Pro Evolution Soccer (2001)

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, Konami
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Simulator, Sport
Rating: 3.9 of 5, 36 player ratings

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A grounded, deliberate football simulation that rewards careful tactics and precise control over flashy arcade play.

competitivesimulation-focusedmethodicalgroundedprecisetacticalmeasuredrealistic

About

Pro Evolution Soccer, often abbreviated as PES and also known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 5 in Japan and North America, is a football sports simulation video game released in 2001. It is the first instalment of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series. World Soccer: Winning Eleven 5 Final Evolution was also released in Japan after Pro Evolution Soccer was released in Europe.

What players say

A realistic, skill-based football sim where scoring rewards patient timing over chance, widely acclaimed as the more authentic alternative to FIFA; respected and influential, demanding real effort to master.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.