85

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Good Simulation
• Fun to Play
• Fluid Passing System
• Lots of Customization

Cons

• Factual Inaccuracies
• Microtransactions

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