Winning Eleven Does a 360

When you consider the worldwide market, no sports franchise commands the same respect and critical success as Konami's Winning Eleven soccer series. For the sake of comparison, feel free to measure it up against EA's Madden NFL series for its fanatical following around the world.

Crank back and let it loose.

Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007™ marks the first entry for this series on a next-gen console, and for soccer fans, there is no better news. Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 retains the gameplay that is the hallmark of the series, as well as the hi-def resolution, achievements, and Xbox Live® play you would expect from an Xbox 360™ title.

For those unfamiliar with the series and even
the sport, there is no better introduction to either.

Refined Gameplay
After spending some quality time on the virtual pitch, one thing is very clear: Konami's attention to detail in gameplay is laser-focused. Where other games may offer a handful of options for something as simple as dribbling, Winning Eleven provides practically every standard and strategic dribbling maneuver you'd expect to see from a professional player. Now you can dash dribble to break away from defenders, tap the ball ahead to maximize sprint speed, perform wicked sidesteps to lose your defender, leap slide tackles, and even let the ball sail past and then run after it.

These are just some of the dribbling moves available to you, let alone the dozens of other small but essential abilities you can use throughout Winning Eleven. From one-two passes to kick feints, to ball tricks, crosses, and shot types, the options available to you are virtually limitless.

Animated Variety
If gameplay is the primary focus, then the volume of authentic and subtle animation on display is a close second. You can literally play hundreds of games and still spot touches you've never seen before. Whether it's a new take on a battle between defender and dribbler for the ball, the way you face-plant after a brutal tackle, or the interaction between teammates on field, the variety of animation infuses every game with a new level of immersion.

Battle for the ball.

The Ongoing Campaign
Winning Eleven's primary single-player mode is called Master League, and through it you can take on the role of dozens of different teams in leagues that span the world. With unlimited seasons, the ability to trade and sign players, and manage the team both on the field on off, you will find the single player mode well stocked.

What's more, within League play you can custom create your own leagues, selecting teams from around the world to compete against one another. Where Master League simulates the rivalries and competition found within each league, League play allows you to put together matchups that would normally never see the light of day outside of the rare international exhibition tournament.

But Wait, There's More!
Of course, with the move to Xbox 360, Winning Eleven has seen the introduction of achievements and multiplayer matches via Xbox Live. With achievements, soccer fanatics will welcome the wide-spread challenge of trying to defeat each league and tournament to net additional gamerscore. Aside from league-specific achievements, there are six separate multiplayer achievements for games played and games won on Xbox Live.

The moment of truth.

When playing on Xbox Live, you can set up and find matches just as you would with any game, with player and ranked matches. What's more, your Winning Eleven profile will update with every match you play, detailing, among other things, your win percentage, ranking, overall wins and losses, disconnects, preferred language, even average goals scored and average goals lost.

For those that are already fans of the series, the arrival of Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is already a sweet event, but for those unfamiliar with the series and even the sport, there is no better introduction to either.

Article by Ryan Treit