World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International

"Best Football (Soccer) Game Out There"

World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International

Reviewer's Note:
As not from a US area I usually refer Soccer as the common term as the rest of the world as Football - which is from the name Association Football which is the correct name for Soccer

There aren't many Football games left in the market, with only Fifa series (EA Sports) and Winning Eleven (Konami) as the few left in the market - with many vendors leaving the market because of inability to compete with the leaders.

There have been numerous debates on which game is the better game in which this review will partly be a comparison between the FIFA series and the Winning Eleven 7 to clarify about some of the similarities and differences in these games.

Game Info:
Players: 1 - 8 (with 2 multi taps)
Learning Curve: 1-2 hours (to play), a lifetime to master, has tutorial inside

Graphics: 8/10
Though I'm rather impressed with graphics in Winning Eleven to be done very well, I've given it a lower score because of the Fifa franchise has better 3D graphic engine overall. However other than how realistic things look like, the major advantage of the Winning Eleven series is that the game is more fluid, which this would be described later on the game play.

Game Play: 10/10
The magic of Winning Eleven why it is the choice of football game in this part of the world is from the fact that the game play in Winning Eleven beats FIFA. I've found FIFA games to be somewhat like ping pong, bouncing the ball back and forth, and not really that fluid like Winning Eleven. There are many actions that can be done in the new edition of Winning Eleven - coupled with old moves from the earlier games. The dribbling with dash done at certain times can trick defenders, which is an old and trusty trick. A new feature that really adds to the game play is the let in which the referee will let the game go on even if a foul was committed - if an advantage is gained. Also video replays are interesting which slows why the referee do things as they have done. The goal keepers in this game seem to be alot smarter, and as the earlier part, as the player you can tell them when to get out from the line, which makes the offensive team have to be aware of the goalkeeper instead of always doing cheeky lob shots all the time. Another interesting addition is the right analog sticks can also be used for power dribbling which adds new dimension to the game.

To sum everything up, the game play and how accurate the game play is to Football makes this game a gem. Football is fluid, and the game also has to be fluid ;)

Soundtrack/Sound/Commentary: 6/10
The soundtrack is rather bland, not very memorable. The sound effects are done rather well which gives the mode of the stadium. The major drawback is that the commentary in the Winning Eleven series aren't done very well. The commentary seem bland, and cut and paste, and not very coherent, which is very unlike the EA Sports game that have very good commentary in all their sports series. This is one area that Winning Eleven should improve on dramatically.

Replayability- 8/10
There are many modes to play in this game. The first is the arcade mode that allows you to quickly play games. The second mode is MasterLeague which allows you to create your own team, and hire your own players. There are also cup competitions. The player AI are strong, and there are modes of challenge from easy to hard to suite all levels of player. To couple all of that, there are tutorial modes, and playing this gives you points to buy secret bonuses. This game can keep you entertained for a long long time :)

I would suggest you to find a few friends that live close to you to play this game, as this game is best played in competitive mode with a group of close friends :)

Overall- 9/10
If you are looking for a football(soccer) game, there are mainly two games that you should take a look at - the first being FIFA and the second being Winning Eleven. On a personal note, I feel that though the game Winning Eleven may not be as refined as FIFA in graphical, or in the audio elements, lacks the endorsement of players, the Winning Eleven is my football game of choice due to its refined control that has been consistently upgraded to provide a fluid and realistic feel. As mentioned earlier, game play is more important than graphics, and that is what this review points down on why I say this game is better than the FIFA series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/04