Ludography
78/100
Players36 ratings
85/100
Critics1 review
Pro Evolution Soccer cover

2001 · Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo · Association football · Simulation

Pro Evolution Soccer

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.

Released
15 March 2001
Platforms
Game Boy AdvancePlayStation 2
Genres
Association footballSimulationSports
Developers
Konami Computer Entertainment TokyoKonami
Publishers
Konami
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
Non-fiction

About

eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer (eFootball PES), known as eFootball Winning Eleven (eFootball WE) in Japan, is a series of association football simulation video games developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. and published by Konami. The series consists of eighteen main installments and several spin-offs, including the mobile game Pro Evolution Soccer Club Manager. Listed as one of the best-selling video game franchises, the series has sold 111 million copies worldwide, in addition to 400 million mobile downloads, December 2020.

Pro Evolution Soccer was regarded as a rival to the EA Sports' FIFA series; it has been described by The Guardian as the "greatest rivalry" in the history of sports video games. An esports league, eFootball.Open (previously named PES World Finals or PES League), has been held by Konami annually since 2010. As the successor to the PES series, Konami released eFootball in 2021.

Keywords

  • soccer
  • europe

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Gameplay simulates a typical game of association football, with the player controlling either an entire team or a selected player; objectives coincide with the rules of association football. Various game modes have been featured in the series, allowing for gameplay variety, including the Kick Off, Online and Offline modes. In addition to these modes, there is an editing one where the player can create teams of their own.

The Master League mode, gives the user control of a team of user's selection. Originally, the players were all generic-fictional players, however this later changed giving the user the option to change the settings and choose to play with default players. These players, such as Brazilian forward Castolo, have become cult figures to many people playing the Master League. The aim is to use these players and gain points by winning matches, cups and leagues.

Development

International Superstar Soccer (1994), the first game in Konami's International Superstar Soccer (ISS) series, released for the SNES. A rivalry subsequently emerged between the FIFA and ISS franchises. International Superstar Soccer Pro (ISS Pro), released for the PlayStation in 1997, was considered a "game-changer" for association football games, which had been largely dominated by rival FIFA on home systems for the last several years. Developed by Konami Tokyo, ISS Pro introduced a new 3D engine capable of better graphics and more sophisticated gameplay than its rival.

Whereas FIFA had a simpler "arcade-style" approach to its gameplay, ISS Pro introduced more complex simulation gameplay emphasizing tactics and improvisation, enabled by tactical variety such as nine in-match strategy options. It spawned the Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) series, which became known for having "faster-paced tactical play" and more varied emergent gameplay, while FIFA was known for having more licenses.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation 215 March 2001Japan · Europe 23 November 2001

Editions and related releases

Expanded editions
World Soccer Winning Eleven 5: Final Evolution
Ported as
Pro Evolution SoccerJ.League Winning Eleven 5

Games like this

Collections7 collections

Platform libraries

Genres

Reception and records

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.