World Soccer Winning Eleven 9

Operation Sports

When you check back in January 2007 to see where all of those year-end awards are going, be sure to check the mantle at Konami. They'll have my vote.

Worth Playing

An extremely well-crafted game that exemplifies how a proper reality-to-videogame transition should be handled. It does things right, and that should be commended.

Gamer 2.0

Hardcore fans will enjoy this game immensely, but casual fans will likely find WE9 too difficult. Even though the game is not for everyone, it is still the best soccer game to date.

eToychest

Winning Eleven is truly the perfect mix of sim and arcade gameplay.

Game Chronicles

Winning Eleven 9 still manages to surpass the other soccer offerings out there, but its lead is slowly slipping.

Game Revolution

Though the tweaks are mostly small, they're just enough to keep this star a header above the rest.

Gaming Age

There is no comparison; World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 is the best soccer game to date.

GameSpot

Winning Eleven 9 plays an incredibly realistic game of soccer and is the first game in the series to support online play.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

To summarize the edge that Winning Eleven has over FIFA in a single word, it would have be "control." Whereas EA Sports' game has pretty much always suffered from an uneasy sense of detachment, Konami's has always focused on letting you place the ball exactly where you need it.

Cheat Code Central

Without a doubt this is one of the best looking soccer games on the market. The players move fluidly and realistically. Regardless of the camera angles, which are never jarring, you always maintain a proper perspective of the field.

GameSpy

Winning Eleven 9 isn't the perfect soccer game, but it's pretty damn close.

GamePro

Winning Eleven's online mode and new pro league teams are an added plus--but at this point fans of FIFA won't likely break ranks, especially when the improvements are becoming more minute and subtle.

GamerFeed

And it's a huge testament to the quality of the game for me to say that, as prior to this I had never willingly spent more than five minutes with a soccer game.

Next Level Gaming

A game that has no rival in the Soccer world. It's better than FIFA, and it's even better than FIFA Soccer for the Xbox 360.

Maxim Online

Konami's annual soccer franchise, which has scored in the past for its slick controls, wads of teams, and shin-splintin' graphics, returns to the field to affirm its ball-kicking dominance.

DarkStation

The ninth iteration improves upon its already peerless predecessor with tighter passing controls and much welcome online play.

GameZone

There’s no doubt that it has a steep learning curve, and will force gamers to become real soccer fans before they know it, but once you get caught in Winning Eleven’s twisted web of addictiveness there’s no turning back.

GamingTrend

When you take into account the staggering amount of ways you can customize literally anything and everything in the game then you’re left with very little to complain about outside of the outdated graphics.

PSX Extreme

An outstanding game, but outside of the new online play it doesn’t feel a whole heck of a lot different than last year’s game.

IGN

A gem of a soccer title, but it feels like "Winning Eleven 8 Online"...WE9 is still the undisputed champ of videogame soccer. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll scream "GOAL" until you go blue in the face. It's that fun.

Game Informer

Still a very well-honed title that never fails to get my blood going, but I think a jump to next-gen for the series could be just the boost that this franchise needs. [Feb 2006, p.103]

PSM Magazine

Those familiar with the series will feel right at home; the same solid feel, deep controls, and excellent animations have returned, the later bolstered by some impressive new motion capture.[Mar 2006, p.79]

Stuff

The series' trademark superb gameplay is, as usual, on point. And this year, you can actually take your football team online.

Gaming Target

If you've never touched a Winning Eleven game before, this is the place to start.

GamerNode

And while the end of last year saw them lose a bit of ground against the formidable release of FIFA 06, which also did very well, they've now returned with their arms full, offering an array of new moves, tricks, and formations, additionally licensed teams, and a highly anticipated feature that supports online competitive gameplay.

GameShark

The ranking system is a novel idea and gives plenty of incentive to practice. Non-online gamers may have a tough time shelling out for an ‘update,’ however with new licensed leagues and club teams.

G4 TV

At this point simply adding online play would have been enough, but doing it well and keeping the game’s tone intact are reason for high praise.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

You know a soccer title is doing it right when a match can end in a scoreless tie and you've had as much fun as when you've lit up the scoreboard.