Posts tagged PES 2010
Me and My Addiction: Pro Evo Soccer and Style
May 6th
When I started the Retrospective Overdrive program, it was to break up tedium and see how things have changed. I wanted to go a good period of time without just doing what I’ve done the past few years — nothing but playing Pro Evo Soccer.
But, why? It’s just a game; hell, it’s just a sports game, and I’m sure many who read the site look down on us who kick and throw balls virtually as if we’re some sort of cro-magnon anomaly, cavemen who have miraculously found fire and Xbox Live. It keeps coming back to style, though, for me. Very few other games have allowed me to express creativity as well as Konami’s Pro Evo/Winning Eleven series and, in particular, Pro Evo Soccer 2010.
Freshman year of college I picked up a PlayStation 2 after seeing how white-hot Gran Turismo 4 looked. Of course, I’d also heard about how good Konami’s soccer games were and since that wasn’t great on the Xbox, I bought it. I wasn’t a newcomer to soccer games — strong addictions to FIFA 2004 and 2005 prove otherwise — but Winning Eleven 8 was a good replacement, if a bit ugly at times.
Backlog: Movin’ On edition
Feb 26th
Well, the day is almost here. I’m going to be driving out to Austin, Texas in a few days to start my new job at Facebook! In light of my newfound employment, please look forward to our relaunch as the brand-new, Zynga-exclusive Silicon Sasquatch! Forget Dragon Age 2 and Diablo 3; from here on out, if the game doesn’t have “-Ville” in its name, we don’t want anything to do with it.
Nah, don’t worry. We’re still gonna keep doing what we do best — as soon as we figure out what that is, exactly.
Backlog: Big G Edition
Feb 18th
What, pray tell is “G”? Beyond an uninspired sports drink ad campaign, methinks the man pictured above knows a thing or two.
In any case, G’s up this weekend on the Backlog. Nick has been fly like a G6 and popped into the rejuvenated Ground Kontrol, Doug got some AP English flashbacks playing a Great American Novel-inspired flash game, and Aaron apparently has the world’s gnarliest bird flu or ebola or something and has bravely pushed through to make an appearance here this week.
Now, unfortunately, the schtick is wearing thin so onward! Backlog, ho!
Backlog: Mr. Fry Will See You Now edition
Jan 21st
Oh! Hello there.
So sorry I didn’t notice you; I was busy tousling my hair and practicing my charming, inextricably British character quirks.
Err-ahem. Yes. LittleBigPlanet 2 was released this week, headlined once again by a revelatory performance from your humble narrator. While those of you with a PlayStation 3 have undoubtedly snatched up your very own copies without hesitation, the rest of the world was left with no comparable alternative; alas, some of you had to resort to games from two years ago! Imagine that.
Now if you’ll kindly excuse me; I’m late for my weekly poker night with Hugh Laurie, Tony Blair and The Stig. In outer space.
The Backlog: Utilitarian edition
Sep 24th
Do not be afraid by the stark plainness of this post. Refuse to cower at the wall of text following this introduction. Most of all, please understand that this boring backlog article is in such a state for good reason.
A BEACH TRIP!
That’s right: Nick, Doug and myself are travelling to the Oregon coast this weekend, and we don’t have time for such crazy frivolities as “graphics” and “pleasant visual design.” But don’t presume our adventure is only for the pursuit of wacky fun and wild games (and drinking); No, we will be working on our book. There’s a lot to do to for that project, because publishin’ ain’t easy, as Big Daddy Hearst once said.
The Backlog: Welcome to Bright Falls, Sponsored by Energizer Batteries edition
Jun 6th
What’s scarier: Fending off legions of possessed townsfolk while armed only with a flashlight? Or witnessing a Pacific Northwest polluted with countless billboards promoting batteries and a cell phone carrier?
In my experience, neither one is too frightening, but you’ll probably be sick of both of them by the end of Alan Wake.
Our gaming exploits have taken us from the soccer pitches of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and the wilds of the turn-of-the-century American West to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the, uh, Mario-shaped planetoid-turned-spaceship that Mario used to travel the universe to make Bowser regurgitate the power stars he’d eaten (!?). In other words, it’s been a long week.
The Backlog: Red Dead Way of Life edition
May 22nd
Some might deride it as simply GTA: Old West, some are praising it as one of the best games of the year (Metacritic has its issues but just look at that aggregate score right now), but however you structure it, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption is out and is the hot topic of the week. Aaron and Nick have started to sink their teeth into Rockstar San Diego’s western tale, while Doug is still struggling with the wild grizzly bear that is graduate school.
Enough about that nonsense, though. Let’s get on with the show.
The Backlog: Hey Ken, can I borrow that lawnmower? edition
May 15th
Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.
Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.
Anyway, let’s get down to it.
The Backlog: We Are The World Warriors Edition
May 1st
Plenty to discuss this week — racing games, zombies, spaaaaaaaaaaace! (warning: funny, but spoilers!), and world warriors.
Oh, the world warriors!
Enough of this nonsense, on to the backlog!
The Backlog: Sandbox of Chaos edition
Apr 5th
I kinda got carried away with Photoshop this week. You see, Rico Rodriguez, the protagonist from the Just Cause games, is chaotically belly-flopping into a child’s sandbox, which serves a visual metaphor for the open-world adventures he stars in. Hence the headline.
With that out of the way, I can tell you this edition of our beloved (by some — maybe our mothers) Backlog pertains to Nick’s first aural experiencing of Axis: Bold as Love, Doug’s dusting off of the old Xbox after his adventures in Asia and my unbelieving satisfaction from playing a ton of Just Cause 2.