Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

"Play online, please."

In the last few years, football (as in "soccer", you American folks) games haven't shown any new kind of functions, with each year's versions being quite similar to previous ones, bearing simple roster updates. Well, this game is not different, and despite small new features, not much has changed.

The main menu, as usual, features the exhibition mode, a tournament option, and a "World Tour", which simply allows you to face all the national teams available in the game, while controlling a team created by yourself.

Curiously, this very same team is the most original thing available in the game: you start with certain players, who are just random players that can hardly face more powerful teams, and by winning matches, you acquire coins, which can then be used in a machine. For each coin spent, a capsule will be awarded, which contains a random player, taken from the teams that you already defeated, in the "World Tour" mode. Golden coins, awarded by completing special targets, can be also won, and they let you play as the most important players, such as Deco, Ronaldinho, Figo, or your favourite stars. Unfortunately, this turns out being fully random, and you may have problems in finding them, if you are a fan of a particular player.

Since that is the only way to add a player to your personalized team, some fans may be turned off by the gameplay, as most football games tend to let you add whoever you like. This flaw could be fixed with a simple addition of an option that allows people to trade their current players. Unfortunately, such option is only available for local users, via wireless, alongside with local matches, either multi-cart or by having a single cart for two people. The Wifi mode is simply used for online matches, either against people next door or someone from the other side of the world, provided they have access to the popular Nintendo service.

When it comes to matches, it is a pity that this game has gone complex, more complex than it should. Both in former FIFA and PES titles, switching players or changing tactics could be done by simply clicking in two options. This game requires at least four, and even this process is slightly complicated to perform, with the task of switching goalkeepers being specially dangerous, as you don't have any way to check their specific stats, unlike it happens to the field players.

After entering the field, you will notice even more of this game's flaws: there are several points where the player runs out of your control (when chasing the ball, for example), the A.I. suffers from some basic flaws and, more important than all, the game becomes laggy when there are too many people near a goal area.

As most football games, this product has a good replay value, alongside with high replayability, provided you have access to the Wifi mode. You can, literally, spend hundreds of hours collecting new players, personalizing your team and facing several opponents, either locally or online.

The graphics are nothing special, reminding me of the first games of this type, released in this very same console, some months ago. Bearing in mind that products such as "Final Fantasy III" or "Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City" were shown for this very same console, such lack of quality is slightly inexcusable. The animations are interesting, with various celebrations available, but you can only change the camera angles (or control the replay) after goals, with missed (yet good) shots being simply shown as minor, or unimportant.

The sound isn't very good, with loud cheers sounding like rain falling on the street, and the menus feature pretty generic music.

So, who should get this game? Basically, the players who are interested in a handheld football game, one that they can play online. The other features seem to contain some flaws, which may harm your gameplay sequences.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/07