World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 PlayStation 2

World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 PlayStation 2

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 19, 2006 | 6 out of 6 found this World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 review helpful

Pros: Game Control

Cons: Sound

On the pitch, WE9 is vintage Winning Eleven. The sublime control is simple to pick up and play and the very definition of intuitive. As you improve in the game and open the instruction manual, you will be pleasantly surprised with the incredible dept...h of the moves list. From set pieces to dribbling to crosses to shots, there is a tremendous variety of different ways to move the ball and put it in the net, utilizing a number of different button combinations. Each year as the series evolves, Konami keeps the core gameplay intact because, if it aint broke…Just as in WE8, gameplay changes in WE9 are very subtle. There's a bit more jostling and physical play off the ball. There are a lot more dinky fouls this year. It's more difficult to score from the wings and you can't rely on headers from a corner cross. That's not to say you can't score on a cross, but you'll need to utilize different attack methods, like through balls, chip shots and shots from distance, in order to score consistently. Again, these are subtle changes that further refine the best-playing soccer game out there. Of course, subtle refining is really where the series has always shined through the years. A great way to learn the long list of dribbles, passes, shots and traps is to go through the different training modes offered, which are set up very well. The moves are explained in depth and you are taught the best situations in which to use them. As always with Winning Eleven, it will take you a while to learn all the moves in the game and be able to use them intuitively. Soon, many moves will become invaluable to your attack, like taking control of a player on a through pass that is about to be intercepted and cutting in front to receive the pass. Unfortunately, Winning Eleven makes very small steps forward in terms of presentation, sound and graphics. Presentation has traditionally been the weak spot of the franchise, and that holds true with WE9. The menu system has been cleaned up a bit from WE8 -- especially the very clunky team select menu -- but overall the menus are a bit confusing and aren't intuitive at all -- the exact opposite of the gameplay. Of course, you can't talk about a Winning Eleven title without mentioning the lack of licenses, which hurts on a few levels. First, kudos to Konami for landing a few more licenses, notably Italy's Serie A and English Premiere teams Arsenal and Chelsea. This is only the second game that has featured licensed teams in the series, but we can't stress how lame it feels to play Arsenal against Man Red instead of Manchester United. Read more Less