FIFA 08 or Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

[Cavalry]

Although I don't like most sports, I do fully support soccer. I downloaded the FIFA 08 demo on XBLMP and do enjoy it, but I always see Glenn playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on PC. I do want to try the full games.

so, what would you recommend PES 2008 or FIFA 08?
PES 2008- http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sports/pes2008/index.html

FIFA 08- http://www.fifa08.ea.com/ChooseTerritory.aspx

 

[stemot]

PES 2008, far superior. End of.

 

[Jimmeh]

Well, I've bought nearly every PES game dating back to ISS on the N64, and it pains me to say that the last few games have been utter shite in my opinion. PES6 on the 360 was pretty cack, and while I've only played the demo (I hear the full game is better though), PES2008 was bollocks as well (D: My god the crappy animations). Konami and EA seem to be going in opposite directions now. EA in the last few games have been trying to make the game as realistic as possible, whereas the PES series seem to be getting more and more arcadey.

I'd give the PES2008 demo a try if I were you, so at least you can compare the two styles of play. FIFA08 isn't perfect by a long shot either though - but if you stick with it, it can be pretty satisfying. I'd personally go for FIFA (next-gen) like I did this year, but again it really depends on what style of play you're after.

 

[Cavalry]

Wait... Theres a PES 2008 demo? any kinda link?

 

[Jimmeh]

Well I played a demo of it on my mate's 360, so check the Marketplace thing on Live, it should be there.

If not there's a PC demo as well - http://www.gamershell.com/download_21146.shtml

 

[Cavalry]

Well I played a demo of it on my mate's 360, so check the Marketplace thing on Live, it should be there.

If not there's a PC demo as well - http://www.gamershell.com/download_21146.shtml

ah thank you, I really wanted to try a sport game on PC.

 

[bodhi]

Pro Evo is definitely the best representation of all aspects of a football match.

however... it is slightly too fast paced for my liking (borderline unrealistic), and thats the only real let down as far as im concerned given that if you get the PC version you can download some excellent patches to give you all the correct names and kits - which lets face it, is the only thing FIFA has going for it.

it seems Konami have become somewhat lax in their attitude to the series, this years version has less features than previous versions (if your playing on xbox360/ps3), as i mentioned before theres still no complete licensing despite the massive amount of cash the gaming public have pumped into konami on the back of purchasing this game, the master league is long due an overhaul and the music will make your ears bleed, its so bad.

the makers of the game even had the gall to say they didnt know why the 360/ps3 version suffered so bad from online lag and framerate drops (i can tell them why.... shoddy and lazy programming) some patches have slightly improved things but still not good enough.

but it does play the best game of football. which is what matters i suppose when making a decision on which to buy.

 

[StardogChampion]

I've bought every PES in existence. It's the best game by far.

The latest game, PES 2008, is the gap between prevous-gen and next-gen so there are a lot of features missing and a lot of things wrong with the game because they only have less than 12 months to make PES each year. A lot of basics are wrong with this version such as ball physics etc. Konami said they're starting from scratch with the next version so hopefully it'll be a lot better.

Stay away from FIFA. They just try a half-assed copy of PES each year and don't get anywhere close. PES is easily the most realistic.

 

[jimbo118]

I bought both this year but returned both, I'm a diehard PES fan but this series is stuck in a very bad rut, the latest one is pretty shit but I'm a fanboy whereas you seem more casual about a footie game so might enjoy it.

FIFA 08 is a huge step forward for the series, the pacing is without doubt the closest to real football I've played ever. Unfortunately defenses are ridicously good at breaking up your plays and any play from midfield to the forwards is very difficult. The A.I. is a bit dodge at times too. Dribbling and shooting trump PES too. I'm keeping a very close eye on FIFA 09 and the upcoming Euro Championship tie-in game.

The IGN reviews of FIFA 08 sum it up well i think, same with Eurogamer's review.

 

[Raxxman]

PES has been on a downward spiral for years, cruise around the PES fan sites and you see a lot of unhappy fans. Sure you get the PES diehard it's the best game ever and real football is like this etc etc, but it's not really true. One of the most annoying things with PES is a lot that was broken in PES2 is still broken in PES 2008. For a game that has Evolution in it's title it's not done a lot of evolving.

FIFA on the other hand has been on a steady rise upwards to bigger and better things. Each year has seen substantial improvements in game engine and play style. FIFA 07 was a massive step in the right direction, and FIFA 08 only improved upon a solid base.

When you get into the FIFA vs PES arguments the old stalwarts no longer run true. People who say PES is now more realistic than FIFA, and that FIFA is an arcady game are just simply wrong. The pacing in PES is stupid, tackling's unrealistic, shooting is unrealistic.

Basically PES has stood still for too long, the games stagnant, and FIFA has caught up and taken the lead.

We have both in our house on the 360, FIFA is the no. 1 choice, and if we try PES 2008 we end up laughing about how turd it is for 2 games or so before cracking out the gamecube and playing Winning Elven, a game from back when PES was good.

 

[StardogChampion]

The usual argument is that FIFA has been improving while PES going backwards, but if you actually play them you'll realise that FIFA at it's peak (FIFA 08) still isn't even close to PES6.

They can improve FIFA all they want, but when they're just copying things from PES, they'll never take the lead.

 

[Jimmeh]

When you get into the FIFA vs PES arguments the old stalwarts no longer run true. People who say PES is now more realistic than FIFA, and that FIFA is an arcady game are just simply wrong.

Agreed. With basically all of your points actually. How people can still think that PES is a better representation of football than FIFA is beyond me. It's stupidly fast-paced, has god-awful animations, and plays out more like a highlight reel than a game of football. Whereas in FIFA it's now all about passing and working space, PES is still all 70-yard sprints and cutbacks. It can be fun every now and again, but realistic? :hmph:

Thinking about it, I was posting in a similar topic here when PES6 came out, saying how shite and unrealistic I thought FIFA was. When really I was just going with the flow and thinking back to how older FIFA titles use to play. FIFA07 was a bit too loose for my liking, but this years is right on the money. People just need to get their heads out of their arses and give the newer 360/PS3 FIFA games a chance, and be glad there's a real alternative to PES rather than instantly slating it because it isn't Pro Evolution.

All of that said, FIFA is far from perfect either, but at the moment it's the better alternative for me.

 

[jimbo118]

None of them were worth my time this year, pes2008 was a joke and FIFA 08 just had some annoying irks but pes2008 is by far the worst of the two. The head dev even admitted pes2008 is crap.