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World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International
Universal acclaim
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 14 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami Tokyo
Genre(s): Sports, Soccer
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: February 1, 2005
Summary
Winning Eleven 8 once again raises the bar with in-depth gameplay, improved realism and increased control. The game now features all the teams from the Italian, Spanish and Dutch leagues under the official license. Featuring 136 club teams and 57 national teams, Winning Eleven 8 offers gamers control of up to 4,500 of the world's greatest soccer players. The game introduces a wealth of new moves and tricks including new free kick and penalty kick techniques, an innovative indirect free kick move and a new dribbling system that offers more control as gamers go one-on-one and try to pass opposing players. Also featured is the first-ever on-screen referee in the history of the series. Boasting an enhanced ref AI, the referee will run up and down the field reacting realistically and instinctively to fouls, giving advantage for minor infringements and even stepping in to calm things down when the action gets heated. Winning Eleven 8 also features improvements to the popular Master League, which now has more strategy through player development and injury, and a new 'My Best Eleven' option so fans can save their greatest teams. [Konami]
Also On The Web: Official Game Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
G4 TV
Where "FIFA" feels like hockey with soccer players, Winning Eleven 8 feels like the year's first entrant for best sports game of 2005.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
Even lacking that [online] option, WE 8 stands as the best soccer game of all time. It looks fantastic and plays out of this world.
Read Full Review >Play Magazine
Player animations and transitions are seamless; it will astound you how versatile the movements are in the game. [Apr 2005, p.77]
GameZone
With wonderfully solid controls, great graphics, enough game modes and enough teams to select, this game is one you should not miss if you love sports in general.
Read Full Review >IGN
Winning Eleven 8's single-player Master League is enormously good fun, and with its expanded management tools and WE-Shop minigames, the game is easily worth $50. The one-on-one gameplay? Priceless.
Read Full Review >TeamXbox
One of the most entertaining sports games you will play because the fundamentals have absolutely been nailed with a great general gameplay engine.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
KCET's best soccer game to date, which basically makes it the best soccer game ever made...even taking the seminal "Sensible World of Soccer" games on the Amiga into account.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
While we’re sorry that the series still lacks an online component for its console versions, we love the cyclical player skills system, as well as the new player search.
Read Full Review >Talk Xbox
While FIFA may have the licenses, Winning Eleven 8 is on top of the soccer game world in every other area that matters. Gameplay is superb, the graphics are impressive, the top players are included and it’s thoroughly enjoyable.
Read Full Review >XboxAddict
Some more shots of the crowd and better track of calling plays from the booth would easily make this game the greatest soccer game of all time.
Read Full Review >Extreme Gamer
The mojo drops like rain on the field and you can't help not to get wet!
Read Full Review >1UP
WE8 just feels real. The tempo and feel of the game show a deep understanding of soccer. The A.I. is spot-on, especially that of your own teammates, who continually move around and make runs for your benefit. Control is smooth and rock solid.
Read Full Review >GamePro
Team stats overall are better balanced (not blatantly favoring South American and European teams), selection of International teams more diverse, and the Master League mode is easier to delve into.
Read Full Review >Yahoo! Games
"FIFA" may continue to entice football fans who live in action-adventure mode, but for the purist and realist, there's no better footie than this.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
The A.I. is even brainier than before (teams now put extra pressure on the goal when trailing and sit back with the ball when ahead), the shooting controls are less sensitive - a good thing - and the visuals are finally comparable to FIFA's.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
It's not a quantum leap, but it's the kind of adjustments that will only endear the faithful to this already beloved series even more. [March 2005, p.115]
Official Xbox Magazine
With realistic-looking players, a full suite of edit options to let you tailor names to your liking, and core on-field action that plays just so smooth, Winning Eleven 8 is the way to go if offline soccer action is all you crave. [March 2005, p.81]
Next Level Gaming
The gameplay and sheer amount of options alone are mind boggling. And it looks fantastic. Konami knows how to do European Football. Now, they need to get this thing online and fast.
Read Full Review >Stuff
The computer AI, just like your girlfriend, will sniff out your weaknesses and exploit the living crap out of them.
Read Full Review >Maxim Online
Although it's dogged by Commodore 64–quality music and selective licensing agreements—Manchester United is simply Man Red—this new edition more than compensates with killer graphics, new tricks, and an improved dribbling system.
Read Full Review >Operation Sports
The biggest and inexcusable disappointment is that we Americans and Canadians are being short-changed in comparison to our European counterparts with regard online play on the Xbox and PS2 consoles.
Read Full Review >Detroit Free Press
Really isn't a leap above "Winning Eleven 7." Though the variety of play modes is huge, the well-animated visuals could use some polish, the audio sounds rather bland and the number of licensed teams and players is a bit wimpy.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
J. B. gave it a10:
No doubt, this is the best soccer game of all time.
Brian S. gave it a10:
Best soccer game, and arguably best game I've ever played. Anyone who thinks EA's FIFA is better has never played soccer properly (i.e., in real life) or watched it on TV. A minor drawback is that the graphics could have been expanded but this is really nitpicking and doesn't affect the enjoyability of the game. I'd give it 15 if I could.
John E. gave it a10:
Down below, I gave Winning 11 a 6/10 due to the x box controller. I found a wireless pelican controller that puts the white and black buttons above the triggers making the game much more playable. Now that I feel as if I have complete controll, I have to give this game a 10. Goals are rare but very rewarding. Makes Fifa seem like kickball.
Tolu A. gave it a10:
It's like noting else. Its the best game i have have ever played.. Its arguably the best game Ever Made.
John E. gave it a6:
Great game if I had a playstation 2 controller. Otherwise, it's just frustrating knowing what you could have done had the xbox controller been designed better or Konami had taken the time to reassign the button layout. I know you can switch the controller configuration but moving assignments means some valuable aspect of the game (through passes, etc) will suffer. The use of the white and black buttons kills this game. Too bad, I waited years for this game.
D. R. gave it a9:
Well, soccer fans it is time to assess the differences between WE8 and FIFA 2005. Of course, this is probably your primary interest. The game play goes to WE8, without question. The audio goes to FIFA 2005 due to the soundtrack. The graphics remain split between WE8 and FIFA 2005. WE8 could have used better lighting and shadowing within the game. In addition, the licensing is split between WE8 and FIFA 2005 due to the exclusive World Cup mode in WE8. FIFA usually releases a completely separate game for the World Cup, a definite mistake. Overall, I have to give a slight edge to WE8 due to the realistic game play and true soccer physics engine. In the end, the game play is the most important part of the equation.
Stef K. gave it an8:
I've been a FIFA customer since 95, on my PC DOS machine. However, I've always felt since version 2003 that the gameplay was too static, not fluid enough and the animation too bulky. Based on the hyper, I've bought WSWE8 and I must say: this game is fantastic! The gameply is spot on and so is the animation. Everything is so fluid and intense...The controls get some time to get used to, but fortunately, the traning modes are great. On the negative side, the menus are not well done at all and the text is hard to read (white background on TV is not a good choice).
