Yeah. Here comes my review: from first to last, everything I've tried.
When you first stick the game in and see that welcome screen you feel a lot better than in PES - this is Winning Eleven, baby!
Personally, I so much prefer that classic Main Menu instead of the WE8 one. Much quicker and clear.
After having played a loooot of games (I just don't count'em, but have tried all my favourite teams and countries several times, so you get an idea, maybe over 20 matches), I can give an opinion based upon experience.
Gameplay has improved a hell of a lot, I would say. The pace and behaviour of the match is just real, the best Konami have achieved ever. The miraculous turn that appeared in WE8:LE is there, but is only performed some times, so the variety is enormous.
Using the D-Pad, the sidestep problem is none at all. I found out that it only happens when needed, and you are also free to turn 90º if running slow enough (not sprinting), so I'm very happy with that, and I have a reason to hail the change: the astonishing success of the brand new R2 shot. It would have been sooo complicated to perform these shots just after a sidestep if the latter should have to be done by pressing R2. Now you can run forward, stop, perform a dragback in front of a defender, do a quick sidestep while sprinting and as you enter the box, smack a curled bomb into the left side of the goal. Cool.
The R2 shot has to be perfomed the same way that the R1 lob was done in previous versions (and in this one also, BTW), so as the bar fills quicker in this game it is a bit tricky to calculate the correct amount of power... but hey!, it's not the same to run and kick a screamer than to run and calculate the effect and the power of a curled shot, so that's the way it's gotta be.
The passing has improved as well, as the ball now travels a tad quicker and bounces a little more, so it's more realistic. Through passes do not "slide" so much, so they end up slowing down and stopping before than in WE8, so that means less balls lost through the sides. The players are more capable to run by the line not losing the ball.
Another thing that thrills me is the way every player adapts perfectly to what is happening around him: no more ball passing just by the side of a team mate and him doing nothing to get it, now he will extend the leg (even in long passes, trying to intercetp it) and rob the ball - so passing has to be more careful, as there are more interceptions. One-touch play has also improved, as now players can play one touch even high balls with extreme precision (maybe Pires can do well and Drogba not as well, gotta try that), so as long passing is now also more precise and useful, you can perform superb gameplay if controlling a skilled team.
Long passing I want to comment also: it was sooo annoying in previous versions the inability of the most skilled players to make a proper long pass from one side to another, as so many times it is seen in real football. Have you seen Real Madrid play? In real life, Beckham, Figo, Zidane and Roberto Carlos are all the time changing the play from one side to another with loooong passes and great controlling (as they all are technically skilled). Now it can be done, no more 5 meter imprecisions! Do not try this with Jamaica or Hotspurs though, it certainly won't be the same.
Shooting. Ah, shooting.
As good as it gets. Range shooting is now powerful and dangerous, you can get a total screamer into the corner, a curled blaster from mid-range, or a total skyer, depending on player position and skill. One on one situations are now a lot less common, but more dreadful (as in real life) because a slight touch of square followed by a tap of R2 can softly pass the keeper as lots of times you see on TV. How often do you see a striker shoot with all his power in a 1o1 (1on1) situation? And how many times do you see Mark Viduka dribbling the goalie and scoring? The most common way to solve a 1o1 is just trying to slide the ball to the far post as the keeper comes, and now is a little easier than before.
Momentum is another important word. The players now have more momentum, which is seen for example when you start sprinting. Now the acceleration process is more defined, and you have to spend a little more time accelerating to gain full speed, which starts coming down little by little instantly. So that means much more realistic runs by the side of the pitch, as the defender loses some time accelerating while the attacker was already at full speed: however, if the run is long the defender will be less tired and eventually will get the ball. In middle-field play momentum is also noticed by weight: should Vieira and Scholesy collide, you know who will stumble and fall, and who will keep the ball in posession.
These are just details, the complete picture is much more attractive. You HAVE to play this game to notice, it is stiffed with little details that start coming up match after match and make your eyes open wide in disbelief.
"The best just got better"
etc all use a sidestep of one form or another to circumnavigate a challenge. All I would say is that they rarely look exactly like the sidestep in WE, but maybe that's because there are many different ways of sidestepping (since it's essentially just moving sideways while facing the same way). I have definitely seen it done though.
. WE has, in the past years, beneficted greatly analog users over d-pad veterans, when the experience and advantages should be the same, on a fair scenario.
