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Winning Eleven 9
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GAME LOGO AND INTRO
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GAME DESCRIPTION
For North American gamers in the know, the Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven franchise is considered the best soccer title on the market. EA's FIFA series comes close, but tends to still lag year after year behind Konami's richly complex gaming engine, with authentic FIFA licensing being its sole holdout advantage. Already released in Japan and Europe (as Pro Evolution Soccer 5), Winning Eleven 9 finally makes its way Stateside next month. While it's not clear whether or not the build that showed up at our offices is a final build -although at this point, common sense would lean strongly toward a percentage in the upper 90s- it looks pretty close to done, and accordingly, WE fans in North America are going to be bouncing off the walls when they get a load of this.
Even from the introductory cinematic that juxtaposes professional players on the pitch with average guys around the world playing on the streets and in backyards, it seems more evident that Konami knows that it's got the heart of the world's diehard soccer fans. The presentation looks sleek as usual with a happy J-Poppy house tune replacing the glowstick-waving trance of WEs past. English Premiership fans can count a small victory this year, as Chelsea and Arsenal have now made their way to the WE lineup, although Liverpool fiends still have to edit the team name. The roster additions for WE 9, unfortunately, don't seem as deep as last year's game, in which the Spanish and Dutch leagues were added. The usual modes are still the same in regard to functionality. Players can still pick from an Exhibition Match, the insanely detailed management-oriented Master League, League play, Cup, and Training, which any novice will need to study with the level of attention usually devoted .
However, the most noticeable new feature is Network play. That's right, after three games on PS2 and one on Xbox (even though, in all fairness, owners of ol' black n' green had to wait eons just to get a WE title on their system), Winning Eleven is finally going online in North America. Unfortunately, it's still unconfirmed whether players can upload roster changes, a feature that would completely seal the deal and eliminate complaints about the lack of authentic licensing. Roster changes and the painstaking detail that European gamers will go through to get real team and player name edits seems to have made game save peripherals like the X-Port a cottage industry in Europe. However, with PSP data transfer new to the PS2 game, gamers will likely have a much easier time downloading a roster change to the PSP game and uploading it to the PS2. Xbox players might have to do all the dirty work themselves, unless again, players can upload roster changes to Xbox Live.
It also seems, unfortunately, that online communications are restricted to typing. Admittedly, voice chat is a double-edged sword, but it beats reaching over to type on a USB keyboard or grunting out monosyllabic statements with your Dual Shock. It's still unconfirmed if Xbox Live will support voice chat.
Regarding gameplay, it looks as rich as ever. Breezing through the Tutorial Mode to see what's new, Winning Eleven 9 is equally as intimidating for a newbie as any of the previous titles were. There are multiple ways to pull off basic functions, many of which pick up n' play gamers will probably never use, such as the ability to cross high, low, or more mid-air. Same goes for regular and through passes. Anyone who's been sharpening their blades on WE 8 should find themselves right at home with this new game's ball-handling. Judging by the exhibition I played and the first few matches of Master League I sampled, the AI is still as vicious as ever. Any newcomers to the series who skip Tutorial Mode and goes straight to the game will be smoked faster than a Marlboro Red in Denis Leary's pocket. Outside of taunting and showboating on the pitch, the CPU plays about as aggressively and intelligently as any opponent you'll face online or over Live.
Visually, Winning Eleven has never been as pretty as FIFA, but looks aren't why most soccer fans prefer the franchise. This year's game still doesn't seem to look as good as FIFA, but the animation responds much more fluidly to both ball-handling and action than past titles. Ball physics feel like they respond more realistically than in past titles, and the on-pitch gameplay in Winning Eleven 8 was excellent. Considering the constant licensing issues that the series has faced over the years, the visuals still don't look too bad, even if they're lower on the priority list for most WE fanboys.
Sometimes, I, as both soccer fan and game critic, genuinely wonder if even I'm hardcore enough to play Winning Eleven. The level of complexity in this near-complete code is infinitely deeper than anything found on the next-gen version of FIFA. The Master League looks intimidatingly deep in scope, as players will be able to handle nearly everything that a manager could, outside of certain real-life controversies. We weren't able to try the PSP version, but hopefully, it should have all of the complexity of the console versions with minimal loading. All around, long time fans will be happy with this new version and its online play, and newcomers should be enticed by its complexity as well as the option of getting completely smeared all over
The Winning Eleven franchise has been a part of soccer fans’ games collection since the inception of the PlayStation, with the International Superstar Soccer series being the effective ancestor of the franchise, on the retro Genesis and SNES.
Known as the Pro Evolution series in Europe, the Winning Eleven series has had the unenviable task of competing with the huge FIFA set of games. Up until recently, the FIFA series dominated the soccer scene. However, fans of the WE series have grown in number and FIFA finally has a worthy adversary. More than worthy, in fact.
The latest outing from Konami adds on the already bulging features from the previous game. The one thing which has blighted the WE series from the start is the licensing issues. For years, fans that tired of the FIFA series have had to cope with dubious falsehoods such as players called Roberto Larcos and David Bickhom. Thankfully, the game has progressed a long way since then, and in this new outing, fans will be pleased to hear that Konami have sealed the license to English powerhouses Arsenal and Chelsea. They will be joined by other licensed leagues, including the Spanish La Liga and the Dutch Eurodivisie. Unfortunately, the game is still not fully licensed, but that is more than made up for in regards to the gameplay; which is utterly flawless.
I have always been a fan of Konami’s football (yes, kids, the rest of the world doesn’t recognize the word “soccer”) series, and it pleases me immensely to find that this entry doesn’t disappoint. The series had perfect gameplay from the first outing, and Konami have added little touches every time to make the experience more enjoyable. However, this time the game seems slightly fuller of changes than when the last game was released; and it is nice to see that Konami is not scared of adapting ideas. When in a match, the game feels more like a real soccer game rather than a computer game. Player animations are more realistic, likenesses are much more like their real-life counterparts (Most notably, the David Beckham model looks photo-realistic) and the atmosphere in-game is so much more realistic than its previous incarnations.
More statistics have been included, including a middle-shooting special ability star, which determines how skilled a player is at shooting from long range. New player positions have been added to accommodate specific playing styles, such as the ‘Wingback’ role (Suited to Roberto Carlos or Cafu) and ‘Second Striker’ role (Suited to Kaka or Wayne Rooney). A power metre has been included for most actions, including passing; which allows more control over your style of play. Chipping the goalkeeper when you are through on goal even seems to have been improved, as the ball seems to have more life. The ball moves more realistically, and swerves in the air when hit by more skilful players (A David Beckham free-kick for example, swerves madly in the air when you are adept at taking free-kicks).
Online play is included, in the PC version at least. PS2 and Xbox versions are expected to feature an online mode, which would make a great game so much better. Nonetheless, the game is still very challenging when playing against the computer, with difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 5 stars, with the fiendish 6 star level being an unlockable. The master league is back, where you take a team of no-hopers and transform them into a world-beating squad.
I got a taste of 4 clubs, which are fully licensed: Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Valencia. Despite the very limited selection, it allowed me to experience the thrilling gameplay first hand. At the end of the first half, the match ends and you are left screaming for more (provided you aren’t some sort of zombie) - this is a game that causes you to keep wanting to play. If you’re a soccer fan, expect many nights staring at the clock which displays 5am, and muttering to yourself
Even from the introductory cinematic that juxtaposes professional players on the pitch with average guys around the world playing on the streets and in backyards, it seems more evident that Konami knows that it's got the heart of the world's diehard soccer fans. The presentation looks sleek as usual with a happy J-Poppy house tune replacing the glowstick-waving trance of WEs past. English Premiership fans can count a small victory this year, as Chelsea and Arsenal have now made their way to the WE lineup, although Liverpool fiends still have to edit the team name. The roster additions for WE 9, unfortunately, don't seem as deep as last year's game, in which the Spanish and Dutch leagues were added. The usual modes are still the same in regard to functionality. Players can still pick from an Exhibition Match, the insanely detailed management-oriented Master League, League play, Cup, and Training, which any novice will need to study with the level of attention usually devoted .
However, the most noticeable new feature is Network play. That's right, after three games on PS2 and one on Xbox (even though, in all fairness, owners of ol' black n' green had to wait eons just to get a WE title on their system), Winning Eleven is finally going online in North America. Unfortunately, it's still unconfirmed whether players can upload roster changes, a feature that would completely seal the deal and eliminate complaints about the lack of authentic licensing. Roster changes and the painstaking detail that European gamers will go through to get real team and player name edits seems to have made game save peripherals like the X-Port a cottage industry in Europe. However, with PSP data transfer new to the PS2 game, gamers will likely have a much easier time downloading a roster change to the PSP game and uploading it to the PS2. Xbox players might have to do all the dirty work themselves, unless again, players can upload roster changes to Xbox Live.
It also seems, unfortunately, that online communications are restricted to typing. Admittedly, voice chat is a double-edged sword, but it beats reaching over to type on a USB keyboard or grunting out monosyllabic statements with your Dual Shock. It's still unconfirmed if Xbox Live will support voice chat.
Regarding gameplay, it looks as rich as ever. Breezing through the Tutorial Mode to see what's new, Winning Eleven 9 is equally as intimidating for a newbie as any of the previous titles were. There are multiple ways to pull off basic functions, many of which pick up n' play gamers will probably never use, such as the ability to cross high, low, or more mid-air. Same goes for regular and through passes. Anyone who's been sharpening their blades on WE 8 should find themselves right at home with this new game's ball-handling. Judging by the exhibition I played and the first few matches of Master League I sampled, the AI is still as vicious as ever. Any newcomers to the series who skip Tutorial Mode and goes straight to the game will be smoked faster than a Marlboro Red in Denis Leary's pocket. Outside of taunting and showboating on the pitch, the CPU plays about as aggressively and intelligently as any opponent you'll face online or over Live.
Visually, Winning Eleven has never been as pretty as FIFA, but looks aren't why most soccer fans prefer the franchise. This year's game still doesn't seem to look as good as FIFA, but the animation responds much more fluidly to both ball-handling and action than past titles. Ball physics feel like they respond more realistically than in past titles, and the on-pitch gameplay in Winning Eleven 8 was excellent. Considering the constant licensing issues that the series has faced over the years, the visuals still don't look too bad, even if they're lower on the priority list for most WE fanboys.
Sometimes, I, as both soccer fan and game critic, genuinely wonder if even I'm hardcore enough to play Winning Eleven. The level of complexity in this near-complete code is infinitely deeper than anything found on the next-gen version of FIFA. The Master League looks intimidatingly deep in scope, as players will be able to handle nearly everything that a manager could, outside of certain real-life controversies. We weren't able to try the PSP version, but hopefully, it should have all of the complexity of the console versions with minimal loading. All around, long time fans will be happy with this new version and its online play, and newcomers should be enticed by its complexity as well as the option of getting completely smeared all over
The Winning Eleven franchise has been a part of soccer fans’ games collection since the inception of the PlayStation, with the International Superstar Soccer series being the effective ancestor of the franchise, on the retro Genesis and SNES.
Known as the Pro Evolution series in Europe, the Winning Eleven series has had the unenviable task of competing with the huge FIFA set of games. Up until recently, the FIFA series dominated the soccer scene. However, fans of the WE series have grown in number and FIFA finally has a worthy adversary. More than worthy, in fact.
The latest outing from Konami adds on the already bulging features from the previous game. The one thing which has blighted the WE series from the start is the licensing issues. For years, fans that tired of the FIFA series have had to cope with dubious falsehoods such as players called Roberto Larcos and David Bickhom. Thankfully, the game has progressed a long way since then, and in this new outing, fans will be pleased to hear that Konami have sealed the license to English powerhouses Arsenal and Chelsea. They will be joined by other licensed leagues, including the Spanish La Liga and the Dutch Eurodivisie. Unfortunately, the game is still not fully licensed, but that is more than made up for in regards to the gameplay; which is utterly flawless.
I have always been a fan of Konami’s football (yes, kids, the rest of the world doesn’t recognize the word “soccer”) series, and it pleases me immensely to find that this entry doesn’t disappoint. The series had perfect gameplay from the first outing, and Konami have added little touches every time to make the experience more enjoyable. However, this time the game seems slightly fuller of changes than when the last game was released; and it is nice to see that Konami is not scared of adapting ideas. When in a match, the game feels more like a real soccer game rather than a computer game. Player animations are more realistic, likenesses are much more like their real-life counterparts (Most notably, the David Beckham model looks photo-realistic) and the atmosphere in-game is so much more realistic than its previous incarnations.
More statistics have been included, including a middle-shooting special ability star, which determines how skilled a player is at shooting from long range. New player positions have been added to accommodate specific playing styles, such as the ‘Wingback’ role (Suited to Roberto Carlos or Cafu) and ‘Second Striker’ role (Suited to Kaka or Wayne Rooney). A power metre has been included for most actions, including passing; which allows more control over your style of play. Chipping the goalkeeper when you are through on goal even seems to have been improved, as the ball seems to have more life. The ball moves more realistically, and swerves in the air when hit by more skilful players (A David Beckham free-kick for example, swerves madly in the air when you are adept at taking free-kicks).
Online play is included, in the PC version at least. PS2 and Xbox versions are expected to feature an online mode, which would make a great game so much better. Nonetheless, the game is still very challenging when playing against the computer, with difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 5 stars, with the fiendish 6 star level being an unlockable. The master league is back, where you take a team of no-hopers and transform them into a world-beating squad.
I got a taste of 4 clubs, which are fully licensed: Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Valencia. Despite the very limited selection, it allowed me to experience the thrilling gameplay first hand. At the end of the first half, the match ends and you are left screaming for more (provided you aren’t some sort of zombie) - this is a game that causes you to keep wanting to play. If you’re a soccer fan, expect many nights staring at the clock which displays 5am, and muttering to yourself
SCREEN SHOOT
SYSTEM REQIRMENTS
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Intel Pentium III 800MHz or equivalent processor (AthlonTM/DuronTM/Celeron) 128 MB RAM 4X DVD-ROM Drive NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 Video card DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card DirectX 8.1 or higher (included on the disc) Network(TCP/IP 128 kbps or higher) 1.1GB free hard disk space Recommended: Windows 2000/XP Intel Pentium 4 1.4GHz processor 256 MB RAM DirectX 8.1 or higher (included on the disc) Network(TCP/IP 1.5Mbps or higher) 3GB free hard disk space
GAME INFO
developer: Konami
publisher: Konami
genre: sports / soccer
platform: PC / Windows
مساحة اللعبه
290 MB
الان مع التحميل
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