Konami used to offer the better soccer game with the Pro Evolution Soccer series (aka Winning Eleven Soccer), or PES for short, but then Electronic Arts stepped up and offered some killer soccer in the EA Sports FIFA franchise and Konami struggled to remain relevant, much less competitive.

With improvements and key gameplay tweaks in PES 2010, Konami has managed to churn out some soccer gaming that sports some improvement. However, it's still not on par with EA's contemporary FIFA series. Not even close where it counts.

If you primarily judged a sports game on how easy it is to pick up and play – without sacrificing all semblances of realism, ideally - then this new PES has a lot going for it.

It's not "dumbed-down" but the game has slowed down just a tad. Thus, PES 2010 no longer demands super-human reflexes to get anything done. It's actually playable by anyone.

That said, it still has issues - and way too many of them at that.

PES games played online, for example, are still incredibly laggy. This is understandable when you're matched up with someone overseas, but when you're matched up with online friends in the same city, it's unforgivable.

Latency issue also defeat the coolness of a new PES 2010 feature, the apply named Community Mode, where you can gather together up to 32 buddies and play out a league or cup of your choosing. In theory, this mode cordially caters to ardent soccer fans (most of whom call it "football"), a whole mob of fans in one go, in fact. In practice, however, it's just a lag fest.

Meanwhile, poor player animations have plagued the PES franchise for years. Remarkably, nothing much has been done to improve this shortcoming in PES 2010. Aside from some slick close ups and non-playing eye-candy, players on the pitch are still blocky, chunky fellows, their movement still unnatural and robotic. Too, there's a serious lack of real player likeness, save for a few marquee athletes like Ronaldo, Rooney and Raul playing in one of the top leagues like La Liga, the Premiership, or the Serie A. Otherwise, they're all a bunch of cookie cutter characters in cleats.

Worst of PES 10's failings, a major fingernails-down-chalkboard annoyance, is the game commentary. Easily making the top three on the "Worst Commentary in a Sports Game Ever" list, the announcer and color are repetitive beyond belief - and often way behind the action to boot. On the upside, they can be muted.

The Pro Evolution Soccer series was the "must-have" soccer game for several years. That it couldn't keep the momentum going is one thing, but to fall farther and farther behind with little to show other than marginal improvements over previous failures is just a shame.

Technically, it's a passable game of footy with its own special little quirks. But with EA Sports' rock solid FIFA games now trouncing PES in most every respect (artificial intelligence, 360 degree dribbling that actually works, etc.), there's really no reason to pick up PES 10... unless you have something against the mighty EA (not a stretch), or you find PES 10 in that beloved "2 for $10" bin at Wal-Mart.