Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

"Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer"

Konami is back with its yearly edition of Winning Eleven Soccer, now with a slightly different name. In Europe, the franchise is known as Pro Evolution Soccer, so Konami has combined both names and named this year's game, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007. The franchise has always been known for playing a strong game of soccer, and it delivers yet again on most fronts.

The franchise has always been known for great gameplay, and the 2007 game is very accessible for all gamers whether you're a soccer novice, or a well-crafted veteran. The gameplay feels very natural and doesn't suffer from the simple gripes I have with past soccer games that made basic dribbling and passing of the ball a chore. My only gripe with the gameplay is that on defense, whenever the ball is passed the AI automatically assigns you to what should be the closest player to the ball, unfortunately a little too often that is not the case. It ended up resulting in a few blown plays that shouldn't have happened.

Even though Winning Eleven features great soccer, its main competitor on the market, EA's FIFA has far more official teams in the game. Konami did manage to get the official teams of Spain, Holland, Italy, Argentina, and Sweden in the game, as well as Arsenal and Manchester United from the English Premiership teams. The rest of teams just have random names for their players, however Konami did include an in-depth Edit mode where players can be renamed and customized so you can get each country's team to closely resemble their real life counterparts.

Seeing as how this is the fifth Winning Eleven title to hit the PS2 in North America, it comes as no surprise to see Konami have a boatload of game modes to choose from - much like how a fifth Madden game would. The Master League is the main single player mode, which is a lot like many other sports games Career & Franchise modes. Just like those modes you have to deal with many off season options like player salaries and retiring players who are far past their prime. The International Challenge is a new mode that allows custom leagues and cup competitions to be set up using your team of choice. If all that sounds like a bit much there are training modes and exhibition matches that allow you to jump right into a game or practice up to hone your skills. To top it all off, there is online play for up to eight players, which is a big improvement from the two players that were supported online last year. My online experiences all went well with very little to no lag apparent whatsoever, it felt just like an offline game!

Unfortunately, also like a fifth Madden title on a system, Winning Eleven 2007 doesn't have a whole lot of new material to showcase in the graphics and sound department. It seems like Konami got the most out of the PS2 hardware, and the series looks ready for a next-gen makeover. What is here gets the job done though, the player models look very nice (just don't expect them to wow you) and the in game action moves at a very good framerate. In-game sound effects are right on the money, but the cheesy menu music seems out of place and grows annoying quickly. Winning Eleven regulars Peter Brackley and Sir Trevor Brooking return to do commentating again, and provide a basic analysis, with not a whole lot to add to the game.

If there is one thing I want to see Konami do to improve the Winning Eleven franchise (besides having more official teams) is to give the series‘ presentation a makeover. Include a more fitting score instead of the aforementioned cheesy background music. Redesign the in-game score overlays and give the replays some slick transitions so it feels like you're watching an actual soccer game on television. The current presentation is very dry, and simply doesn't get the job done. Also Konami, please work on memory compression, dedicating two megs for a save file is a bit much to ask out of the standard 8 meg PS2 memory card.

Konami released Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 on the PS2 and Xbox 360 this year, but don't be fooled into thinking the 360 game is a whole new next-gen experience. Avoid the 360 version at all costs, for an extra $10 it is a mere port of the PS2 version with slightly touched up visuals, no training options or International Challenge modes, slower-paced gameplay, far fewer editing options, no option to save goal replays, and only allows up to two players online.

With that said, the PS2 version of Winning Eleven is far superior than the 360 version. However, there is still some competition from EA on the PS2 market. Konami use to be the top game in town, but EA's FIFA games have greatly improved over the years. When it comes down to it, if you want to play with all the official teams and have a more energetic presentation of soccer, go with FIFA ‘07, but if you want a more in-depth and natural representation of the sport known as football everywhere except North America, then you can't go wrong with Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/07