This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 for PlayStation 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 for PlayStation 2 gives you control of a football team in which timing and space constantly affect one another. You circulate the ball, wait for a run and try to draw a defender slightly out of position. A shot needs not just power, but a workable angle and enough space. Reworked movement and ball behaviour give turning, receiving and passing a distinctive rhythm. When you lose possession, your position determines whether you can press immediately or need to retreat first.
In the Master League, you develop a squad within a competition structure featuring regional leagues and promotion. Signing players and managing their contracts support your team's progress. There are also individual matches, leagues, cups and training. You can spend earned points in the PES Shop on extras such as special teams and other additions. Alongside the next match, you therefore have something to unlock. The editor lets you adjust players and teams within the possibilities of this original release.
Locally, you can play alone against the computer or with up to eight people simultaneously. Each participant needs a controller. Three to five players use one PS2 Multitap; six to eight require two Multitaps. You can play against one another or share responsibility within the same team. Always running towards the ball leaves space elsewhere, so cooperation also demands discipline off the ball. This PS2 version has no online matches.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Pro Evolution Soccer 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was released for PlayStation 2 in Europe in 2003. Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo developed it as the successor to Pro Evolution Soccer 2. Konami presented a renewed technical foundation and rebuilt player movements as important steps for the series. The changes were not intended to be visible only in replays: receiving, turning and contact with the ball were everyday actions during a match. The third game consequently went beyond an annual adjustment to player squads.
Referee Pierluigi Collina became the recognisable face of the release. Konami linked his image to the emphasis on football rules and match behaviour. The advantage rule received attention in the game, so a foul need not immediately cut short every chance. Presentation and movement were also reworked. Meanwhile, the series remained recognisable through building attacks and the importance of individual player qualities. Development thus centred on innovation within an established football approach, rather than a different kind of sports game.
The structure changed beyond individual matches too. The Master League used four regional leagues, each with a first and second division, while the PES Shop added a separate reward layer. Playing and practising could therefore yield extra content alongside sporting progress. Konami also released a PC edition later that year, but this description concerns the PS2 version. The standard release and Platinum reissue belong to the same third game; Platinum does not turn it into a different football season or a separate sequel.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
The first Pro Evolution Soccer already lays the foundations with combinations, differences between players and the Master League. Pro Evolution Soccer 3 builds on these with reworked movement, a different competition structure and the PES Shop. In both, a well-chosen pass remains more important than simply running towards goal. The first game lets you experience an earlier form of this approach; the third adds more development outside individual matches and a different execution of player movement.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2 expands the Master League with a third division and extra contract choices. The third game then opts for a structure with four regional leagues and adds the PES Shop. Both have you playing the matches yourself while building a squad. Differences lie in that longer-term structure and in the reworked movement and ball behaviour. The transition therefore involves more than a different collection of names on the team selection screen.
Like Pro Evolution Soccer 3, This Is Football 2002 offers full matches, formations and competitions in which you control the players yourself. Historic clubs and special tournaments give Sony's game a different focus. Konami links team development to the Master League and adds extra rewards through the PES Shop. Both leave room for customisation, but organise progress differently: a collection of competitions versus a pronounced combination of squad building and unlockable content.
This Is Football 2003 combines football on the pitch with a Career in which a small team can progress into professional leagues. Transfers are linked to your available funds. The Master League in Pro Evolution Soccer 3 gives team building a different structure through regional leagues and divisions. Both reward attention to the squad as well as playing the matches. Konami's PES Shop also adds a separate objective beyond improving the team itself.
RedCard and Pro Evolution Soccer 3 both let you construct attacks with full teams and control the player on the ball. RedCard exaggerates collisions, tackles and spectacular actions, and uses temporary boosts. Pro Evolution Soccer 3 makes player positioning, passing and receiving the ball other important decision points. Both require you to recognise an opportunity, but the means of forcing that chance differ: pronounced physical exaggeration versus a more controlled football build-up.
