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to my W.E. junkie brothers in Canada and U.S.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

this is a must get. i'm sure you've heard all about it online. been playing it for almost a year now (japanese version), and i'm still hooked to it. i'm not gonna bored you with all the details of the game, but i can say that at first it'll feel totally different from WE8. you may not score many goals in the beginning, but just be patient. it'll take you a while to get use to the controls. the gameplay is SMOOOOOOOOOOOOTH, even with all the players on your screen. it's like playing the series for the first time, but once you've got it down, this game is just too addictive.

hope to see you all online!

THE definitive footie game for the true soccer purist.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Winning Eleven has consistantly bettered itself over the years and, not surprisingly, again this year.
There is not a terrible amount of new additions and it may be debateable as to whether a purchase is warranted if you already have last years entry.
This time around a new control scheme has been thrown in that really takes the playability to a new level. Now one on one moves are done with the left joystick on the PS2. This ads a whole new dimension to the controls and allows for a more precise and fair feeling scheme. It is a bit unothodox at first but after a few games I was very comfortable with it and I look forward to seeing exactly how proficient a tool I can make this new tactic.
As with before everything else is perfect. THe only thing still missing is more authorized teams and jerseys, but there are actually more included this time around, though still not as many as with FIFA 06. Still, if you are a true soccer fan and a purist of the sport, then there is no comparison. Winning Eleven is THE game for all footie fans. Excellent and fun...even for non soccer fans.

Once again, Winning Eleven is the best.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

\Konami excels (again) with Winning Eleven 9 and its slightly improved graphics (PS2 got to its limits, we can't ask for more. But PS3 is coming!), awesome controls and big variety of moves.

Now we all know which the big problem with Winning Eleven is; the lack of licenses that don't allow them to have the name of certain players and teams. Unfortunately EA makes so much money from the Madden and NBA Live series that it makes them have the main contracts with FIFA. But still you find tons of names here and it's certainly better than before.

Everything is improved and actualized and let's say, pretty close to reality. If you play with England you have and awesome team with Owen and Rooney scoring goals and Lampard, Gerrard and Beckamp playing as midfielders with all the skills that we all know they have in real life.
With Brazil it's even hard to decide which players you want in the field with all those names and the teams have also perfect formation systems. Not one detail was left aside, even Ronaldinho plays as a left forward instead of playing behind the central forward like in WE8, because in real life, that's his position today in Barcelona.

But the most important thing here is the controls and the visuals. WE series have always being superior to other football (or soccer if you prefer) videogames and beats EA's FIFA series year after year. Especially this one in which FIFA 2006 is so boring it doesn't even have a camera to watch close and horizontally. I mean let's get real. Getting a game in which you even choose your sponsors may be cool, like with FIFA 2006. But playing a game with awesome controls, more and better looking moves and that it's actually ENTERTAINING while you are playing on the field, is way more important.

If you have the money (and the time) to buy both games, then that's fine. But if you can only buy and/or play one, make no mistake. Winning Eleven 9 is THE game. Heck, WE as a game, graphically with those motions and controls, is even superior to the 2K series and its basketball, football and baseball games. In the States "soccer" may not be popular, but WE has demonstrated being the best sports game out there, period.
Here you have hours and hours of pure entertainment. Leagues, cups, training. You can learn the new moves or start creating your own strategies according to the skills of the players that you have. Even new positions were added (Winning back and Second Top). And don't worry about difficulty. Level 6 provides a good challenge even for experts.

Nothing else to say. Winning Eleven 9 = The best.

...disappointment...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 8
Date: February 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am winning eleven player since 1996!!! Ten years playing all the games it is the WORST of all. KONAMI slightly improved the gameplay BUT the referee system SUCKS. And you will notice it while you play the game especially at six stars. The game becomes unnatural especially when you have a small team against a big better team. I don't know why they have done this but I think it is the worst game of all. I will wait for number 6...

natrually the best soccer gamein the world :)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

ive been playing wining eleven since supernintendo when it was calld international super star soccer /delux and for over 10 years iam kinda waiting they could ruin the game so ican quiet and start playing any other sports but i guess they never give me the chance so iam bound to play every wining eleven for life which thats what i tought from the first time i played the game any way if you dont want to get adicted like me go away run for your life so iam gona give it 5 stars life sentence :)

WOOOOOOW !!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: February 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

What can i say????? There`s no mistake, it`s a must have. Buy it!!!!!!

Brilliance Personified

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: February 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Winning Eleven 8 made my jaw drop when I first bought it last year. I didn't think Konami could go any better. The graphics were better, the player AI was better, it was all improved and was wondering how they would make it any better for Winning Eleven 9. After picking up WE9 yesterday, I have noticed, they did make it better, in a way that is hard to describe in a mere review.

Where to start in my review of WE9? First off the graphics I think. Now I'll be honest, the graphics haven't improved in any significant way but you can see slight differences. The players looks slightly smoother and more defined but other than that, the graphics haven't changed at all. I doubt Konami could go any better either, if they had gone for the graphics that FIFA currently have, the game would spontaneously combust as soon as you started a match due to all the other stuff Komami have in the game. I really don't think it's a bad thing not having the best graphics, afterall, we Winning Eleven folks prefer gameplay to graphics!

Next, the player AI. This has improved imensely. One thing that did bother me at times in WE8 and previous ones, were the jaggedness of the player runs. They moved rather stifly when they turned and ran and being able to only turn in about 8 different directions was slightly poor. This has all changed. The players move a lot more freely now, in any direction you wish. They turn slower, being more realstic. They adjust their body reaction on how the ball moves. They run more fluently and bounce, not seemingly float with their legs pumping in previous versions. Players jump on other players' shoulders to get the ball from the air. Tustling for the ball has become much more realistic with different varieties involed. The players runs are slightly better, not looking as stiff. Everything you can think of in player AI has improved no end. I feel like I'm watching a real game when Jermain Defoe brings the ball down, back to goal, and needs to shrug off the defender, so as a result he turns well, but slower, but sooooooo much more realisticly. Passing from the players perspective is brilliant. Players adjust their legs and feet to get the best contact on the ball for receiving and playing a pass. Likewise, when shooting, the players have their own natural way of getting their foot to the ball in the best way and the realism in this is great because, as has been mentioned before, you want this to feel like a real game of football. Goalkeepers have improved, and won't watch the ball as it just edges past the post like in WE8. In WE9, they'll dive for everything, even if they know it's wide/over.

Now the gameplay. Slower, but much much more realistic. You can forget easing past players on 2 stars and 3 stars straight away, you need to use moves, or time you sidestep to perfection. This encourages you to move around more and pass more, and with certain players, they will know to get into space and help you out when you're stuck in a corner. It is true, the referee does blow for quite a few things, but you need to time your tackles well and it's very rewarding when you do. The opposition will keep the ball a lot more now, and it'll be harder to get it off them. Forget winning 50-50 balls by just holding R1 and hoping to get there first, the computer is intelligent, and will nick the ball away and it'll be hard to get it back. Likewise, when you yourself have the ball, you need to hold onto it. It's harder to play passes now. You need to time them well, and also place them when you know it's the right time. Through balls are harder but long passes have improved slightly, making it easier to run onto them, but you'll need a quick player up front who can do that.

In other things, the Master League is slightly more in depth, and now, you can play as a normal team with match mode players with their stats normal and not changed just for ML. So Rooney starts 19 and doesn't change to 30 like in previous versions.

A few gripes. This may sound sad, but in WE8, the one thing I loved about it up there with the gameplay, were the nets themselves. They were sooooooo realistic, the most real I've ever seen in a game. I got such a thrill seeing a ball crash into the net and see the net ripple in response to the ball hitting it, but also seeing the ball respond to the net, it it so cool looking and I enjoyed my goals more that way. But in WE9, the nets have taken a slight dive. They are weaker, so the nets bulges a lot more, but unfortunately, the response to the ball is a jagged bulge and it looks horrible. The old FIFA's like 98/99 used to have nets that just bulged in a jagged way to accent the ball, this happens in WE9, on the net stretched unrealistically. It is only where the ball hit's that looks horrible, the net response outside the area hits looks very nice and real. Secondly, and probably more valid, are the crowd. You won't see any crowd in the stadiun when playing a match. Sounds weird, but Konami took it out due to the lag it would cause. In replays and cut scenes (ie, corner, freekicks), the crowd are there. You may not see them during the match, but they are in full song. They are less responsive though. You won't hear an "Oooooooooooooooooh" if the ball just wizzes over or past the post, there's no sound like that unless the keeper saves the ball so it goes wide or over for a corner. They do respond when you win the ball and lose it though, which sounds cool, but they cut out the important parts involving the crowd and this takes a bit out of the game for me.

Overall, this game is brilliant. There's more edit options for everything, an easier menu, and the league, ML, tournaments.etc all go more in depth. Despite a few minor gripes, the game is superb and has improved very much, I greatly recommend buying this game. You'll be addicted for hours at a time like last time out!

Pro Evolution Soccer 5

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Autumn is upon us and with it comes a few guarantees. The nights are becoming darker and colder; leaves are changing colour, falling from trees and clogging up gutters across the land and shops are starting to play Xmas songs on loop. But its not all doom and gloom cause autumn also means its time for the release of the next edition of Pro Evo!

The general format of the game is the same as its predecessor but its been given the makeover treatment with new look menu screens, intro and background music. There's a new layout to choosing your side, which works very well, but other than that the menu screens, are the same as PES4. As usual fully licensed teams are limited but there have been a few additions such as Chelsea and Arsenal to the starting selection that will help things tick over until you get a fully edited option file. (I'm sure I speak on behalf of all Pro Evo fanatics when I say a big "thank you" to those geeks who spend days sorting out every last detail for the convenience of the masses)

There's a different feel to controlling the players, which means you'll have to adapt your style of play if you're used to PES4. To begin with it seems that the player's are a little slower when turning or dribbling past an opponent and their ability to tackle is weaker. But the more you play the easier it becomes and you discover it's all about the timing of pressuring the man on the ball or taking a different approach to beating a man. The number of new skills and movements isn't overwhelming but its good to see they have fine-tuned some of the basic manoeuvres and added some extra animations to things like heading. All the new touches make the game appear even more realistic than previous versions but also a greater challenge, so if you like arcade style action then this isn't for you. But that's always been the case, if you like to score pretty looking goals without any depth and realism to the surrounding interplay then get FIFA.

The standard cup and leagues are still there along with the Master League so there's nothing fresh to inform you about. To some Master League is a slog not worth bothering with but to others, myself included, its what makes the game have an everlasting appeal. The haggling over transfers and training a player up from scratch is not an easy task but it brings great rewards. But the real excitement comes when you pitch your wits against a human opponent (or opponents if you have a multi-tap). Competition tends to get fairly heated and you find yourself shouting out and punching the air when you get a cheeky last minute winner. You don't have long to bask in the glory though as there's always another challenger waiting in the wings to take you on or the loser immediately demands a re-match.

Once again the stats are very accurate so you can clearly see the difference in ability between the individual players. Ronaldinho even has his `flick-flack' dribble, which is very satisfying when executed to perfection and puts you through on goal.

The graphics are top notch and are accentuated by the realistic player movements. They've included a few extra cut scenes for fouls and in the opening sequence some extra crowd footage along with different camera angles around the stadium. Unfortunately the commentary hasn't been drastically improved and quite a lot of it is the same as PES4. But if you're a long-term follower of the Pro Evo ways you'll be used to blanking out Trevor Booking's irrelevant drones by now. The background music has been funked up which at times sounds a bit like the music from Seinfeld on Speed. But to be honest they could make the background music some of Essex's wildest garage tunes and it still wouldn't put me off getting the game because its excellent gameplay rules above everything else.

So, is it worth upgrading to Konami's latest version of the great game? Of course it is. It's a new and improved formula and even though the changes aren't massive they are there and open up a whole new barrel of tactics to try out. Plus, if you don't get PES5 and all your mates have it then you'll be left pissing in the wind a lot of the time cause the shooting power bar isn't the same.

Same situation as before really, if you love football then this is another step closer to the real thing and you'll own it already, or at least have it reserved. Hours and hours of pleasure await you.

9 out of 10

Still the Best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: February 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven series continues to impress with this new installment. There are plenty of new features including a brand new physics system that allows your players to move around the pitch more realistically. This also prevents easy goals as your shots are no longer automatically aimed at the goal, you'll now have to trigger your own shots with greater accuracy. The controls are tighter than ever before that even the most skilled Winning Eleven players will have to adjust to the new style. Not to fear as this isn't a burden, it gives the game even more of a realistic feel. Players in the game will lose control of the ball as in real life and jostle for position when a cross in coming in or a clearance has been made. One problem in the new features is the amount of calls by referees for simple fouls that really shouldn't stop the game from continuing.

There are 138 clubs and 57 International teams present, but be aware that many of them are not licensed and do not carry their official kits or crests. But there is still plenty of new licensed clubs and kits most notably the addition of big name clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Rangers, Celtic, and Galatasaray. Licensed leagues are present including the Italian Serie A, Dutch Eredivisie, and Spanish Primera. This includes all of their clubs with the exception of Italy's Cagliari Calcio. There are plenty of stadiums to choose from all of which are highly detailed and true to their real life counterparts, with the exception of some official names. Anything that isn't licensed in the game however, can be edited to precision in the expansive Edit mode feature within the game. This is the cornerstone of the Winning Eleven series aside from the exciting game play. In Edit mode you can change and alter anything from boots, stadiums, kits, crests, players, and much more.

The list of moves that can be performed in the game are seemingly unlimited and each play a great deal of depth and precision to your own "game." Many of them can be triggered easily, while others can be quite difficult and require practice. This is where the game's excellent training mode comes in as it will help novices and veterans alike in showing off some key moves, passing drills, and other training skills alike. The graphics are wonderful, with great player models and backgrounds. The crowd could use some work however, and player faces could use a bit more emotion than they currently express in situations. Kits are spot on and look great, most of which are so detailed you can see the mesh holes and minor details perfectly.

Another key feature is online play, which most gamers these days want in a game. The online play is just as expansive but your saved edits in the game cannot be used online. This has a good and bad side. The good is that nobody will be able to cheat by using statistical edited players to help them win. The bad side is that the rosters in the game are so out of date or incorrect that you may be a bit disappointed that edits cannot be used for online play. My suggestion is to just invite a bunch of friends over and have a great time playing multi-player.

Now for the replay value of this series, the Master League. This is where you can take one of the clubs present in the game and turn them into a football powerhouse. You will go through the basics of taking care of a club through a generic UEFA style career facing against other clubs that are present in your division. You'll have great times transferring players around and keeping things fresh on your roster so that each match you play will be just as exciting and keep you playing season after season. You can even save your Master League club and use them in a match in exhibition mode. You can even link up your PSP and use the club on there for mobile action. Each match you play and every league or cup you win you'll earn WE Points that can be used to open up new items in the WE Shop. The large WE Shop is filled with plenty of goodies to open up including match balls, players, classic teams and more. Aside from all of these great features there is a new weather type where you can play in snowy climates. The commentary also lacks depth but it is forgivable.

Personally I can't stop playing this game as it takes up many hours of my day not only playing matches but editing and opening up new items. The price is definitely worth the purchase. Here is my rating system for World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 International.

Graphics - 4 out of 5
Control - 5 out of 5
Sound - 4 out of 5
Replay Value - 5 out of 5
Gameplay - 5 out of 5

The Best Soccer Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

For all winning eleven fans and even for the fans of Fifa, this game is the best soccer game ever. I have to admit I used to not like Fifa but the 2006 edition is very good. However, winning eleven excels in game play once again. The game changed a bit from previous versions. The players don't move as freely but once you get adapted to the new game play you will love it. Choose your favorite team and play soccer the way it should be done. You will not go wrong with this game. It is incredibly fun.

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