

Minor texture corrections resulted in more realistic soccer players’ faces. Perfect gameplay is supplemented with equally good 3D visuals identical to those featured in the previous installment of the series. All these novelties result in better representation of the soccer matches.

Moreover, the matches are even more attractive thanks to the additional animations, such as a goalkeeper touching the crossbar when the ball goes over the goal. The free kick features now a new functionality allowing a player to perform this fragment of the game faster without losing precious seconds, which an opponent might use to modify his team.

Dribbling animations are quite impressive – now they are much faster and more spectacular. In comparison to its predecessor, the game described herein is more dynamic and features fewer interruptions by the referee’s whistle. We willgive you our thoughts on Winning Eleven 9 soon after its August 4th release in Japan.The gameplay of the PC, PS2 and X360 release of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 resembles those featured in the fourth installment of the series. We doubt this mode will make it into Pro Evo 5. The Master League now offers more precise control of your players and a mode that allows you to play through Japanese National team’s World Cup 2006 qualifying. Konami have said player animations have been recaptured and you will even be able to player’s breath in the air. Winning Eleven 9 will also see the introduction of wingbacks and perhaps the second striker position. The news that Winning Eleven 9 will feature online play means PS2 gamers over here can expect to get online with PES 5. Online play was added to the updated Winning Eleven 8 release “Live Ware Evolution” back in January, but PS2 owners in Europe had no online play in PES 4. With the European Pro Evolution series essentially being the same game as the Japanese Winning Eleven, news on the Japanese release is always a good indication of what we can expect when the game makes its way to Europe. Winning Eleven 9 will be released on August 4th in Japan with online play now as standard. Konami have announced the release date for their highly anticipated update to the Winning Eleven series.
