Re: WINNING ELEVEN 10 REVIEW[hands on we10+ingame pics and vids]
Futix’s Initial Review
First of all let me say that after playing this game for a few matches I am thoroughly impressed. Though some critics say this game resembles the J League version, having not played that game, the difference between PES5/WE9 to WE10 is instantly apparent. From the few matches I have played I can honestly say that this game lives up to the “10” in the title. From the get go, the intro video has the World Cup feel to it, and the music uplifts you to get ready to play, unlike past versions where the Konami synthesized music depressed you. The menu screens to me are irrelevant since I can’t read them (this game is strictly in Japanese text). Overall the presentation is pretty good and I give it a 9 out of 10.
Game play: This is where Konami made its best improvement by far. From the kickoff the players move a lot more fluid and the speed of the game has been taken up just a notch from WE9I, yet it is not too fast where it seems unrealistic. The way players dribble the ball is a lot more complex and the HUUUUUGE improvement is that the referee is not as anal as in PES5 where he calls every little thing. In this game, the action is actually much more continuous and players battle for the ball a lot more realistically. Another VAST improvement I noticed is that FINALLY individual players live up to their attributes. What I mean by this is that in previous editions, no matter how fast or strong a player was, other players would catch up to him thus making the game unrealistic. In this game, if Eto’o gets one step ahead of a defender you might as well kiss him goodbye, due to his speed attributes he will stride away from most all defenders. Similarly, players like Ronaldinho stop on a dime as opposed to the momentum carrying you about 4 steps after you try to make him stop. This makes the game a lot more realistic and enjoyable. The other major improvement in gameplay was the goalie. Whereas in previous games the keeper was pretty robotic, he now moves a lot more fluid and when diving he actually resembles a keeper. He comes out to cut off angles a lot better and he does not catch the ball every time when the ball is rolling to him on the ground. He actually spits it out by mistake sometimes, which IMO is a lot like real life. I’ve actually seen players trip over the goalie, which was pretty cool. 10 out of 10
Scoring: It is a lot easier to score that PES5/WE9I. Now it does not mean you score at will, but because of the more fluid and realistic play, you can plan much like real football, anticipate players’ movements much easier. 9 out of 10
Shooting: Keep in mind I only played about 4 matches on this but the shooting I think was vastly improved. It seemed to me that in PES5/WE9I one time shots were extremely hard to pull off, whereas here it was evident that if you are given a slight amount of space you can whack the ball if so desired. Now it may not always be on target, and more often that not it is not on target, but at least the option is there which is nice. 9.5 out of 10
Strategy: Konami added a lot more menus into the “Before match” menu selection, but because it’s in Japanese, it’s very hard to determine what is what. At this point, even with Fernando’s initial translation patch, it’s hard to navigate and be able to tell what is what, but new features are definitely there. 9 out of 10
Graphics: Though there was not much they could to the graphics because of the console’s limitations, Konami still went ahead and improved the stadiums which was noticeable right away at the Nou Camp. They almost redid it and it looks gorgeous. I have yet to play in any other stadium but it is definitely improved. 9.5 out of 10
Overall: Though it’s early to judge due to the limited play I have had, I can say it is a very good game all around. EA sports has a long way to go to catch up to Konami especially after this edition. Because I am a believer that there is always room for improvement, this game does not get a 10 out of me, but it’s damn close.
Futix gives it a 9.7 out of 10.