Konami announced the highly anticipated football favorite Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is now available in the Americas for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. The newest installment of the long-running series features groundbreaking innovations that give the user more control than any other football title. Adding to the excitement, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, Santos' main striker player, is joining Cristiano Ronaldo as featured box cover athlete for Pro Evolution Soccer 2012.
"With every edition of Pro Evolution Soccer, we set out to provide an unparalleled gameplay experience," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 keeps to our long-standing tradition of giving users the intensity of real-life soccer with cutting-edge graphics and controls."
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 goes further in giving the user total control, offering AI innovations and gameplay additions that cover every aspect of real football. Central to Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is the all-new Active AI system which ensures that teammates work to close down space, defend zonally and hold their line to minimize attacking options. As such, on defense their teammates will look to hold the defensive line and mark oncoming offensive support. Conversely on offense, when attacking, the player will see that their teammates will make dummy runs, draw defenders, and work to give the player more options in attack.
The emphasis on the team as a unit is demonstrated with Pro Evolution Soccer 2012's ground-breaking Teammate Control system – a truly unique addition which allows the user to control two players at once, prompting runs or drawing defenders with one, while the other holds the ball up. Teammate Control works in two ways; with users pressing the right analogue stick in the direction of the player they wish to control. Support play is offered in assisted mode wherein users prompt a second player to make a timed run to cut inside or receive a ball, while total control is afforded by the fully Manual mode which gives the user complete freedom of movement of the second player.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is full of new gameplay additions. Animation has been enhanced, while the overall presentation has also been refined. Managers can now be seen wandering the sideline, while the general atmosphere of a big-match day has been faithfully recreated. Gameplay, shooting movement and reactions are also improved and control is no longer totally lost when losing possession of the ball. The game features a return to the classic 'behind player' penalty system, and one-on-one situations offer greater control as defenders press and jostle to win the ball, and attackers use upper body feints and movements to bypass and wrong-foot their man.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 also continues KONAMI's exclusive partnership with UEFA that sees the Pro Evolution Soccer series as the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup licenses. In addition, KONAMI also has the Copa Santander Libertadores license. Attention to detail within these key tournaments has been extended to the match officials, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 will see referees and their assistants dressed in the official kits of the competitions.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is now available for purchase at retailers nationwide for an SRP of $59.99 for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. Release dates for Wii, PlayStation2 and PSP versions of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 will be released in the future.