Konami boasts an ‘astonishing advance’ for PES 2012

PES 2012 will give users complete control over secondary players while the runner has the ball thanks to the all new Teammate Control system. Konami boldly claims this represents an “astonishing advance for the series”.

The Teammate Control system works in two ways, with users pressing the right analogue stick in the direction of the player they wish to control. The Assisted mode allows the user to activate a second player by depressing the R3 button, and allows users to get to grips with the greater level of control via effective running movements.

Greater control is offered by the Manual mode, wherein the user has complete freedom of movement of the second player, and can make shuttle runs, find space, and shake off markers before calling for the pass from the player still with the ball. The player will then revert to computer control when the R3 button is released, and can also be used to override any AI runs the player wants to cancel. Both can be affected at any time, so players can make moves without waiting for a pass to be completed.

“The addition of Teammate Control is something we have been working on for a while now, and we are delighted that it will make its debut in PES 2012,” commented Jon Murphy, European PES team leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We have been building to create a control system that truly lets the player do whatever they like on field, and the ability to manually control a second player while simultaneously running with the ball opens all kinds of attacking options. Coupled with the Active AI advancements that ensure supporting players make shuttle run and find space, and I think we have made a huge step towards producing the most advanced football title to date.”

Series Producer Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka and his Tokyo-based team have also confirmed a secondary batch of additions, many of which have been added following fan feedback:

• Penalties in PES 2012 have been completely reworked and now use a camera from behind the taker, with players determining the position, power and placement of each kick.
• Shooting has also been enhanced, with the various attributes of each player taken into account with the timing, pace of the ball and position of the striker’s body to the ball coming into effect to produce less wild, ballooned efforts.
• Shot feints also return, with player moving so the goalie commits to the save, whilst the player can reposition for a clearer effort.
• Valuable time has been shaved from player reactions, and overall improvements to the animation via flow-block motions and changes to the player hit point elements have led to a three-frame improvement in response times, meaning players are quicker to chase down balls, amend and tailor their run, or take on a defender.
• The speed with which players turn has also been streamlined, making quick movements more fluid and natural. Vitally, control is no longer totally lost when losing possession of the ball, with players recovering quickly when stumbling to reclaim the ball, or close the ground when tracking back.

PES 2012 will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PSP and PlayStation 2 this autumn.