Seabass and his team have come good, then. Next-gen Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 captures the essence of the original games perfectly, gives it an HD injection and takes the AI to the next level. It’s by no means perfect: the frame-rate drops when the screen gets really busy, usually during a quick clearance when the box is flooded with players or, occasionally, during a replay. But, when you’re actually stuck into the action, it’s likely you won’t really notice or indeed care. Of course, some players will think that a drop in frame-rate on a machine as powerful as PS3 is an absolute travesty and, in some respects, they’d be right. But if a flaw as incidental as this prevented said players from buying PES 2008 altogether, they’d be missing out on the most realistic, intelligent and enjoyable football experience on console yet.