Pro Evolution Soccer 4

Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (Winning Eleven 8 in Japan and World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 in the US) was released in 2004; featuring referee Pierluigi Collina,Thierry Henry,and Francesco Totti on the cover. This is the first Pro Evolution Soccer game to feature full leagues, namely the English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch top divisions, though with full league licenses only for the latter three. As a result, clubs in, for example, the English League, an unlicensed league, have ambiguous names like "West London Blue" and "Man Red" for Chelsea and Manchester United respectively, and their home grounds Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford are respectively named "Blue Bridge" and "Trad Brick Stadium".

The gameplay has improved from Pro Evolution Soccer 3, (though not as much of a significant leap as its predecessor) with improved AI, tweaked play-on advantages and better throughballs. Dribbling is tighter with the players (though at one-star difficulty, a player receiving the ball on either wing can dribble the ball down the length of the pitch relatively uncontested), plus free-kicks have been changed to allow lay-offs. The gameplay was criticized for its relatively easy scoring opportunities, as players can pass their way through opposing defenses, or hold on to the ball at the edge of the penalty area and simply wait for the opposing defenders to move away and thus give him space to shoot. A new 6-star difficulty was added as an unlockable in the shop, as well as the previous items, while the Master League included enhancements such as player development, so many players over 30 would see certain attributes decline as the game progresses. Conversely, players could improve upon their attributes up to the age of 24-25, though the improvement is most rapid and obvious in players aged 22 and under.

The edit mode has been enhanced rapidly, with the options to add text and logos to shirts (essentially sponsors) and pixel logo editing as well as the traditional preset shapes, thus making it easier to replicate a team. The game also includes an "International Cup" and four regional Cups:

• The "European Cup" is remarkably inclusive, including almost every major European country, as well as smaller countries like Slovenia,Hungary,and Slovakia. However, countries like Israel and Iceland are not included. It also includes a Yugoslavia team; in real life, Yugoslavia no longer exists, having been dissolved and replaced by two new independent states, Serbia and Montenegro. The Czech Republic team is simply called "Czech".
• The "American Championship" is a merger of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Copa America. It includes most North, Central and South American countries.
• The "Asia-Oceania Cup" includes only five Asian countries, Japan,Saudi Arabia,Iran,China,South Korea plus Australia. Ironically, in real life, Australia has joined the Asian, and now competes in the AFC Asian Cup. South Korea is simply called "Korea".