It’s been an important week in the world of PES. We got the first trailer of PES 2010, along with some impressive screenshots and interesting motion capture information. Yet with all this information, it seems that the enthusiasm has dropped from before it all hit. In a week of ups and downs, we discuss how E3, motion capture and the community helped shape this week into something of a roller coaster.
It’s been quite a week. With fantastic momentum built up ahead of this week, and the community in good spirits, everyone felt that this was the week that would define PES 2010. For a few it has, but not in the positive sense. From a short teaser trailer, many have already made up their minds, while others choose to sit and wait until the next information. A stark contrast to some weeks ago when we were all salivating over the incredibly detailed Messi screenshot. How did it get to this?
It comes down to the fact the fans are on the defensive. ‘Once bitten, twice shy’ is an appropriate saying in this situation, and the community are perhaps more aware and less trusting. While a teaser trailer has no definitive implications on the games quality, the fans who have waited since the launch of XBOX 360/PS3 for a true nextgen version feel they have waited long enough. But is that a bit dramatic? I’d say yes, but I guess I would say that. I’ve been a loyal fan of the series for many years, and am confident PES 2010 will recapture its thrown. But I can’t help feeling Konami are making it difficult for themselves.
A majority of the discontent among the faithful is what the trailer showed, or more appropriately didn’t show. WENB has championed the community work Konami and indeed Voltage PR are doing this year, it’s been something of a revelation within forums. What’s confusing then is that after many debates on various forums discussing just what they would like to see in a trailer, we get pretty much something we would’ve rather not seen released. And not because of the similar animations, or the fact that Torres can slide tackle with the best of them, but because the motion capture videos that were released towards the end of last week tell a completely different story.
It seems strange that we can actually envisage a company creating a trailer for a game, then after its production ensue on collecting vital motion capture data for the game. It sounds unthinkable, but from information collected from various sites it seems thats exactly what has happened. With the trailer finalised before the Champions League final, the Messi mo-cap session took place a few days after, creating mass confusion within the fanbase. The ones who felt disappointed with the trailer were suddenly interested again, and the fans who were already content felt more assured. Either way, the lift was evident.
And that leads me onto my final point of discussion. The community.
For a few years now, the faithful fanbase Konami have built up over the years are still just as eager and as enthusiastic as before. Sure there’s perhaps not as many ‘die-hard fans’ as there used to be, but I still regard the PES fans to be some of the most passionate groups of people out there. The news brought to us by forum members roigafni and _anderson is testament to that. Not just in their will and desire to search for information about a game they love, but the fact that the community was responsible for ending the week on a high.
If the mo-cap footage and info wasn’t found by those guys, then we wouldn’t have known about work going into PES 2010 for many weeks. And if we didn’t know that there would’ve been a very negative feeling amongst the majority of the passionate fanbase.
For me, the teaser didn’t disappoint, but it didn’t excite either. Maybe if it wasn’t for the incredibly details screenshots that came out along side the trailer, I too would of been more dubious regarding PES 2010. And while I remain as confident and optimistic as ever, my main concerns and disappointment only stems from the way Konami have failed to capture the fans faith again. I just hope the next release of information brings a positive lift, and Konami aren’t again left hoping the community pulls something else out of the bag to keep the fans believing that this is the year.
