Winning Eleven 6 International

Posted Apr 4, 2003 by TBO.com

Updated Sep 11, 2007 at 01:40 PM

System: Sony PlayStation

Publisher: Konami

Reviewer’s rating: A-

ESRB rating: Everyone

Game type: Soccer

Kind of like: “FIFA 2003”

Best feature: In Master League mode you take over a third-division team and try to get promoted to the premier division, earning points along the way that can be used to sign star players.

Worst feature: The game’s poorly designed front-end menus are utterly bewildering.

The bottom line: Soccer-based video games have come a long way over the years. Recent efforts have seemed impossibly evolved from the early, pathetic attempts of developers who clearly knew nothing about the sport. Still, that progress notwithstanding, we never knew it could be like this.

“Winning Eleven 6” is the U.S. version of “Pro Evolution Soccer 2,” Europe’s best-selling video-game take on what they call football over there. (We have no idea what the numeral 6 in the title is supposed to refer to.) Considering how soccer-mad they are across the pond, this game’s popularity there should tell you something about its quality.

The excellence of “Winning Eleven,” however, is not immediately apparent when you start the game. Its menus are complex, confusing, inefficient and barely navigable. Just getting from the main menu to the playing field is a supreme challenge. If you were thinking about doing anything in between (and there are loads of options, if you can figure them out), you’re talking about a serious time commitment.

After kickoff, though, all the frustration fades away and gameplay is nothing short of sublime. You may struggle at first, but only because the limitations of other soccer video games are ingrained in your approach.

The artificial intelligence (of both your teammates and your opponents) is exceptional, the ball physics are flawless and the depth of moves available is nearly overwhelming. Your players can bend shots and passes, dribble at a variety of speeds, fake shots, passes and moves, execute through-passes, lobs and give-and-gos or just push the ball into open space (a basic soccer gambit largely ignored in other video game versions) for a teammate to run onto — all with the touch of a button.

There are 54 national teams and 40 fictional club teams, most of which feature made-up players. But everything is editable (including names, uniforms, player appearance and skill attributes) so you can re-create your favorite squad. The U.S. national team is made up of real players such as Kasey Keller, Claudio Reyna and Landon Donovan.

And, finally, we have a soccer title that keeps track of assists. What took so long?