PC

  News 
  Reviews
  Previews
  Hardware
  Interviews
  All Features

Areas

  3DS
  Android
  iPad
  iPhone
  Mac
  PC
  PlayStation 3
  PlayStation 4
  Switch
  Vita
  Wii U
  Xbox 360
  Xbox One
  Media
  Archives
  Search
  Contests

 

Winning Eleven 7 International

Score: 92%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Media: CD-ROM/2
Players: 1 - 8
Genre: Sports (Soccer)

Graphics & Sound:

As with all computer games, the overall appearance of Konami’s Winning Eleven 7 International will depend on your system. But straight out of the box, WE7I is the best looking soccer game I’ve ever seen. Everything about the game is presented beautifully, and the textures on the player models are stunning. All of this may come at a price, however. Without a true 3D accelerator graphics card, running the game at a high resolution will not be possible.

Winning Eleven 7 International delivers another great push in the direction of great audio to accompany its great visuals. Most notable for any soccer game is the commentary that surrounds the action on the field. WE7I is spot-on with the announcers calling the action, which helps to add to the overall feel of the game.


Gameplay:

On the field, Winning Eleven 7 International is without a doubt one of the best soccer games on the planet. In fact, minus the license to use real player names, Konami’s seventh venture in fútbol has enough behind it to take on the biggest of competitors in the world of the sports genre of video games. With numerous modes of play, Winning Eleven 7 International may be the viable alternative that soccer fans are looking for.

The precise controls in Konami’s latest help make for a nearly flawless playing experience. The options offered for formation shifts and other gameplay enhancements also makes Winning Eleven 7 International a very great simulation, to satisfy all types of soccer fans. The Artificial Intelligence in the game is also very well done for the offensive and defensive players. However, the goalkeepers tend to not be quite as intelligent. Very often, they will allow easy shots to pass, which can get very frustrating.

The modes offered in Winning Eleven 7 International include everything from Training and quick Exhibition matches, to Cup and Leagues. For starters, newbies can check out the Training mode, where it is possible to learn the controls of the game, which will help improve the whole gameplay experience. It is also possible to jump straight into an Exhibition game, with either quick or custom settings.

For those who want to get deeper into the soccer experience, the Cup mode offers a huge tournament-style setup. In addition, the Master League format adds a great twist as you try to build a dynasty by negotiations with players, while earning points to negotiate with those players. Any way you decide to play Winning Eleven 7 International, you’re in for a treat of soccer goodness.


Difficulty:

Winning Eleven 7 International actually contains 5 difficulty settings, so any fan should be able to jump right in and take control of their favorite team. The AI in the game is very good, so don’t be surprised if it is a bit difficult at first. The only real problem is that goalies can actually be a bit sluggish when shots are being fired against them. Because of this, expect to be scored upon more often than should be.

Game Mechanics:

The game controls of Konami’s latest are very tight, and when used in combination with a PC game controller, it gives the feel of playing a juiced up console game. All of the necessary controls are present, from the basic pass and kick buttons, to the ability to perform special and combination moves. However, it should be noted that, while not very often, once in a while I lost functionality in my Firestorm controller. In these situations, my player would simply stand there, and I would have to switch off of him to regain functionality.

The only real downside to Winning Eleven 7 International is that there isn’t an option to play multiplayer online. It is possible to have up to 8 players at a time, but it will have to be done on one screen, because the game also lacks LAN support. However, if you’re looking for a great single-player (or at least single machine) soccer game, then Winning Eleven 7 International is a great game with a great number of features.


-Woody, GameVortex Communications
AKA Shane Wodele

Minimum System Requirements:



Windows 98SE/ME/XP/2000; Intel Pentium III 800MHz or equivalent (Athlon/Duron/Celeron) processor [Pent 4; 1.4GHz recommended]; 128MB [256MB] RAM; 4x [8x] CD-ROM; NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 [GeForce 4 TI; ATI Radeon 9600, or higher] video card; DirectX 8.1 or higher sound card; 640MB [1.2GB] free hard drive space
 

Test System:



DESKTOP: Windows XP Pro; AMD Athlon 2700+ processor; 1GB RAM; ATI Radeon 9700 Pro All-In-Wonder; DirectX 9.0; ThrustMaster FireStorm Dual Power game controller

LAPTOP: Windows XP Pro; Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz processor; 448MB RAM; Radeon IGP 345M; DirectX 8.1; ThrustMaster FireStorm Dual Power game controller


Nintendo GameBoy Advance Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors Sony PlayStation 2 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated