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SIMPLY THE BEST SOCCER GAME YOUR MONEY CAN BUY |  Arend D. Hart from StationPlay says (27/Apr/2003): | Winning Eleven 6
Konami
By Arend D. Hart, Chief Editor - StationPlay
Let’s get one thing out in the open - I am no more than just a casual soccer fan. I really don’t know much about the teams, formations, plays or even the players. I really do appreciate soccer - more than any other game - I’m just too lazy to follow any sports, much less any one that takes place half way around the world. I do tend to get caught up in World Cup fever when the World Cup is being played (which, to tell you the truth, I don’t even know or understand the cycle it is on - yearly, 2yr, 3yr…hmmmm?), and every now and then I’ll flick the TV on that channel that always seems to be showing soccer games from around the world, but that’s only for as long as it takes for G4tv to change shows or until I fall asleep. So, I’m no aficionado of the footie. However, I have some solid Dutch blood (my mother is a direct immigrant - hence the name “Arend”), and I’m from the Motor City so I do understand the rules of hockey (similar to soccer, eh?), so playing fussball on my consoles over the years hasn’t been too much of a stretch - basically pick the Orange and put the ball in the net.
Since I got my first PlayStation, way back in 1996, I’ve picked up every new FIFA title (well, except for the latest FIFA 2003) and loved every one. The FIFA style that the critics call “magnet football” has always served me well. I have always felt that FIFA blew all other sports games out of the water with it’s always top-notch graphics, control and fluidity. Every year brought something new and exciting to FIFA, and I couldn’t wait for each new release. My first time playing FIFA 2002, I realized that EA had reached perfection with the FIFA series. Sure, the World Cup version released later that year had some new moves and modes not available on 2002, but I played them both extensively and all-in-all 2002 was the superior title. Last fall, EA released FIFA 2003, which has been touted as being even better than 2002, and I planned on getting it (many times I wait for a few months and let the price drop) - until I heard that Winning Eleven 6 (WE6) was finally going to get some push in the States. I put my FIFA money on hold and waited anxiously.
See, for North American gamers, FIFA has always been the end-all-be-all of soccer titles. Why? Because it’s great, and because it was our only option. Now, here at StationPlay, we see a lot of fanmail/hatemail and user reviews come across our PC’s. In fact, it’s fair to say that over the years, we’ve gotten hundreds of thousands of emails and reviews from our readers on almost any subject you can think of. Many times, we’ll see strings of fanboy-type emails about one controversial subject or another; Xbox Sucks! PS2 Rocks! Final Fantasy is kewl! - whatever. Basically, we see these and delete them immediately. Well, it was about two or three years ago that we started getting a large number of European readers, and suddenly we started seeing some strange fanboy emails; FIFA is rubbish! ISS is king!. Huh? I was dumbfounded - who was attacking my FIFA and what the hell is ISS?
I investigated…ISS stood for International Superstar Soccer - the European version of Konami’s Japanese Winning Eleven soccer series. We actually had an ISS title released in the States a few years back, but it didn’t garner much attention what with FIFA taking all of the spotlight here in the USA. Anyway, in all of my investigating I found that a majority of European gamers do feel that FIFA, even with all of its sponsorship and fanfare, truly is rubbish compared to the ISS series. Knowing that Europeans are very demanding of detail and realism in their games, I immediately found myself very interested in getting my hands on a copy of an ISS title. Over the years, I had often entertained picking up one of Konami’s MLS titles, which I figured must be a part of the ISS family, but mediocre reviews and scarce availability had me thinking differently.
Recently, G4tv began to show episodes of the UK’s Gamer.tv and GameSauce, both of which features snippets of the newest ISS Pro Evolution title. The general consensus was that ISS:PE blows FIFA out of the water on nearly every front. I was jealous - I needed to see this game.
It wasn’t soon after when I discovered that we would be seeing our own version of ISS:PE in the US, under it’s Japanese title, Winning Eleven 6. I couldn’t wait to give this game a try and see what all the fuss was about. I made the right calls, and got a copy sent ASAP. Two weeks later, and I can safely say that I have benched my beloved FIFA for a much better player.
To be honest, my first thoughts on WE6 were “What the hell is so good about this?” I mean, FIFA has all the style you could ask for - flashy graphics, long winded announcers, beautiful crown animations, fluidly animated players and more - while WE6 is, well, kinda dull. WE6 opens to the stereotypical Japanese-inspired text-heavy menu hell with mediocre music grating in the background (think any Japanese racing game). The number of options you have is staggering, and nearly makes setting up a game a chore. Hell, I have a 27” TV and I had a hard time wading through the text trying to figure out what I needed to do to simply get a game started. But after messing around for a bit, I was finally ready to hit the field.
But hitting the field wasn’t all that great at first either. WE6 seemed to lack the fluidity that made FIFA so fun. I couldn’t pass the ball right, I couldn’t shoot at all, there seemed to be no special moves, and it seemed as though I couldn’t loft or curve the ball like I could on FIFA. It really aggravated me for about half an hour, and I almost sent the game back…until I remembered having seen some tips and tricks listed for WE6 in the newest edition of Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM). I dug my copy of OPM out from under the bathroom vanity and searched frantically…Here it is! Oh, yeah - set the camera to wide to better see the field and set up crosses…Oh! If I hit L1 and Triangle, I get a “lofted through pass,” cool!
Suddenly, it was like a whole new world lay open before me. With just a few simple hints from a game rag, WE6 became my favorite soccer game…ever.
So if WE6 doesn’t kill in he graphics department, lacks seriously in club teams, has only half of the players’ names right, and it has difficult-to-navigate menus laden with cheesy music, then what makes it so much better than FIFA? The only thing left - the gameplay, naturally. To put it bluntly - WE6’s game of soccer is amazing. This is the most emotionally involved soccer on any console to date. By perfectly combining ultra-realistic control and ultra-realistic AI, Konami has captured the excitement of competition better than any other sports game has before - period.
Truly, the AI in WE6 is incredible. In a gaming world that has become used to FIFA’s sliding tackle steal, take-it-to-the-net and score yet another goal gameplay, WE6 is definitely in a league of its own. Just keeping control of the ball is a feat in WE6, scoring a goal is a real achievement. Now, that may make it sound like WE6 is a hard game - and it is - but in a very satisfying, very realistic way. Never before have I felt so much excitement, so much exhilaration in a sports title - even in a game that ends in a 0-0 tie. Seriously. Like no other sports game, WE6 makes you feel like you’ve earned everything you’ve achieved (or didn’t achieve) in each and every game. Every yellow card, every ejection, every goal, every loss - it was all you. Sure, WE6 will make you furious many more times than it makes you happy, but you’ll know that for the most part, you screwed things up - not the computer. Unlike FIFA, I have yet to find a magical penalty box “sweetspot” to rack up the goals in WE6, my WE6 goalies are 100% solid and don’t allow shots to pass through their chests (a very infuriating glitch in FIFA 2002 which always seemed to benefit a CPU team that was behind a goal or two), nor can I simply sliding tackle any ball I want without facing serious consequences. WE6 is a game which forces you to play soccer as it was intended - as a team, passing and dribbling, waiting for the gate to open and slapping them with a 1-2 punch right into the back of the net. And when you don’t have the ball - you better be on your best defense, because the AI players are good. However, as good as the AI players are they aren’t infallible. Unlike FIFA’s players who seldom miss a pass, much less send a ball out-of-bounds, WE6’s players realistically screw up just like you do - and it’s not due to poor programming, it’s reality baby!
The game also features extensive managerial aspects, none of which do I really have the soccer knowledge to understand, but I do know that the game is highly touted by soccer fiends for its level of detail in the stats and team-building departments.
I could go on for pages about just how good WE6 is - but I won’t. I’ve already said enough. Basically, WE6 is the most exciting sports title I have ever had the pleasure to play, period. Sure, many of the other sports titles have been amazing, but none have even come close to matching the emotionally charged gameplay of WE6. WE6 is not an easy game - it is incredibly challenging, in fact - but in the challenge, it is quite rewarding. For the sports gamers out there - I highly suggest you get your ass to the store and get yourself a copy of WE6. You will not be disappointed. And FIFA fans, it’s time to step up to the next level of gaming and find out what the rest of the world already knows - WE6 blows FIFA right out of the water.
| the best soccer game out now for ps2 | | Dan Farrell from nashua NH, usa says (30/Aug/2003): | one day i went out to my local blockbuster i was looking for a soccer game torent for my ps2 and the only one left was winning 11 6 international i almost didnt get it but i did i took it home and played it i got hooked it was amazing more entertaining that fifa more headers more bicycle kicks and over all a awsome game i liked it soo much the when i had to return it i went out and bought it and it is the game that is in my ps2 now if you dont have it i suggest you should get it but only if u like good games !
| Is a GoOd gAmE, but nEeDs wOrK | | Rodrigo Santiago aka LoLo from New Jersey, USA says (11/Jul/2003): | The game is cool,but its too slow.Its fun to play with and the graphics are really good.The goalie saves are the best.Thats really good.The thing thas not good bout it is that they dont have the real names for all the club teams.You gotta know them by the players and shirts.But i guess thas the only thing ad about it and that its 2 slow.But other then that the game is good and i like the practice mode 2 and the championship leagues.
| The Soccer | | Clodoaldo from Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. says (28/Apr/2003): | The first time i saw Winning Eleven i said to my fried it's the worst game i ever seen.But when i played Winning Eleven 6, i said to my friend that's can't be Winning Eleven, Winning is the best playable game of all kind of sports.If you have money you won't buy FIFA2003 you'll certain buy Winning Eleven 6, don't be a crazy gamer
Winning11 6 is the best game of Soccer.
| The BEST!!!!! | | Damon Manak from Malibu,California U.S.A says (18/Apr/2003): | This is the best game for sports. You can create your own dreamteam in Master League. You can also be Always Argentina with Maradonna, Beloved Brazil with Pele, Zico, Jairzinho, Rivelinho, and Garrincha, Forever France with Platini, Papin, and Cantona. You can also be Genuine Germany, Immortal Italy, Eternal England, Heroic Holland and these are the all star teams that you can be which are World and Euro Elite.
| Outplays FIFA in a head to head test!! | | Moises from Tampa, USA says (5/Apr/2003): | I wasn't sure which soccer game to purchase for PS2, Fifa or Winning Eleven. Thanks to Electronics Boutique, I was able to play both games back to back. First up was Winning Eleven and was I blown away. The gameplay was so smooth and intuitive. Didn't have the "official" teams, so I tried out FIFA, and sure enough it had all the "real" teams. I like that, but when I started to play it, aaggghhh! Felt horrible, no smooth control of the players. I haven't regreted buying Winning Eleven since.
| Terrific game | | Mauricio from USA says (31/Mar/2003): | I think this is the best soccer game i ever seen in my life,more real than any,but i needs better graphics with the players to be more realistic.I have been playing it tow weeks ago and every day i learn something new,better and awesome that make me feel like playing in the field and i fell the emotions of the gema play like angry,scare,drama or happines like a real coach
| great game but it is too slow | | Michael from GA, USA says (28/Mar/2003): | Everything about This game is awesome the replays, the way the players move, the goal keeper are the best i have seen in any other soccer game, and overall it is a great game but it would be a whole lot better if it was faster. I hope they bring the faster version to the USA.
| Awesome | | Pedro from Peru says (6/Feb/2003): | This games have all that a game really need... And i love this game... this is like i see a real game... a premier league... world cup... i do not know ... it is better
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