I know I’ve mentioned a few times how much I loved last year’s Pro Evo Soccer ‘08. It changed the way I looked at soccer games. I think in many ways it changed the way the industry looked at the sports genre on Wii. Konami delivered an experience that no other sports game had been capable of. Until the release of the PES ‘08, most sports games on Wii had been failures. Sure, the Tiger Woods series was always bound for success, but the other main sports titles just didn’t work. The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL games that are published each year offered very little for Wii owners. They could be fun in short bursts but, they never made you want to play them. Isn’t that the ultimate challenge that developers are faced with, and one we expect them to meet? Well, Konami knew that and seemed to understand it, because when Pro Evo hit the shelves it was critically acclaimed. The control scheme felt natural, and you just loved playing it. PES ‘08 was one of the first sports titles I still enjoyed playing after the 6th or 7th season. Well, Konami has decided it’s time and has given Wii owners this year’s Pro Evo Soccer ‘09. In the eyes of many players, all they had to do was update rosters and the game would be a success. They’ve done that, and a little more. The main addition is the Champion’s League, the world’s largest club competition. They’ve also updated the defense a bit, making it more intuitive and player controlled. To put it in layman terms: they added enough and didn’t mess with much. What this means to the players is that PES ‘09 is a must-have, especially if you didn’t play last year’s masterpiece. If you want a taste of gameplay there will be a video below. I warn you though that when it comes to Pro Evo seeing is not enough, you truly need to be the man behind the controls to appreciate the beautiful game.

And on a side note, I hope you are all watching the US play in a World Cup Qualifying match right now.

Update: Here’s another nice video I found on IGN highlighting some of the features, new and old, as well as the core mechanics of the game.