Great for newcomers, frustrating for anyone else.
Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting this, it would actually be a surprise if was otherwise, which would then leave me shocked, but a man can always hope. To cut a long story short, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is almost the same game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is, so few things have changed that it's absolutely not worth the purchase if you already have the last year's release -- or the 2008 version for that matter. If you've never played a Wii release for this series this stands as the best yet, maybe because it still has some minor tweaks over the rest, maybe because 2010 is rounded and sounds official, or maybe because the cover art is probably the nicest. Whatever the reason it is, it's still a solid game with nothing new brought to the table.
Like in the previous, before you start you're bound to come across a tutorial on how to perform the basic commands and tricks in the game, just not to throw you into the action without having a clue about what's going on. A coach will take place on screen and teach you the basic stuff. Of course I already knew the commands and decided to go through the whole thing just to make sure there isn't anything fresh I should know about before I start, and now I'm sure, there isn't anything new. The tutorial follows the same basic idea, first a little theoric insight, then practice; the design for the practice scenarios are exactly the same. It teaches you good though, in case you're new. And as before you have more techniques than the shown at the beginning, more advanced ones, and you can learn them if you want, though for newcomers is suggestible to go gather some experience and feel the controls first to then venture through more complex moves.
Most game modes mark a comeback with the original scheme intact. You can still select a quick match just to play some soccer, no worries attached, just select a club or a national team and game on. Or you can choose a league among the many featured to get things a little more serious. Need I say there's lots of missing leagues? No, but leagues aren't the main problem. If you want something even more serious then you can choose the UEFA Champions League and try emerging victorious with a team of your choice, Europe's most important soccer tournament is well emulated and ends up being the closest an average person can get to the feeling of participating. Champions Road is back as well, and I was saddened to see nothing has changed in it, it's the same, you start with a cheaply developed team and start making your way up by winning leagues, building up your training center and acquiring followers for your team; still great for someone who hasn't played it before, depressing for anyone else. A similar system can be found in Master League, you can choose many aspects for your team, make transfers and all that, minor changes can be found in this mode but nothing that would make this worthy enough for a comeback; again, if you've never played it, it's sweet as sugar.
The actual gameplay mechanics for the wii using the motion controls are still top-notch. You point the screen with the wiimote and control the passes and shots of your players, as well as controlling the player itself, if you want more precision you can also use the analog stick, useful when you're invading the goal area and need more precision to go past the defenders. The system brought us basically the best gameplay for a soccer game ever, but rehashing the same game over and over each year won't help much. Konami states that some tweaks have been made, among them are the visuals, now I don't want to get cocky but if there is a difference in the overall graphics it's incredibly superficial, in-game player animations -- shooting, passing, running -- may have been reworked but the difference is practically imperceptive. What is actually noted is non-game player animations which I could find some improvements -- like when you score a goal and the players gather to celebrate, moments not controllable. The online received better treatment on this one as well, so if you plan on getting online the 2010 version is really the best choice, of course finding someone to play against can still be tricky; I still don't see a point in re-buying it just for the online multiplayer if you have a previous installment.
The flaw regarding the focus on European teams and forgetting about the rest of the world continues, actually the teams present here are practically the same as last year's. Of course, people in Central America aren't major fans of soccer, people in South America aren't major fans of soccer, people in Africa aren't major fans of soccer; after all, they're merely a bunch of monkeys climbing in trees and the closest thing to entertainment for them is swinging in ropes around the jungle, nothing outside Europe exists anyway, so why bother? It's like they don't even try to get licenses from local teams in other areas. Instead of releasing a 2011 and a 2012 rehashes, they should postpone them and release an ultimate soccer experience in, let's say, two or three years; now that would be cool. Of course, cool doesn't always mean profitable.
The most noticeable addition would be the debut of licensed music, there are various musical groups available and a good dose of tracks, the music will take place at menus though, not during games. You can find artists of rock, hip-hop and techno among them. The rest of what you hear is still depressing, the commentators are the same as previous versions, and they're good, but the rest is just awful, the crowd still sound like white noise and the sporadic effects of shooting the ball or any other thing just don't cut it, they're lifeless and uninspired. As much as the sound effects stays as a supporting role to the amazing gameplay system, this installment should have moved forward in the sound department, like this it just feels stagnated.
Well, it's still a solid soccer game with great controls and the great gameplay mechanics, nothing actually major did get into the game after the one-year hiatus. I should recommend this game for anyone who doesn't have any other recent Pro Evolution Soccer, that being 2008 and 2009. If you have the previous versions on any other console outside the Wii you should consider buying this one because the Wii controls enhances the experience immensely; some people like the new type of control, some don't, but anyone ought to experience and judge it themselves. If you have any of the last two years releases for the Wii then you're better off saving your money and buying some game else.