Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

   Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (abbreviated to PES 2012 and known officially as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2012 in Asia) is a video game which is the eleventh edition in the Pro Evolution Soccer series developed and published by Konami with production assistance from the Blue Sky Team. Lionel Messi, who has been the cover star for the series since PES 2009, will be replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo, while Shinji Kagawa replaces Messi as the cover star for the Japanese version. The US and Latin American cover will feature Santos player Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.

   Like previous versions of the game, it will be exclusively licensed by UEFA to contain the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup competitions along with a license from CONMEBOL to feature the Copa Santander Libertadores. Referees' governing UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup matches will wear the official UEFA Champions League uniforms, which is a first for the series.

   On July 28, 2011, Konami confirmed that PES 2012 will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows on October 14, 2011 in Europe and October 6, 2011 in Japan.At Gamescom 2011 it was announced that the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 versions will follow on October 28, 2011 and the Wii on November 4, 2011. The publisher has also confirmed that versions for Nintendo 3DS and iOS formats are also in development, with firm dates to follow.

   There are two demos, both of which were released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The first is based on a preview build of the game and was released on August 24, 2011 for PlayStation 3 and PC, though because of "issues on both sides" according to Jon Murphy, PES Team Leader, it was not released on the Xbox 360.The second demo was released 14th September on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Gameplay:

PES 2012's gameplay is primarily a refinement of PES 2011, with fewer big changes than the previous iteration but many smaller improvements and changes in areas such as artificial intelligence, speed, animation, and physics.

Among the new features is the Teammate Control system, where a secondary player may be controlled, either during play, or at a set piece or throw-in. This allows players to be placed precisely, make runs, and shake off markers before calling for the ball. Manual and assisted versions of the feature are available for varying degrees of difficulty and control.

Refereeing has been improved and includes a full implementation of the advantage rule, with the referee pulling back play for bookings after the ball goes out of play.The "catch-up bug", where defenders would catch dribbling attackers too easily, regardless of the attacker's pace, will be addressed.Gameplay is more fluid, with better response when controlling the ball, and goalkeepers have been improved with new animations and generally more reliable goalkeeping performances.

Artificial intelligence has been improved over previous PES games, for example AI players will play more thoughtfully when defending rather than simply applying pressure, and AI teammates will make more intelligent movement decisions.

Content:

Thanks to an exclusive deal with UEFA and CONMEBOL, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Copa Santander Libertadores are fully licensed. The tournaments are integrated into the new mode, Football Life, which features a Master League mode and a Become a Legend mode, and for the first time, a Club Boss mode. The Football Life mode also includes a Master League Online mode, however, fan favourite 2V2 Ranked Matches have been removed from the Xbox 360 version due to "internal decisions".Like previous versions, there is also a separate two leagues with 18 empty teams (PES League and D2 League), each of which can be edited fully. All the teams are entirely fictional.The UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup and the PES and D2 Leagues are features not included in the PSP version of the game.

Reviews:

   Once the dominant force in video game football, Pro Evolution Soccer has lost ground to arch-rival FIFA over the last few years due to its failure to innovate. Konami is looking to rectify that with Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, a game it promises will offer "the highest level of playability, challenge and realism."

   Pro Evolution Soccer 2012's improvements are focussed very much on gameplay, specifically how you and your team play together. Producer Shingo 'Seabass' Takatsuka's vision is clear: to make PES "match what people see when they go to a match or watch a big game on TV with what they experience on their console." Player AI has therefore been completely overhauled to simulate the vision and team-work of the professionals who play the beautiful game. Players will now make more intelligent runs rather than being drawn helplessly toward the ball, creating a much more free-flowing game of football.

   Active AI – for that is what Konami has dubbed the new system – really opens up the game to enable skilled players to recreate what they see in real life in the game. For example, it's not just about getting your wingers to make a run down the line, but rather getting your midfielders to draw the opposition away from the ball before releasing the winger. Having every player on the pitch working together is the key to Pro Evo 2012, from the defenders supporting midfield, who in turn cover the back four but also supply the strikers, and vice-versa.

   PES 2012 promises a much more physical game and strong players are much more likely to win the ball in one-on-one situations. The impact system is more sophisticated too and players will fall and tumble to the ground depending where on their body a tackle lands.

   Konami is remaining tight-lipped about the online mode but expect online Master League to return. We're also hoping any lag issues are ironed out, but again we won't know for sure until the game is release.

Published by: Konami
Developed by: Winning Eleven Productions
Genre: Sports
Release Date:
Europe: November 2011
PEGI: RP
Also Available On: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo 3DS
Also known as: PES 2012

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a BAFTA Award-winning 2010 racing video game in the Need for Speed series developed by British games developer Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii, iOS, Android, and webOS. The Wii version was developed by Exient Entertainment. Hot Pursuit is the sixteenth title in the franchise and was released in November 2010, with digital download versions released within December 2010.

You'll experience stunning speeds, takedowns, and getaways as you battle your friends in the most connected Need for Speed game ever. Through Need for Speed Autolog and its innovative approach to connected social competition, your Hot Pursuit experience will extend beyond the console onto the web, constantly moving your gameplay in new and unique directions.Loaded with action, this game will challenge you to become Seacrest County's top cop or most wanted racer. For the first time ever in a Need for Speed game, you'll be able to play a full career on either side of the law.

Hot Pursuit goes back to the Need for Speed series' roots and takes on the gameplay style of earlier "Hot Pursuit" titles in the Need for Speed franchise with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. It is primarily inspired by the original Need for Speed on 3DO. Hot Pursuit lets players be either a cop or a racer and features a full career mode for both roles. The relationship between the cops and racers is described as "a dog chasing down a rabbit", with the cops being more powerful compared to the racers. Each side has several power-ups including calling for roadblocks and radar jamming. According to Criterion the single-player section is somewhere between 12 and 15 hours long, but with lots of replay value.

The game takes place in a fictional location known as Seacrest County. It's an open world and features over 100 miles (160 km) of open road, four times larger than that of Burnout Paradise, Criterion's previous title.

Hot Pursuit features a new social interaction system called "Autolog" described as "Facebook for the game". The game features both single-player and multiplayer game modes with up to eight players; as an option to live multiplayer racing, players can post records and achievements on the Autolog feed for friends to see, which they then can try to beat. Autolog also contains an experience system called "Bounty".

The driving model of the game is described as "fun and accessible", not as arcade-styled as Burnout Paradise, but far from a simulator. All vehicles in Hot Pursuit are licensed real-world cars and SUVs, described as "all the cars you dreamed of driving, in the way you dreamed of driving them". Most vehicles are available in both racer and police variants, but a few are exclusive to each side. Also exclusively featured in the Hot Pursuit is the Porsche 918 Spyder. Ferrari however, last seen in a Shift DLC-pack but notably absent from all other Need for Speed games since Hot Pursuit 2, is also absent from Hot Pursuit. There is no car customization and tuning, "just because the game really focuses on the Hot Pursuit element." The game also lacks a cockpit view, with no in-car dashboard view à la Shift.

Reviews

Hot Pursuit was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably awarded with "Best Racing Game" from the 2010 Game Critics Awards as well as several other media outlets. Upon its release, Hot Pursuit was met with high critical acclaim averaging 90% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic and GameRankings, making it the highest-rated game in Need for Speed series history and one of the seventh generation's highest-rated racing games. It won several Best Racing Game awards, including Best Driving Game at Spike’s 2010 Video Game Awards. Reviewers praised the game’s graphics, visuals, crashes, sound and soundtrack, excellent presentation, dramatic races, high-speed chases as well as the new Autolog feature and that it brought the series back to its roots. According to EA, the game has sold more than 8.5 million copies on all platforms combined.


Following the high praise it received at its release, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has received numerous awards from various magazines, trade shows and gaming websites. The game has won over 30 differentially awards, including Racing Game of the Year from major publications, more than any other racing game that year.

At the E3 2010, Game Critics Awards gave Hot Pursuit the Best Racing Game award.

At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, Hot Pursuit was named the Best Driving Game.

Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Competitive Multiplayer on Xbox 360 by IGN. It was also nominated for Most Addictive Game on Xbox 360.

Hot Pursuit was nominated for Multiplayer That Broke The Mold by GamesRadar.

Hot Pursuit was nominated for Best Racing Game by GameTrailers.

Hot Pursuit was given GameSpot’s Best Driving Game award for 2010.

Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Racing Game by 1UP.

Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Racing Game on Xbox 360 by VGChartz.

Hot Pursuit was nominated for Best Racing Game by Game Revolution.

Hot Pursuit was awarded Racing Game of the Year by GameSpy.

Hot Pursuit won the Most Improved Franchise award by Giant Bomb.

Hot Pursuit won the Racing Game of the Year award by Shacknews.

Hot Pursuit was awarded the Year's Fastest by Gamereactor.

At the 2011 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Hot Pursuit was named Racing Game of the Year.

At the 2011 BAFTA Video Games Awards, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit won the Multiplayer award.

At the 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Hot Pursuit was nominated for Favorite Videogame.

At the 2011 Golden Joystick Award, Hot Pursuit was a runner up for Racing Game of the Year.

At the 2011 BAFTA Kid's Vote Award, Hot Pursuit was nominated for Best Game.