The need for a revolution or not is a common and frequently discussed subject on the boards, not least by the WENB team. While this debate will rage on for quite some time, I take a moment to look at the games industry retrospectively, and discover that going back to your roots might just be the best way to save a long loved franchise…
After seeing some interesting conversations on the boards, it wasn’t until an analogy to Street Fighter was made that I sat up nodded my head profusely. In many ways, the problem Capcom faced creating Street fighter 4, or even contemplating creating it, was how to bring back the glory days. While versions over the years have to a degree kept the hardcore fanbase very happy, nothing matched the collective euphoria that was created over Street Fighter 2. With that in mind, Capcom set out to keep the charm and core of that particular version, whilst building all the other elements around it.
But that in itself isn’t isn’t a guaranteed way to make everyone happy. I mean a few of mates, who are well known SF tournament players, despise everything about SF4, and stick to SF3 or the Alpha games. Something that WENB has found out over the years, no matter how hard you try you can’t please everybody. And with PES 2010, Konami might find themselves faced with the same problem.
Talk of PES5 with upgraded graphics and animations certainly has me jumping up down like a duracell bunny, but some would argue it’s not a sign of progression. I ask, does a near perfect game need re-doing? Sure the passing system could be changed to 360 degrees, online fixed, the AI touched up and the refs muted, but would you call that a revolution? With EA raising the bar on nextgen consoles, I sense many people have forgotten what Konami achieved in their finest hour. And with the failed versions that Konami released since the nextgen era started, many fans are disillusioned with the direction Seabass & co are taking.
Collating those elements together, I feel people continue to use the word ‘revolution’ loosely, in an attempt to emphasize the importance of change. A change is needed, but as a PES fan, I would hate the series to divert away from a version that still, IMO, betters any attempt from a rival.
You cant blame folks for forgetting what PES5 brought to the table, its been 4 years. But Street Fighter 2 was released around 17 years ago and, like what Capcom realised, the oldies are certainly golden. As a complete package PES5 certainly isn’t perfection, but the core elements of that game, Like SF2, are timeless.
Lets us know your thoughts, as always, on the boards!
