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...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...

WTF?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The first time I played winning eleven was close to 10 years ago. It was on the playstation, in japanese, and was never released in the US.
The truth is, WE is always the best soccer game. I play this series too much and know it too well. But started from WE8, a growing problem hindered me from completely enjoying the game - the CPU cheats.
When a player with a top speed of 78, acceleration 80, dribbling the ball, can outrun another who has 90 for speed and 94 for acceleration, you know something is wrong; when your opponent players are making brilliant moves while your players sit around and stare at the goal they just made, you know there's bugs in the game; and when your opponent score with a free kick from more than 30m away in injury time, while the kicker's shoot accuracy, power, technique, free kick accuracy, and curling are all below 80, you know the CPU is cheating.
In addition to the above complain, the referee is extremely irritating. He fouls you or your opponent in unnecessary circumstances; and he makes a lot of mis-foul.
I really don't mind the new control, which I think makes the game substantially more real-life. But if you add up all the little problems, it makes the game only enjoyable for beginners or when playing multi-player mode. For advance and old school players, they are likely to be disappointed by the "extreme difficulty" since the CPU is in charge of everything.

Not worth the switch from WE 8

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Being a fan of Winning Eleven for more than 6 years, I am actually disappointed in the changes that the producers made.

First, the refereing system is very bad. After some time I got scared of even touching the opposing players. Second, the added difficulty, which I welcome, has come at the expense of realism. The AI of your own teammates seems to be much lower than the AI of the computer teams. For example, every time you try to switch players, there is a very brief delay until you get control of your player and direct him to where you want to go. Another example would be the time it takes for your players to join you while attacking from the sides. You wait and wait and turn around a few times before they realize that they are supposed to run forward (this is despite my all attack quick setting and forward arrows put to the individual player instructions). Final example is about when you are pressing for the ball. When you are pressing, the player you control switches right when you close the gap with an opposing player.

And there are some very stupid errors. For example, when the play is progress, the seats look empty. However, from a different viewing angle (i.e. during repeats) the stadium looks full. Finally, it really bothers me to have a dark screen for around four-five seconds when there is a substitution (the first time there is a substituion in each game there is a dark screen that keeps you waiting).

Everything being said, this game is still much better than its EA counterpart. However, I do not think it is worth to pay $40s to replace your WE8 with a WE9.

Not that great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 23
Date: July 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The game is fun only when you play exhibition mode. The actual game is way too hard unless you are super experienced in this type of game. I am not so I have a REALLY hard time beating the easiest teams. You can try to score up to 50 times before actually getting it in the goal. If you buy this game you may also have alot of frustrating moments. for example: I was using Argentina and I was going against South Korea. I kept trying to get the ball in the goal over and over again but it always missed. On the other hand South Korea Tried to get a goal two times and got them both. The game has a very real feel that is fun for a while but gets very annoying. I would say only get this game is you buy a lot of soccer games.

realistic gameplay does not make it fun.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 21
Date: June 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Instead of opting for a arcade feel, this time konami decided to make it more realistic. This is a huge mistake, and hopefully konami will not continue this trend. While i have to admit that this is the most realistic soccer game, it is also in my humble opinion the worst winning eleven games. What made other game in the past fun was perfect passing and easier goal, unfortunaely this game is quite just the opposite. It so real, it not fun.
In fact the control have to get a little use to even if you are like me and have play other winning eleven games. In fact this time the control are a lot harder to use and to learn. I had to spent 2 hours just to learn the new control.
Simply put if you want to try a more realistic soccer game, and have own the other winning eleven games, then do pick this up, and i am quite sure you will agree with me.
One last thing i forgot to mention is you won't be able to see the crown when you are in the game, you can still see them in the video but not when you are playing the games. The ps2 just doesn't have enough memory to support it if it want smooth gameplay.

Miles better than FIFA but not as good as last one

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off ive only played the PAL version (Pro evoloution soccer 5) but its virtuall the same game.

I totally agree with the "Fatman", if you play on levels three ot higher the compute cheats all the time. i.e if Thierry Henry is sprinting down the left wing and the computer is playing as a fairly average Premiership team (like Villa) every defender will catch him even when they are 4-5 yard behind.

The computer can also get away with cutting across you when your through on goal and a free kick or penalty will never be given, but you only need to go near a computer controlled player in the middle of the pitch and they go down as easily as that spanish guy in Tuesdays Champions League game.

Another thing that bugs me is on difficulter levels the computer has so much posession, you can never get the ball off them, and when you do your passes are easily accepted.

Ive played this series since the 98 version and this is the naffest game in the series.

Sort it out for next year Konami.

Porky O' Bacon
UK

Realistic?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I don't know what half of you "wankers" are talking about. Sure the physics engine and ball play might be "realistic" but I would rather not sacrifice enjoyment for such "realism". Honestly, it seems like the game is working against the human player rather than creating a fun and engaging experience for him.

Again, the referee system in the game is a tad bit more than unfair which, in a less extreme form might be realistic, but at the level it presents itself in Winning Eleven, its just outrageous. To be called on a perfectly legitimate steal or have my only goal taken from me on a completely B.S. offsides call at least once a game makes me want to puke. Somehow even the computer generated announcers seemed to know that such calls were "harsh".

Furthermore, that the AI's players would be given such a leg up on my own players makes for a thoroughly unenjoyable game. For godsakes, my teammates couldn't hardly create a moderately tight defense to save their computer-generated, non-existent lives.

Look elsewhere for your footy, folks-ahem-FIFA-cause this one ain't worth the energy (much less money).

Good but could be much better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm using for about 3 weeks, and it's a really good game, buy it.

However it could be much better if it offered more international teams, like Ghana, and the possibility to lengthen 2 players match times.
It should also offer flexible tournment setting for 2 players to save on the memory card.

I don't think any game offers these desired features so go for this. Graphics are clear(could be better) and commentary is available in many languages.

Winning Eleven 9

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: May 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just traded in FIFA '06 for this game. The atmosphere is great, and the game makes you feel like you're watching a soccer game on TV. The graphics are very good, better than FIFA in my opinion. Yes, the faces on the players during the cutscenes of FIFA '06 look better than the faces in WE9. But, the overall look of WE9 is better than FIFA '06. The stadiums, lighting effects, weather, and animations all look phenomenal. The animations are possibly the best in any sports game available. The controls are very in-depth, but you can easily play the game effectively without learning all of the special moves.

Now for the bad. FIFA '06 has a lot more licensed teams. WE9 has a good amount, but definitely not as much of a selection when compared to FIFA '06. Arsenal and Chelsea are the biggest additions to this year's installment, but, those are the only licensed teams of the English Premier League. I believe you can go to the Winning Eleven 9 website to vies all the teams they have available. Anyway, you are able to rename any teams that you want. So, you can change "Man Red" to Manchester United. You can also change the uniforms to anything you want to, the team emblems, and the team flags. Also, you can rename the stadiums. I renamed all the teams that needed it, and it took me about 90 minutes to do so. Also, if you're a fan of the U.S. national team, you'll have to rename all the players on the roster, as none of them are on there. Also, you'll have to change the appearance of some of them.

Now for the biggest gripe, and it's a big one. When I first bought the game, I thought it was great. There are five difficulty settings, 1 star is the easiest and 5 stars being the most difficult. I started on the second star to learn the game and I was able to win all the games I played. Then, I bumped the difficulty level up to 3 stars. The game becomes nearly impossible at this point. The opposing team will ALWAYS outrun you. It doesn't matter if you have the fastest player on the game and they have the slowest player with the ball, they'll outrun you. Not only is this cheap, but you will find that you have the absolute dumbest teammates in sports gaming history. These idiots will RUN AWAY from the ball. Also, there are way too many fouls called. If I try to challenge an opposing player for the ball, a foul will almost always be called. That reduces me to hoping for a loose-ball interception from my player or one of my dunce teammates (which still hasn't happened after about 25 games).

Even though the game appears to cheat on the third level of difficulty, I can say that the game is very challenging and makes you work hard. I hope that I can become perfect at the game so I don't always lose. Constantly competing against a cheating A.I. (that's artificial intelligence for you non-gamers) will make you very frustrated and want to break your controller in half and throw it at the game developers. Hey, at least the games last longer than in FIFA '06. Instead of a game lasting 30 minutes at most with FIFA, a WE9 game will usually take about 50 minutes when you play for the longest time allowed.

If you buy this game, be prepared to have a love/hate relationship with it, and be prepared to be ver angry for a lot of the time.

Audio: 4/5 (good commentary, sound effects, and crowd noise)
Gameplay and controls: 5/5 (perfect for a soccer game)
Graphics: 4/5 (faces lack a bit of detail, but animations are phenomenal)
Fun: 3/5 (so frustrating that a lot of fun is lost)

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!

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