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Top eSports league will begin drug testing players
The Electronic Sports League has announced that it will soon begin testing players for performance enhancing substances at future competitive events. The organization told Motherboard that it won't share details just yet, but will institute measures to police, educate and prevent drug taking on its watch. The news comes in the wake of the revelations made by professional Counter-Strike player Cory Friesen about he and his team, Cloud 9. Friesen told an interviewer that they had all taken the psychostimulant Adderall to boost performance during a recent tournament in Poland.
London councillor wants to ban 'FIFA' games after corruption scandal
Enough is enough. For one London councillor, the recent FIFA corruption scandal just crossed a line. He's calling for radical action: a ban on FIFA video games in Camden. Awale Olad told the Camden New Journal: "We should start off by hurting their business by discouraging people from buying their popular video games and put a stop to FIFA video game tournaments popping up across the borough." Exactly how a ban on local, independently-run FIFA competitions would affect football's world governing body remains unclear, however. Even banning the game outright, if such a move was possible, would probably affect publisher EA more than FIFA. Nevertheless, Olad seems determined and will be bringing the matter up at a full council meeting on Monday. Perhaps the Camden councillor is onto something though; a global boycott of FIFA 16 could grab the organisation's attention, and would it be so bad to give PES a chance this year?
The NES' Power Glove now doubles as a stop-motion video controller
Mattel's legendary-but-finicky Power Glove has been used for seemingly everything but playing Nintendo Entertainment System games as of late, and that trend isn't about to slow down in the wearable tech era. Witness animator Dillon Markey: he's using a heavily modified version of the glove to produce stop-motion TV shows like Robot Chicken. The newly Bluetooth-equipped controller lets him navigate his production software without having to carry a tethered remote or walk over to a PC, which is a big time-saver when it already takes minutes to perfect just a single frame of video. The augmented gauntlet also has retractable tweezers to manipulate tiny stop-motion figures, and there's even an Easter egg (we won't spoil it) that Markey can use to say how well his work is going. This isn't the best use of the Power Glove we've seen in showbiz (that honor will always go to Lucas in The Wizard, of course) but it's proof that there's still some life left in Nintendo's original motion control system.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 expands shooting system on next-gen
Konami revealed details for Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 this week, the publisher's first soccer game for Xbox One and PS4. The game will include expanded passing options when dishing a final pass to strikers as well as a new shooting system with a "variety of unrestricted shooting styles," though goalkeepers are expected to react better and alter their center of gravity to block shots. The publisher also boasted improved one-on-one battles in the game, improving players' abilities to dribble into space and away from their marker. PES 2015 will be the "first full implementation" of the publisher's Fox Engine, which debuted in its "embryonic form" in Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 and gifted the game a much more exciting presentation. Konami says it recreated over 1,000 players for PES 2015, each one expecting to run and play as they would in real life, and provided more varied crowd animations as well as context-sensitive cheers. The soccer sim is due to launch this fall or winter for PS4, Xbox One and "additional formats." [Image: Konami]
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 Xbox 360 online issues resolved in latest patch
Konami issued a new title update for the Xbox 360 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. The patch resolves the game's ongoing issues with online play, in which players were unable to download a data pack required for the game's online modes. The publisher noted that the full 11-vs-11 online mode is in beta, and "will be available in the coming weeks." Konami plans to launch a new data pack update in November that will feature updated rosters as well as "over 800 player face updates." PES 2014 will receive "further DLC updates," which Konami plans to announce "shortly."
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 review: Total control
The Pro Evolution Soccer series has been playing catch-up to EA Sports' FIFA games in this console generation. While the series has its bright spots that undoubtedly challenge the safer gameplay approach of FIFA, the Pro Evo series has lacked that "homerun" feature (pardon the baseball pun). Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 doesn't alter that course, but it brings forth some noteworthy updates that make it a viable means of getting your soccer fix.Of those updates, a group of gameplay changes that Konami is labeling "Pro Evolution Soccer Full Control" stands out. Included in this cluster of improvements is dynamic first touch, which focuses on moments when players anticipate a pass coming their way. This year, players can now trap or immediately flick the ball in the air to change its trajectory and set up for successive moves during first contact with the ball. %Gallery-162552%
Konami 'aggressively' looking into motion control for PES series
Shingo Takatsuka, the progenitor of the long-running Pro Evolution Soccer series, recently had a few choice words to share with IGN on the subject of incorporating motion control into the franchise. Though the producer of that other soccer game has stated his indifference to motion control schemes, Takatsuka explained Konami is highly intrigued by Project Natal and the heretofore "officially" unnamed PlayStation Motion Controller -- intrigued to the extent that he's "looking at integrating those devices into our games very aggressively." As we all know, soccer is the most fatiguing activity any human can participate in, so we expect that a Natal-ized version of PES would be appropriately taxing. However, given the sport's limited employment of hands, we'd be curious to see how Sony's motion-sensing peripheral would be utilized. There are few pieces of gaming hardware we'd outright refuse to give a fair shot, but shoe adapters might just be beyond our capacity for humiliation.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 scores with fresh media, screens, trailer
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 makes its western debut next week on most consoles, but Wii owners will have to wait a little longer -- like last year, the Wii iteration of PES 2009 will be released next spring.Better news: it'll be keeping the same point-and-drag system that proved such a hit, and adding a few frills. There'll be a "new defensive system" in place (or: holding "Z" now sends your nearest player towards the man in possession), a fully licensed UEFA Champions League tournament, and a co-op mode which supports the Classic Controller. Even betterer news: it's PES. If you care one iota about soccer, you should care about PES.Hit up the gallery for the first Wii screens, including shots of cover star Lionel Messi, "savior" of U.S. soccer David Beckham, and lots of screens of Manchester United, a.k.a. the Greatest Soccer Team in the Woooorld.%Gallery-34214%[Via press release]
PES 2009 demo hits Europe this week
Not too long ago we got our foots-on with Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, and if you've read that, you're probably in need of some PES 09 yourself. So much so that the lack of digitized turf could turn otherwise normal citizens into the violent, angry, we're-going-to-tear-up-the-stadium type of football fanatics we see on the TV. Gallantly, Konami saves us from a riot by giving the football hooligans their prince's ransom. Expect a demo out this Thursday along with the weekly PS Store update in Europe.
PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
If you've come to love soccer football not only as a sport but as a videogame, then chances are you've played the Pro Evolution series. The series has been known to always get the footy crowd going; this leaves the latest entry -- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 -- with some mighty spikes to fill. Not one to shy away from a challenge, we hit the latest build of PES 2009 this past Tuesday and we quite enjoyed our friendly match.Getting right into the footy action, we chose which countries were going to duke it out and then proceeded to pick our sides. Interestingly, PES 2009 makes good use of the PS3's maximum number of controller ports -- which is seven. That means seven people can play a match offline at the same time. Moving onto the gameplay, in general, it's solid as usual. The ball doesn't gravitate to a player's feet and contains some of the most realistic physics for ball movement. Speaking of physics, player motions are some of the best to be seen in the series. They're incredibly lifelike, making such visuals as dribbling fun to watch (and fun to control); bone-cracking tackles can look pretty sick both in a good (realistic) and a bad (makes you pity the player) way. %Gallery-25896%
Another lengthy wait for next Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the Wii was released some five months after other versions enjoyed their worldwide debut, and that won't be changing for the 2009 update. While the Xbox 360, and PlayStation editions will launch this fall in Europe, "Spring 2009" is officially the launch window for the Wii game, making it that rarest of things: a sports title with the correct year on the front of the box. It'll also be fronted by Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi (above).Even a five-month wait is worth the hassle, for PES 2008 on the Wii turned out to be an admirable and unique soccer experience all of its own, and the good news is that Konami will be keeping the same system for the 2009 game -- we're off to fight rival supporters and perhaps smash up a café to celebrate.[Via press release]
Wii scores a Pro Evolution Soccer follow-up
Against all of our expectations, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for the Wii was a brilliant reinvention of an already brilliant series, so here's some brilliant news: we'll be getting a 2009 edition. Konami has the Wii version listed on its own site for a "Winter 2008" launch (as World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009, the Japanese name), which should come as a relief to those who caught an earlier press release that didn't mention the Wii at all.Indeed, the news brought about an impromptu Mexican wave amongst the Wii Fanboy staff. Or it would have done, if we didn't all work in different rooms in different countries.[Via Go Nintendo]
Konami kicks off Japanese rental program with Pro Evolution Soccer
Being able to rent games is something that most of us take for granted -- in Japan, it doesn't happen because of publisher blackballing. Konami has decided to give the whole rental thing a try, though, starting with the popular soccer game, Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 (aka Pro Evolution Soccer 2008).Even so, Japanese gamers won't be able to test out the title in full. Instead, trial versions of the Wii game will be offered for free at Tsutaya stores. It's kind of like downloading a demo, only you have to go and pick it up instead.We're interested to see if this has any impact on Japan's gaming industry, and if Konami will expand their "rental" service in the future. Gallery: Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 [Via Game|Life]
Free online PES magazine is a good way to kill some time
Do you eat, sleep, and breathe Pro Evolution Soccer 2008? Well then, not only do you have an amazing digestive system, but also you'd probably be interested to know that Konami wants to further feed your addiction.Why else would the company team up with GamerZines to make an online magazine completely dedicated to PES Wii? Oh right, promotional reasons. At its core, this mag is just an attempt to hype up people for PES 2008. Even so, if you're a fan of the game or are thinking about buying it, you might find a few interesting things in this free zine. Aside from pictures of happy people who are supposedly playing the game, the magazine offers gameplay videos, as well as an interview with PES 2008's Wii producer, Akiyoshi "Greyhound" Chosogabe. There's also an entertaining little game-like quiz/competition where you have to identify five soccer players (which this blogger failed at miserably).All in all, there's not that much to it, but current and potential PES lovers might find reading it to be a nice distraction. Gallery: Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 [Thanks, Dave]
Wii Warm Up: Hey, batter batter batter, swing, batter
One of the best uses of the Wii's motion controls, in our opinion, is for sports games -- which is probably why Nintendo bundled a game full of sports demos with the console. Take the Wii version of Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer, for example, which was hailed by critics as bringing new life to the series.What do you think, though? Do motion controls add an extra layer of immersion to sports titles? Or, do you prefer to play your sports games without waggle?
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/10-3/16
Japanophiles and sales chart nerds, it's that time of week again to take a look at last week's sales in the Land of the Rising Sun. Those of you who've been keeping up won't find much excitement in this week's chart, though. All the same software from the week before showed up, but it might not be long before Family Ski and Winning Eleven fall out of the top thirty.It was also nice to see Metroid Prime 3: Corruption stick around, as the Nintendo FPS nabbed the number eleven spot for this week. Other than that, the only noticeable difference is that Smash Bros. dropped to fourth. What's interesting is that Brawl is no longer the best selling Wii game, either, as Wii Fit reclaimed that honor. We also learned that you can't keep the big three (Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Wii Play) out of the top ten for long.In hardware sales, the Wii fell a smidge behind the PSP, and did only slightly better than the DS. Hardware: PSP: 57,651 Wii: 55,845 Nintendo DS: 53,266 PlayStation 3: 14,934 PlayStation 2: 9,930 Xbox 360: 1,744 To see the software numbers and rankings for last week, make sure to click past the break.
Metareview: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Thanks to its point-and-pass mechanics and Mii integration, the Wii version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 can safely be described as the biggest upheaval of the series in years. But have such sweeping changes to one of the most finely balanced franchises in gaming been for the better? Well, the critics certainly seem to think so ...Official Nintendo Magazine UK -- 90%: First out of the tunnel with its views is the UK edition of Official Nintendo Magazine, which suggests that persevering with the new Wii controls will pay dividends: "Easily the best football game on a Nintendo system. It takes a while to get used to the new controls but once you get your head round them, they become second nature." [March 2008, p.58 -- excerpt found at Metacritic] IGN -- 86%: IGN's Matt Bozon argues that the Wii controls play a crucial role in creating the "most strategic" soccer experience ever: "The integration of IR into a sports game has been extremely minimal so far, but is absolutely ideal in this situation, allowing players to not only play the ball specifically, but direct traffic and precisely move every player on the field in tandem, making for the most realistic, strategic, and intuitive soccer experiences we've ever seen."1UP -- 75%: And it's more of the same from 1UP's Andrew Pfister, who expresses surprise that the Wii version is so superior to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions: "It's always refreshing to see a unique application of the Wii's motion controls, and it's even more encouraging to see a new idea that's not only functional, but something that really can't be done any other way. We're not sure what's going on over at Konami's PES team: on one hand, there seem to be some major issues in regards to PS3/360 development, yet the less-technically apt Wii version ends up being the game to move the franchise forward."%Gallery-14410%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/3-3/9
To most of us, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is old news. The U.S. has had it since last summer, and even Europe has been enjoying the game for a few months now. It only debuted in Japan last week, though, and we were happily surprised to see it make the top five. It only sold 32,000 copies in its first week, but that's still not too shabby for a Metroid game in Japan. Hopefully, the game will have some legs and not plunge off the charts after its first week, like many other first-person shooters tend to do.As for other software, the Wii didn't have too many games in the top thirty -- only eight, in fact -- yet it was still the second most represented gaming system on the charts. With the exception of the aforementioned Metroid and Everyone's General Knowledge Training TV, all the Wiis top games have consistently stuck around for (at least) a few weeks. In other news, Smash Bros. once again failed to take the first place spot. The game beat out last week's chart champ, the new Gundam for the PS2, but fell behind the newly released Yakuza 3.In hardware, the Wii claimed the top spot once again as Japan is clearly so over the Mint Green PSP (that was so five minutes ago). You can check out the hardware and software numbers for last week in Japan after the break -- we recommend that you do so.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/25-3/2
People interested in Japanese game sales probably have one question on their minds: Did Super Smash Bros. Brawl hold onto the top spot last week? Well, the answer is, no. The new Gundam game for the PS2 managed to end Brawl's reign, and end it convincingly. In fact, Smash barely stayed in second, with Wii Fit being right up the fighter's grill.The Wii itself also lost the top spot last week, overtaken by the PSP in hardware for the first time since Brawl's release. Aside from those major changes, though, everything looks to be what we'd expect, with Winning Eleven and Family Ski continuing to champion the cause for third parties.Go on and take a look at the numbers after the break ... or else.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/18-2/24
Super Smash Bros. Brawl hung onto the top spot last week, but not by much. For the first time, the king of Nintendo fighters was actually close to the game behind it, with a lead of less than 10,000 units. Considering that Brawl has dominated for a month and is already over the million mark, though, we're not surprised to see a little less dominance from the title.A lot of new software was released last week, which finally caused Super Mario Galaxy to fall out of the top thirty. Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 was the Wii's new game, debuting at the number six spot. Family Ski also managed to jump up five spots, despite the plethora of new titles.On the hardware side, the Wii continues to reign in first place. The PSP and DS aren't too far behind, but the Wii is outselling the PS3 4:1 with the help of Brawl.You can check out the listings and sales numbers -- they're posted after the break.
