Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

 Xbox 360
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
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  1. Console Monster
    74
    Overall Konami have upped their game in terms of bringing back the good old days of Pro Evolution Soccer. However with EA's FIFA series has been growing leaps and bounds each year, I'm not too sure if it's too late for Konami to gain the fans interest back.
  2. Eurogamer
    70
    PES 2010's team management options are a warning sign that the Japanese developer still has some tricks up its sleeve, and people for whom the transition to another football game is simply too much to countenance will buy and enjoy this, and discover it still plays a good, grass-roots game. For everyone else though, up is still down, because FIFA wins again.
  3. VideoGamer
    70
    PES 2010 is simply not good enough to challenge FIFA's dominance. It's an improvement on last year's effort, and fans of the more arcadey virtual football will find plenty to enjoy, but as a simulation it pales in comparison.
  5. Total Video Games
    70
    It's hard to imagine why gamers would opt for PES over FIFA this year unless they are such stubborn fans of the series that they'll never let go. FIFA betters Konami's offerings more or less across the board this time around, while PES' continued lack of substantial gameplay innovations (even without any comparisons to FIFA) is becoming quite worrying to say the least.
  6. Metro GameCentral
    70
    Yet another current gen disappointment that can't hold a candle to the ever improving FIFA series.
  7. XGN
    70
    Unfortunately there are only a few improvements in Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. PES-fans will be happy with some improvements in the different modes, but general soccer fans are better off with EA's FIFA 10.
  8. Telegraph
    70
    The noticeable improvements aside, there are some very real problems with the core gameplay of PES that aren’t easily forgotten. The engine is well past its sell-by-date, its clumsy brand of football is given a real thrashing by FIFA in realism and too many aspects of the package remain disappointingly unrefined.
  9. RealGamer
    70
    PES 2010 may not have been able to topple FIFA as the leading football game but it’s clear the series is getting back on track and obvious improvements have been made over last years game.
  10. 1UP
    67
    Yes, FIFA is the superior offering this year -- but it's a lot closer than you might initially think. If Takatsuka's team tackles the animation issues and online hiccups next year like they addressed the graphics, presentation, and Master League this year, we could have a 2010 videogame footballing derby worthy of Premier League titans Liverpool and Man United.
  11. GameSpot
    65
    This year's Pro Evo improves upon its predecessor in some key areas, but it does little else to keep up with the competition.
  12. X-ONE Magazine UK
    60
    Not just treading water, but arguably depreciating a little. [Issue#52, p.92]
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Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2009
86
#86 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 34
  3. Negative: 4 out of 34
  1. MatTheCat
    Nov 7, 2009
    8
    PES 2010 is far from perfect so I will start with some glaring annoyances in the game. The goalkeepers in general are just not all to clever PES 2010 is far from perfect so I will start with some glaring annoyances in the game. The goalkeepers in general are just not all to clever but from time to time the goalkeeping AI goes totally awol. Indeed, this often undermines gritty hard fought contests where horribly lame goals that give no satisfaction to anyone can occurr due to faulty goalkeeping AI. I am not talking about cheap parried shots or keepers letting balls go under their legs here, I am talking about keepers quite simply taking off as though they have just seen an ice-cream van somewhere at a crucial moment. These flaws can of course be combatted by the fact that you can take control of your keeper. Indeed, this little (re)addition to the game certainly adds extra excitement and satisfaction elements to the game when you begin to get good at doing this, but only if the game allows you to take control quick enough which leads me to the second major flaw in the game. Button lag is unnacceptable. Contrary to what the usual Konami arselicking sites (PESfan, WENB) like to promote, it's not 'realism', its not 'waiting for animations to complete', and its not an 'intended part of the game'. Its just damn frustrating but something you will have to learn to work with if you are going to tap into the vast pool of gameplay depth that this game offers. Other than there are the minor flaws such as the robotic player animations, limited ball control methods, limited methods for passing ball around, horrible collisions system, etc etc. You get the idea, plenty has been written about these things and are presented as the main reasons for PES's suppossed 'inferiority' to FIFA on many review sites. Before I move on to actually telling you why I love this game and gain a fantastic amount of excitement and enjoyment from it, I should also mention the crowd noises. To sum up Konami's default chants, they are nauseating. In a few words, they are completely fucking headache inducing and make me want to puke all at the same time. 'Poor quality crowd chants' may not seem like a big deal, but I was unable to play PES for more than 20 minutes until I had sorted out and installed a chants pack for it. Since I play on PC, this wasn't a hard thing to do (see: http://www.pesgaming.com/showthread.php?t=73745 ). But if I was a 360 gamer for example, I would be stuck with these bloody awful droney chants that never let up and they would serioulsy damage my enjoyment of the game. Like I said, I couldn't really play PES2010 until I got my chants pack sorted out. So what is good is about the game you ask and how is it different to PES2009? Apart from another new lick of paint, on first examination, this game is not a lot different to PES2009. However, when you get playing it a bit, you will realise it is nothing like the last incarnation of ProEvo and for me, that magic lies within the AI which in my opinion is the best balanced AI engine that Konami have ever produced. It is now a lot harder to simply charge down the line or through defenses with all the best players although it is still possible. However, the way the defensive AI has got so much more clever in dealing with this type of exploitative gameplay) means that the cheap goal scoring methods are no longer the most efficient route to goal by an order of several magnitude. Of course, you can still score cynical looking goals but the game no longer rewards the gamer so richly for 'that shitty style' of gameplay. Indeed, if you are needing to get a goal back for a game that is worth a £10 bet, you are probably more likely to get it by setting up a Lampard or Ballack for a 20-25 yard blast or from an early crossed ball (when the radar movement suggests the time is right) than by getting the ball to Messi and simply trying to run through everyone. Whilst, I am sure that given the passage of time all the usual cocksuckers that end up top of PESwankings will have worked out the lamest method of getting a goal sooner or later, for most of us the AI really does encourage us to try 'playing the game' instead of trying to break or exploit the game. Furthermore, I should add that the sliders system in PES also has a very noticeable impact on how your team plays, moves, defends, and attacks. So I would imagine that when the 'Cut-back Queens' do start to disover PES2010 AI flaws, knowledgeable adjustment of the sliders could well greatly frustrate thier cynical ploys, whatever they may turn out to be. But moving away from playing against the Rob McLeans or Wallaces's (PESwankings top gunners) of this world. The sliders are something that you will overlook at first, but when u get playing the game, and feel that your team needs say more width or perhaps need to tighten up thier act and be more tenacious in the middle of the park, adjustment of those sliders work a treat. Finally, what makes ProEvo 2010 a cracking game in my eyes is that the game makes me cream my pants on a regular basis! Over the top utterly fantastic goals are a regular occurrence in PES2010 and I for one couldn't give a crap whether this reflects real football or not. I would rather be playing a video soccer game against my bros/mates where half the goals scored are screamers from 25 yards out or bullet diving headers than practically all the goals being scored from dribbling and short passes before shooting from 6 yards out as has been the tradition amongst so called 'great players' of ProEvo in past times. Some people argue that in PES2010, you get far too much space to shoot from long range and it is indeed the case that the game does encourage long range shooting opportunities. It is also true that if you know how to read radar movements, that big long high crosses can be utterly devasting on a regular basis. But combine the opening up of the defensive AI in this respect and combine it with the tightening up of the AI in response to the cynical dribbling cut back bullshit of yesteryear, and you have a game that rewards creative and ambitious gameplay as oppossed to punishing it, whilst bending it over and bearing it's arse to anyone who opts to dribble through the whole team into the same old sweet-spots with Messi and co, PES4 - PES2009 style. Also I should stress that 'these cracking goals' which I have stated occur regularly in the game, have not the slightest whiff of a 'pre-manufactured' feel to them in the same way that many of the seemingly 'amazing' goals scored in FIFA do. Each of them is very different; each of them makes the gamer think that HE scored it; and for most of them, an intuitive sense of timing (again, unlike in FIFA) is a critical factor between hitting the G-spot or not. At its best, scoring in PES2010 gives big time thrills, whereas scoring in FIFA10 gives mild satisfaction at most. In short, despite some horrible bugs, PES 2010 is a genius of a game. The biggest thrills come from the games shooting mechanics but this would mean nothing without being built upon a brilliantly well balanced AI system that actually encourages and rewards the gamer for actually 'trying things out'. This game really deserves a 9 for the amount of fun it delivers. But the goalkeeping bug alone is deserving of a point being deducted. Also, the default fan chants are shockingly bad. On these grounds, it gets only an 8.… Full Review »
  2. IamNader
    May 14, 2023
    6
    The improvements are good but it is not enough to love it like PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008/2009 - 6/10
  3. MatiK
    Jan 9, 2010
    10
    It is best football game on PS3 and x360. Way better than PES 2009 and FIFA 10. Great gameplay and ONLINE.
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