World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International

Before World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International was released, I was worried about how good it would be. The reason for this is that the previous game was a huge game changer when it came to soccer/football games so I wondered how Konami could top it. Well top it they did and if you ask me this is the pinnacle of this series! It is kind of crazy to think that this game as I write this is 17 years old and, in my opinion, the series never reached these heights again.

The Ultimate Master League!

Before we really get into World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International, it is worth noting that the game is known in the west as Pro Evolution Soccer 4. The main game mode in this series is the Master League and Konami added over 70 teams to it for this year's game! They also added in things like players getting better as the years move on, players being able to retire, and just a few other refinements that made the overall experience better.

FIFA, Were Coming For You!

While World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International or Pro Evolution Soccer 4 could never match what that year's FIFA (FIFA 06) was offering in terms of licensed players, teams, stadiums, and leagues. Konami did start to get on the right track here as they secured the licensing rights for the Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, and Dutch Eredivisie. They also greatly expanded the way you could customize a club, making it better than ever before for those who wanted to spend the time recreating their favorite teams and leagues.

It's In The Game

One area where FIFA had always triumphed during this time (well apart from licenses) was with the visual presentation. With World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International or Pro Evolution Soccer 4, Konami took a step in the right direction and made it a bit more cinematic and TV broadcast like. It is crazy to think, but this was the first game in the series that actually had a referee on the pitch! Other little things like the kits getting dirty during a game did help with the overall presentation of the game.

Refining What Is Great

Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was such a massive, massive game that as I said in the intro, I wondered what Konami could do with World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International to top that. Thankfully, they did not reinvent the wheel, they kept that amazing and deep gameplay and just refined it a tad. You feel like you have complete control over your players and Pro Evolution Soccer 4 is a game that feels like it is all about skill, rather than luck. I do also have to point out that this was the first time the game went multiplatform as it was also released for the original Xbox. Not only that, but this would also be the first time the series offered online play, which I was addicted to back in my college days!

Pros:

• The gameplay is arguably the best it has ever been in the series
• They managed to secure the licensing rights for three leagues
• Playing against another skilled opponent is just so much fun
• I liked the new additions they made to the Master League

Cons:

• I do not think that Konami ever reached these heights with the series again!
• While you can edit teams, players, and so on, the lack of licenses has always been an issue for the series