A football evolution

SET TO LAUNCH this month, Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PES 2012) will be localised into Arabic for the first time and is expected to further increase the popularity of the game throughout the Middle East.

The region has seen the number of PES players steadily growing over the past few years and the previous edition of the title raked in record sales. The game is set to be released on Xbox and PS3 in the coming weeks.

Naji Robehmed, Director of Gaming at Pluto, commented on the launch. “The localisation of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 into Arabic highlights Konami and Pluto’s commitment to gamers in the Middle East and furthermore, the importance of the region to the industry’s gaming developers. Regional players are sure to be impressed with their gaming experience on playing the upcoming edition, both as a result of Arabic localisation and the enhancement of several key features.”

Jon Murphy, European PES Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH, spoke about some of the enhancements awaiting players.

“Teammate Control is something we have been working on for a while now, and we are delighted that it will make its debut in PES 2012. We have been working to create a control system that truly lets the player do whatever they like on field, and the ability to manually control a second player while simultaneously running with the ball opens all kinds of attacking options. Coupled with the Active AI advancements that ensure supporting players make shuttle run and find space, and I think we have made a huge step towards producing the most advanced football title to date.”

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 will available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC.

FUN FACTS

· Penalties in PES 2012, have been completely reworked and now use a camera from behind the attacker, with players determining the position, power and placement of each kick.

· Valuable time has been shaved from player reactions, and overall improvements to the animation via flow-block motions and changes to the player hit point elements have led to a three-frame improvement in response times, meaning players are quicker to chase down balls, amend and tailor their run, or take on a defender.

· ‘Challenge Training’ mode consists of dribbling tests and set-piece challenges that necessitate hitting a series of targets, and punishing shooting tasks are used to push the player as they put in the hours that will make all the difference on field.