Between 17th-19th August, winners of tournaments from around the world will represent their country, with a chance to be named PES 2011 World champion. Not a bad title hey?

We’ll let you know what goes down, in the mean time read the press release below for further info:

Cologne: The Home of Football

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH announces Cologne to host
PES World Finals 2011

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that it will hold its annual PES World Finals in Cologne this year, with the prestigious competition taking place as the gaming industry gathers for gamescom, Europe’s premier video game showcase.

The PES World Finals 2011 brings the current PES 2011 season to an end, and will see the world’s greatest PES players gathered for a huge knock-out tournament. Entrants from Europe, Asia and America will gather for a series of matches between August 17th-19th. The tournament will open with a gala party that precedes the full competition, which will take place in Cologne’s KölnSky venue – a 27th floor location that offers striking views of the beautiful city.

KONAMI has been hosting PES competitions since more than a decade, and each major territory has official leagues that are used to determine the World Final competitors. About 30 players are expected to take part this year. The attendees will all compete on the PlayStation®3 version of PES 2011, with a series of groups giving way to knock-out competitions to determine the ultimate champion.

“gamescom welcomes thousands of ardent video game fans to Cologne, so it is a fitting venue for the end of the PES 2011 season,” offered Martin Schneider, General Manager of Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We expect competition to be fierce at this year’s competition – especially with the eyes of gamescom attendees on them all.”

Just a heads up letting you know PES 2011 has gone down to an incredibly low price, in honour of the Champions League final.

Hurry, offer ends 29th!

Alan is back on the mic to discuss what’s been happening in the world of PES, from news gone by to the hotly anticipated PES 2012 announcement. We have a chat about what to expect, following on from the editorial posted late last week. It’s a fleshing out of what has been written, trying to really delve into what PES 2012 will become.

We finish off by talking about the recent promotion of ex-PES Director Shinji Enomoto to Konami Vice President. A move, we feel, shifts the landscape of future PES iterations dramatically.

Enjoy!

Podcast Download

Click here for the list of improvements.

Season 5 continues with the return of Suff, and a podcast dedicated to the recent events in Japan. We take a look at how Japan is getting on, and how Konami are attempting to battle through such a sad and devastating time in their country’s history.

We also touch on PES 2011 3D, discussing whether the 3D element brings anything new to the table. And as usual, we have a quick mention of PES 2011 itself, and look forward to the future. To finish off there’s even some Jett G love! All in all, yet another must listen poddy.

Enjoy!

Download OR Stream below the final picture.

First up, 7min video below (or in HD here)

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s no doubt about it, as soon as you start up the game you’re looking for the impact 3D has on the game. Visions of seeing players pop out of the screen, or have a sensation of the football flying straight at you certainly come to mind, but overall the 3D element is a side dish to the main course. That’s not a slight on the game or Konami, after all the machine has a slider that allows you to turn 3D off. But due to this option, hoping for the 3D element to have any significant impact would be too much.

Where the 3D does work and look impressive is in two game elements. First of all the menus. Text, editing player shirt numbers, changing kits pre-match etc, this all looks impressive. As you would expect, still images work really well, giving you an impression of layers and depth. The other 3D element that works really well is the preset behind the player camera angle. Something very similar to the Become A Legend camera angle in the home console versions, the view is fixed behind the player in possession. While difficult to play a decent passing game, the visual satisfaction and 3D impact makes it worth sticking with more than you would expect.

So onto the main course then, and the gameplay. I’ve been reading many gaming websites gush over PES 3D, so was eager to see exactly what I’d been missing. Quickly however, I came to realise that its the same magic PES gameplay from the PS2 days, more recently seen on Wii and PSP. And of course thats no bad thing, but made me realise just how the wider press have chosen to omit the good old PES days from their memory. Nothing like product knowledge, hey! So everything works well, from the passing to shooting to the keepers, just how you remember it. In all it’s brilliance however, it can seem a bit dated, and anyone who has spent many hours in this gameplay can have a feeling of fatigue, especially once the 3D buzz wears thin.

Away from the pitch, modes and features stay true to the way PES has appeared on the handhelds. Some key modes in (no BAL or League though), not a deep edit mode at all (edit team names and numbers, no kit editing), some wireless options but no online (blame Nintendo). Overall though, enough to satisfy any 3DS gamer. After all ML is in, what else do you need on the go?

Review embargo drops on the 24th, expect more info and a final verdict then. Watch out for the next podcast, where we’ll discuss the game further.

So far, so PES.

PES 2011: Football Evolved, Price Reduced
Total revamp, total freedom, total football, total value

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that its popular PES 2011 title for PlayStatIon®3, Xbox 360 and PC-DVD will be released at a new, lower price from April 1st.

Originally released on October 8th, the game will now be repackaged as part of Sony’s Platinum range with a new £29.99, the Xbox Classics label for the same price, and as a £19.99 Euro Classics title for PC.

PES 2011 saw the series undergo a huge move towards total control, and featured the most advanced raft of gameplay additions, control options, and animations in PES history – catering for both ardent PES players and newcomers alike. Central to its total freedom of play, PES 2011 introduces a power bar for each player that allows the user to determine the exact strength and placement of every pass and shot. Balls can be spread absolutely anywhere with utter precision, with long balls into space, short passes to feet and intricate one-twos allowing the player to dictate play and control the tempo of a match.

The game’s freedom of play is also extended via new AI routines designed to place every move and decision in the user’s hands. AI no longer intervenes and PES 2011 players now need to sense and react to threats; while passes will not automatically reach the nearest player. Instead, all-new routines facilitate complete control both of the player and their chosen actions in every respect to give the player sublime control over every movement. As such, the specially-designed control system allows total control over every element of play. The triangulation of passes and making space using clever runs becomes paramount, and build-up play is everything. Likewise, dribbling and close control are tougher to master, and the days of making streaking runs through the centre of the park are over, as PES mirrors the real-life football.

PES 2011 also marks the introduction of Master League Online, wherein the hugely popular mode where players build and develop a championship-winning team has been taken online, and where players bid against each other for the world’s best players. Similarly, PES 2011 is the only game to feature the officially-licensed UEFA Champions League™, UEFA Europa Cup™ and UEFA Super Cup™ competitions, and also introduces the Copa Libertadores, South America’s most influential and important club-based competition.

“PES 2011 represents a huge step forward for the series and its new lower price will be a welcome chance for football fans to sample the sheer skill and artistry the game offers,” commented Jon Murphy, European PES Team leader. “PES 2011 offers a stunning level of control and demands precision and timing from the player. The game’s introduction of a real-time player market mechanism on Master League Online offers users a new level of depth and realism to their experience. Once people delve into this area, PES 2011 will offer a level of depth they have never experienced before.”

Go get it and let us know what you think!

Come on now, you didn’t think our superstar from Texas would take any crap, did you?

Click here to view the embedded video.

The update also includes 10 new boots and 2 new kits, Spain home and Sweden away. Below you’ll find the press release and all the images released with the press release!

PES 2011: New DLC revealed

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has revealed the content of its latest free DLC for PES 2011.

The update will be available to PlayStation(R)3, Xbox 360 and PC-DVD users from March 15th, and updates a number of elements to the full game. Winter transfers and movements up to the end of the January transfer window have been updated for 135 Club teams, while Spain’s new kit and the Swedish national team’s away kit have been added. Ten new boot styles from adidas, NIKE, PUMA and Umbro have also been added.