FIFA 09 vs. PES 2009: Take Your Pick

Football simulation games have been around for a very long time and in that period, two franchises have established themselves as the main competitors in a broad market.

Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA series titles have become must have games for fans annually and with the recent release of FIFA 09 and the imminent release of PES 2009, we at B/R will finally decide which one we prefer.

FIFA's first game in a ground breaking series began with FIFA International Soccer in 1993. Revolutionary at the time for it's detailed animation and graphics as well being the first video game to use the official FIFA license meaning real club names and players could be used to enhance the gameplay experience.

Pro Evolution's series emerged in 2002 as a result of FIFA's dominance in the genre and, whilst some fans where initially turned off by the lack of licenses in comparison to EA's titles, many warmed to the increasingly realistic and intuitive gameplay Pro Evo games offered.

With each edition every year, both games offer improvements to the amount of teams, quality in realism, graphics and enhancements in gameplay to gradually reach an authentic footballing simulation experience.

The market for football games is now a global industry worth over £1.2 billion a year for the pacemakers. FIFA and Pro Evo both frequently use the endorsement of well known brands as well as the world's best known talent like Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Leo Messi for promotional purposes.

But as far as fans for football games go, there's no sitting on the fence when it comes to FIFA and Pro. Are you a fan of football games? Do you have a favourite or do you play both? Or do you never play football games anyway?

FIFA vs. Pro Evolution

Which one takes your pick?