Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Play UK
    70
    PES 2008 stumbles, rather than sprints onto the PS3, leaving us with the first Pro Evo game that falls short of the FIFA franchise. We expected a revolutionised football title that'd set the series back on course, but this is just shameful. [Issue#159, p.78]
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  2. NTSC-uk
    70
    They need to elevate PES to the next stage of its life that it so deserves, and the only way they can do that is to give players more of what they want rather than take from them.
  3. VideoGamer
    70
    PES 2008 on PS3 is for a next-gen console but it is not a next-gen game. You cannot ignore the fact that, for whatever reason, this is a poor effort from Konami.
  5. Cheat Code Central
    66
    But gameplay is no better this year than it was last year and everything else is quite poorly done.
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    64
    The foundation of Pro Evo still supports enjoyable and technical soccer, but it badly needs something new for next season. [May 2008, p.78]
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  7. GameSpot
    60
    Konami's first Pro Evolution Soccer game for the PS3 plays well but suffers from noticeable slowdown and feels somewhat unfinished.
  8. Boomtown
    60
    Taking into account the design flaws, AI inconsistencies, the lack of progression and that the PS2 version is arguably a lot better (and cheaper) than the ‘next-gen’ versions yet again (albeit very little different to PES 6 save for some subtle differences), but also taking into account that for some people the frame-rate issues and online play aren’t as bad as they are for others, PES 2008 still just about manages to scrape a six.
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  9. G4 TV
    60
    The gameplay is still the best out there but Konami needs to step up their game. The changes were very minor and the new AI is not as sharp as advertised. This would have been a solid first game, but this is pretty much an exact replica from last year’s version with a revamped AI and the same old online issues.
  10. GameSpy
    60
    After years of living up to the name of evolving the beautiful game, Konami's latest Pro Evolution Soccer effort is an embarrassment for a series that has served as the dominant title in the genre.
  11. 1UP
    58
    Little maintenance problems tend to go wrong (i.e., the A.I. issues), and Pro Evo for the current generation of powerful systems obviously needs some new paint. It seems that the development team did just enough to get by.

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Best PS3 Game of 2008
49
#49 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 55
  3. Negative: 12 out of 55
  1. gregthreet
    Jan 13, 2013
    5
    If making a football team of wizards is your thing then I recommend buying PES 2008. But the overall game feels average and boring. But youIf making a football team of wizards is your thing then I recommend buying PES 2008. But the overall game feels average and boring. But you can pick it up for £1 at game nowadays so why not?… Full Review »
  2. FelixC
    Jul 31, 2008
    4
    It seems good at first, but once you get into it it's just infuriatingly inconsistent. One game your defence will be rock-solid andIt seems good at first, but once you get into it it's just infuriatingly inconsistent. One game your defence will be rock-solid and you'll score three goals, then the next game your defence will get cut through like water by terrible teams making runs from their own half, dodging all your attempts to get the ball (and pointing out the most glaring flaw, that player teams have terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE defensive AI), and then score from a place on the field that you can never score from yourself. Your players don't behave like real soccer players. More often than not, short passes go in the opposite direction to where you are trying to aim, or they will pass halfway down the field into the waiting defence rather than to the wide open man right beside them. Forwards NEVER match winger runs to the corners, and so are never in a position to receive crosses - which is good, because the defence never has them marked anyway. Just a few examples of the awful AI in PES2008.

    In short, the game is extremely flawed. The mechanics themselves are solid most of the time, but the AI is terrible enough that I hardly ever get through more than a game or two without getting mad at the game for just how irrational the events on-screen are.    … Full Review »
  3. WordyWordword
    May 29, 2008
    8
    Everything runs quite smoothly apart from the Network facility. Why oh Why oh Why cant Konami manage to sort the LAG out? Other than Tekken DREverything runs quite smoothly apart from the Network facility. Why oh Why oh Why cant Konami manage to sort the LAG out? Other than Tekken DR online, I havent played a game where the lag is so noticable it completely throws you off kilter. If other online programmers can cope (Warhawk, Resistance, Halo etc) with dozens of connections, why is there a problem with just 2???
    Konami = lazy. Rush to get the game out so more money can be made from the unsuspecting public, then sit back while said public struggle with the bugs.
    Do your own testing Konami. Bad bad bad.
    Other than that, the game is as superb as it ever was, rekindling my passion for a game that I still manage to enjoy even when losing.    … Full Review »
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