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There is no doubt that worldwide, Soccer (or Football elsewhere in the world) is considered the biggest and most watched sport. Here in the U.S., on the other hand, we Americans can take it or leave it. Sure, there is that definitive cult following, but on a wide scale, it pales in comparison to the NFL, MLB, and the NBA as far as spectator sports go. Nevertheless, there IS a following large enough that there are two soccer games on the market produced by rival companies. EA has FIFA, and Konami continues with the Winning Eleven series. While both offer a great deal of entertainment, it can be argued that only Winning Eleven understands soccer fans the most. It has never been the flashiest, prettiest, or most robust game on the market, but man it kicks hard where it counts and that is in the game play. With Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007, is there enough greatness to keep the fires burning? Or has EA finally put Konami in their place with their numerous FIFA releases? The first answer comes in the form of visuals. While the animations and a few player models look impressive, you can’t quite call Winning Eleven for the Xbox 360 next gen. Everything from the presentation, to the on field visuals, screams last generation. The menu and setup screens are bland and lifeless and are so uninspired that you may doze off before you reach kick off. What’s worse is the setup is so awkward that it will take you some time to figure out the transfer system and Master League options. Once you hit the field, the visuals get a little better, but definitely not up to par with the other sports games on the market. It is almost as if they took the PS2 engine and turned the resolution up to make it seem next gen; but we gamers aren’t fooled. Now you can expect to see some new and striking animations, and some players you can even recognize from a far, but to call this an effort worthy of the Xbox 360 in terms of visuals is just plain wrong.
Audio gets a little better by delivering some riveting beats during menu screens and some well-presented commentary by Pete Brackley and Trevor Brooking that not only is on spot accurate, but keeps your blood pumping too. What is most impressive on the audio side is the crowd and how it reacts to plays on the pitch. They “ooh” and “ahh” at the right moments, they sing and chant for their home team, and are genuinely into the game from the opening kick to the final whistle. The real reason to buy Winning Eleven 2007 is the game play itself. Once you can look past the passable visuals, you open up a new world of wonder and joy as the game plays like a dream. Responsive controls, great A.I., and incredible ball physics makes this the most realistic soccer game I’ve enjoyed in quite some time. Sure, this series has always brought the goods, but I guess the extra system power and animation seems to string it all together in such a way that it all seems nearly flawless. This makes for such a pleasurable experience from game to game that you can’t put it down at times, and will all but soon forget that it doesn’t look quite next gen. Thankfully, Konami has included plenty of modes of play such as Friendly Games, Cup Challenges, and a deep and involving Master League mode that will keep you playing till next season. It was odd that an edit mode wasn’t available, so if you are a customizing fanatic, you may want to knock the score down a half a point. Another redeeming feature is that even in its debut year, Konami has put this baby online for you to pit your skills against the world’s best. I hope that in future incarnations we will see some online leagues, but at least a feature that the series is known for wasn’t omitted. In the end, do yourself a favor and don’t judge a book by its cover. Once you get your gaming fingers moving to the beat of the gameplay you will realize that Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007, ugly or not, is still KING of the soccer field.
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