Winning Eleven Kicked on to Xbox 360

Konami's FIFA-beater is coming to Microsoft's new box (and the DS and more) and it's got a bunch of new gameplay too. First screens.

While EA's FIFA series has held on to the crown of best-selling football game for a while now, the Pro Evolution Soccer series is catching up fast. To speed that process up, Konami is getting with the times and bringing its beloved series to the next generation.

There are a lot of changes coming to Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007. Outside of the obvious graphical jump that comes with the move to the Xbox 360, the game's controls have also been revamped.

Snap shots will be more plentiful this time around and series producer Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka has reworked the volley and half-volley too. Your teammates should be more of help, thanks to improved AI that pushes them into open spaces when they're off the ball during drives. The ever-popular fancy dribbling techniques have been rejuvenated too, giving your players better control of the ball.

One of the areas where FIFA has always dominated over Pro Evolution Soccer is in the breadth of its official licence, but Konami is making ground here too. Solid advancement in recent years is boosted in this new instalment by more official kits from Argentina, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Whether you want to just play a quick match, guide your country to victory in global tournaments, or live the life of a manager and experience the rollercoaster of guiding your team through years of tournaments, Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 should have you covered.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games