Winning Eleven 7: International Preview

Developer	KCET
Publisher	Konami
Genre	Sports
Release Date	2/17/04

In 2003, Konami finally released the Winning Eleven franchise back to America, and while the game was indeed the best soccer simulation America has ever seen, it was disregarded and FIFA completely dominated the market yet again. Thankfully, KCET is willing to take another chance on playing the North American market, and things might go much better this time around. EA Sports tried to reinvent their football game this year (from here on out, the sport shall be referred to as football), with many new things added to the game engine, but the end result was still a lackluster footy game when compared to Winning Eleven 6; now, Winning Eleven 7 has to show that it still has what it takes to beat the FIFA powerhouse.

Winning Eleven 7 was released early in October to the Japanese market with much anticipation; even Americans like myself tried to do whatever they could to get their hands on the game. Next, the European counterpart of WE7, Pro Evolution Soccer 3, was released; however FIFA dominated the market as usual. The three games (Winning Eleven 7, Pro Evolution Soccer 3, and Winning Eleven 7 International) are not entirely the same game; the Japanese version is first released, then the game is translated to English and certain gameplay issues are fixed and released in Europe, and then minor issues are fixed and brought to America (or at least, that was the trend last year and will be this year). After all of this, Konami goes back and literally creates a “1.5” so to speak, with a whole new feel to the game, better graphics, and updated rosters. This year, instead of being labeled “Final Evolution”, it too will be Winning Eleven 7 International.

So, for the American gamers with importing capabilities, they may want to opt for the special edition of Winning Eleven 7 International this February released in Japan. But, for the remaining 90% of Americans, Winning Eleven 7 International is still going to be spectacular. Read on for more information.

Where Is My Beloved Manchester United?
Perhaps the biggest dread of the Winning Eleven franchise is its lack of the full FIFA license. However, if it’s any consolation, EA Sports has had the license secured since the Genesis, and because it’s an exclusive license, unlike with the NFL, NBA, or NHL, the highest bidder has it for however long is designated (EA’s contract is almost up). Like many other football simulations out there excluding the FIFA series, Winning Eleven has the FIFAPro license, which authorizes the use of many International players, but absolutely no real club teams.

So, what this means is, there are “fake” club team names; most of which are based off of geographic locations, like Arsenal being dubbed “North London”. Thankfully, for the first time in the franchise’s history, most Italian powerhouse clubs like AC Milan, Parma, and AS Roma have real kits and stadiums. While not a large amount, just having a few licensed teams is definitely a step in the right direction for future installments.

To avoid any controversy over the non-licensed teams, Konami has had to take certain measures to insure that “likeness” rights do not come into play; meaning, not all of the clubs will have at least the design of the kits initially. Fortunately, for the ultimate soccer freak like myself, there is a rather extensive kit and flag editor like in Winning Eleven 6, only much more advanced, so teams can look almost like the real thing in the game, even without the licenses.

Winning Eleven 6 did not have every player appropriately named, either. While Europe was pretty much covered, South America, along with Asia and Africa, had “fake” names that sounded similar to the real life counterpart, but was certainly a disturbance. In WE7, many more real players will be added, leaving the player editor found in the game non-existent. However, if there is something a player does not like in particular about a player, that player can be edited.

The game has always seemed slightly biased towards certain continents. In Winning Eleven 6, there were cups deemed for each continent, such as the European Cup, African Cup, and American Cup, but only the first in the list was worth being played. Reason being: lack of national teams. Europe had all of the known teams, like Italy, Germany, England, France, and many others that were not quite as skilled. North and South America were represented by less than 10 teams; the same with Africa.

The Options
The latest edition of Winning Eleven is going to offer more of the same, but naturally, it’s revamped. First of all, gone are the poorly designed, hard to navigate menus and replaced with a sleek design, with features actually comprehendible when read the first time. The 80’s style dance music still haunts the main menus and goal replays, but they are much better than what they have been in the past.

Being based on a DVD format, unlike its Japanese counterpart, WE7:I is expected to have commentary in around five different languages. Among these are of course, English, as well as, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. Peter Brackley, well known in his time as a football broadcaster in Europe, returns for the English commentary along with his partner, Trevor Brooking. Having language-support is important for universality.

Over 100 teams will be included in Winning Eleven, divided into around 64 club teams and somewhere near 40 national teams. Twenty-four new teams have been added, such as Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto, as well as 20 total stadiums. New animations are going to be added, faces will be updated, and the hair will actually move with the player. While it’s hard to keep up with Beckham’s ever changing hairstyle, Konami decided to include the pulled-up style he’s used for the last few years. Once he changes, the editor will have more than enough other hairstyles to choose from.

The officiating in WE6 was occasionally off; some would even be as so bold to say that they were biased (a la Byron Moreno; Italian fans, I share your pain) with their calls. The cool thing about it is when the commentators actually disagree with the call. For instance: the ball was deflected off a player in a crowd, and the ref declares a goal kick when it was clearly a corner; Peter Brackley says, “And we have a corner… no, I’m sorry, it’s a goal kick”. Even the off sides calls can be conflicting, and to madden the players, a replay shows an imaginary line that shows the last man standing back on defense.

The Master League
The licensing issues really have an effect on the game, and it will deter people from purchasing it, especially fans of big leagues like the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Serie A. Instead of just naming leagues “English League” or “Spanish League”, Konami utilizes a different format known as the Master League, which has gone under significant improvement since Winning Eleven 6. In the past, there were three Divisions (D1, D2, D3), with all of the great teams in D1, the good teams in D2, and the lesser-known clubs in D3.

So now, instead of having Spanish and South American teams in the same division, the Master League is broken into 4 regions. There are divisions within the regions, so relegation and promotion, a reality faced by many clubs in real life, plays an essential part in building a strong club. Getting to Division 1 inside the designated region of course will be the main goal, but having to start out in Division 3 makes the replay value jump up due to the predicted thirty-game season.

The Champions League is an annual “league” of the top clubs in the world, vying for the chance to call themselves the best club in the world. In 2003, AC Milan battled it out with Serie A champs Juventus and beat Juve in penalty kicks. Due to the licensing rights again, Konami cannot put the name “Champions League” in Winning Eleven. However, there is a feature very similar the pits the best teams in the 4 regions in a similar format, so look for that.

The Winning Eleven series has always been touted as the most realistic game on the market, and for a football fan, it’s easy to see why. To put it succinctly, FIFA changes every year not to improve on previous editions, but to be more like Winning Eleven. Everything about Winning Eleven simply feels right. The shooting takes much practice to perfect, as well as the crossing. For first time players, goal scoring is extremely difficult. The computer AI is always top-notch, making it hard to create spaces in the defense.

The best part of Winning Eleven is the reward of systematically breaking down a defense and taking advantage of a weakness. Winning Eleven 6 really allowed different playing styles; some like to play a Real Madrid-type offense with an aggressive attack, and others, like myself, love to build a wall of defense and then counter when the opposing team slips up.

The passing in WE6 was pretty much well done, although it was not near as affective as it is in real life. FIFA 2004 really showcased the importance of an effective passing game, and hopefully Konami can improve on the predecessors and make passing a much more integral part of the game. The crosses are said to be even more realistic, with crosses on the run extremely inaccurate, while patient crosses are spot-on.

Sadly, there were a few problems, such as an explosive striker like Thierry Henry being run down by a slow, inept defenseman who would normally have no chance in real life, especially against someone with as much talent as the French striker. There were other complications, like the through-balls not really working as they should, since the players would run on a direct line and were immovable unless a “special” button combination was pressed, which was conveniently not not in the manual. If the through-passes are corrected, creative players can add yet another tactic to their library.

Players, offensively, play so much like their real life counterparts. At least, in Winning Eleven 6. David Beckham, while not the most talented player, had the ability to launch dangerously wicked free kicks, just like the real “Becks” himself. Roberto Carlos, the Brazilian defenseman also noted for his free kick, could launch some hellacious shots from long distances. We’re anticipating more of the same, and maybe some of the lesser-known players will have subtleties added in.

What Next?
With a release date currently set for February 17th, GWX cannot wait to get their hands on Winning Eleven 7: International. The game has way too many features to go in-depth about in one article, but rest assured, our review will be extremely comprehensive. In honor of the release, GWX and Konami have teamed up to bring you, the readers, an excellent contest with an opportunity to win Winning Eleven 7, or another related prize. Find out more details here.

Preview by Brian Williams