Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8176 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2005-10-21
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a nutshell:
Everything fans could hope for is here: officially licensed leagues from Italy, Spain and Holland line up alongside a replica of the Premiership, as well as the French and German championships. In all, that amounts to 136 club sides and 57 national teams. Plus there's a more detailed Master League, domestic European competitions, and a comprehensive Edit Mode.

The lowdown:
The definitive footie series returns to defend its crown, and how it sparkles when held up to the light. Pro Evolution 5's gameplay has been enhanced to provide a more lifelike version of the beautiful game: players utilise their upper bodies more in the challenge, have more tricks at their disposal, and can now curl shots with pinpoint accuracy. This is total football.

Most exciting moment:
Scoring a virtual replica of Roberto Carlos' legendary free-kick against France -- the one with the unbelievable swerve-- and then dancing around the living room like a lunatic.

Since you ask:
Thierry Henry has been playing Pro Evolution games since the first title appeared ten years ago. The great man clearly has great taste.

The bottom line:
Another trophy for the Pro Evo cabinet.
Jonti Davies

Customer Reviews

Such an Improvement!
Yesterday, i played pro evolution 5 on import and all i can say is wow, it's amazing.

They've changed everything, making the game feel completely different. 6 star vets will struggle to beat wales on 4 stars, it's THAT different. Things i noticed were....

-Holding down X doesn't cut it anymore, if ur running in from behind holding X you WILL foul

-Injuries are improved. U may pick up a knock in the first half and then the player will break down in the second half, unable to continue.

-And perhaps best of all, you can curl the ball using R2. It's great little touch and is a technique used for placement instead of power. They open up their body, let the ball run across and then strike it. Watching the ball curl into the top corner for the first time is pretty special

-Lastly, there are snow pitches. It changes the feel of a game completly.

To conclude, Konami have done an amazing job and all pro evo fans will not be dissapointed - just don't expect it to be easy!

like sitting infront of prem plus on a saturday....
And yes...that is a good thing...
And no, it doesnt cost you 7 quid a match!
a difficult one this, no doubt, iin my mind the best football game of all time in term of gameplay, but i dont think everyone will agree, why? because its so bloody hard...
for anyone who has followed the series from day 1 like myself, at 1st, you will feel betrayed..
getting the ball is a nightmare...if youve ever been losing a game to a mate on pro evo 4, and theres 5 minutes to go and they are stroking the ball about the defense, frustrating you like hell, then you will recognise this instantly, which therefre makes interceptions vital.
And once youve got the dam thing?
1st problem, if you try to take a player on and sprint past him, the ball will wander several yards infront of you and will be snatched from your feet.
Second problem,finding an opening is dam near impossible....
and then i sit there thinking, what am i doing wrong? FC belgium have just beaten arsenal 2-0 on 3 star difficulty??
But then the penny drops, realism is what the game is all about, so thats how i must play it!
then i start stroking the ball across the defensive line, looking for a man to run into space and create and opening, and at half time tinkering with the formation to try and counter the mighty chelseas 4-3-3, then on 75 minutes, the magic happens! a perfect through ball from lauren finds an unmarked gilberto silva, who dinks the ball over to henry who fires a screamer top corner, and i celebrate, for what seems like forever i jump around the room celebrating.
then i realise, i feel like that was the real arsenal defeating chelsea and it all makes sense, it may be difficult, but my god is it magical

Substance over style.
Where to start? Pro evo has always been the connoisseur's choice of football game. And with this latest installment, it's easy to see why. More teams, more stadiums, exquisite photo realistic graphic detail (check out Wayne Rooney's acne if you doubt this) are all added in here as one would expect from any sequel to such a popular and well loved game.

What is unexpected though is just how challenging (I wont use the word "hard" - because it just isn't) Konami have made the game. Go one down against the opposition and see the computer teams try to shut up shop - or alternately, go one up and watch what Big Ron Atkinson calls "the charge of the light brigade" in the closing stages as your opponents pour forward, desperately trying to salvage a point. Breaking down teams has never been more difficult (or fun). With a real need to both utilise the full range of skills from your players and also build up a good team passing game (long balls just dont cut it I'm afraid) PES 5 takes realism in footie sims to a whole other dimension. And when you finally do break down a team, or score a 30 yard screamer, the sense of satisfaction you get is almost obscene.

There are a few negative points that remain from the earlier incarnations of the game (odd commentary, awful looking menu screens and background music that sounds like muzak playing in a lift somewhere). Another downer for some is the lack of official licences for English premier league teams. And, whilst this is an annoyance, the team names can be edited to the proper names within an hour without much fuss.

The point is, if you persevere with the game, you will actually begin to love it's flaws as well as it's (many) high points.

Rather than get into the whole FIFA vs Pro Evo thing, what I will say is that FIFA is a good game for those who want a quick pick up and play type of footie game where you will be getting 5-0 wins in no time. However, if you want to go a little deeper and prefer a bit of a challenge. I would recommend Pro Evo every day of the week.

Style or substance?

Your choice...