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[Alucard]

I started at 11pm and went until 7am before deciding that I should probably get a little bit of sleep. I only breaked to talk to my g/f on the phone for a half hour or so, otherwise I played over 30 games and finished my first league run-through. I haven't been this into a game in a really long time. As much as it may frustrate me, as much as I may want to scream obscenities at my television after another 0-0 draw, I can't stop playing this game for those few moments of brilliance that will sometimes occur in a match; that perfect chip shot over the keeper's head as he comes out to challenge you, the perfect through ball to send Thierry Henry on a breakaway, or that glorious shot from the edge of the box as it hurls itself into the top corner of the net.

I'm still having trouble finishing and aiming at certain angles and judging shot power from various spots and in various circumstances, but I'm still in love with this game. It pisses me off, but it rewards me just as much. Fucking Konami...

 

[Mike Works]

I tried to get my friends to get into it, but they prefer FIFA because it has "better graphics". Christ, every time we play FIFA and my player waits to receieve the pass instead of moves towards it, a part of me dies. They're not willing to give it another chance because of the graphics, and because it doesn't have as many official teams.

fhjgslfdhgjlfds

 

[Solid]

Yep, addicting! I play it every day! In fact, it's running in my Xbox right now

 

[Alucard]

I tried to get my friends to get into it, but they prefer FIFA because it has "better graphics". Christ, every time we play FIFA and my player waits to receieve the pass instead of moves towards it, a part of me dies. They're not willing to give it another chance because of the graphics, and because it doesn't have as many official teams.

fhjgslfdhgjlfds

I have a friend who is also in denial and says he doesn't see the big difference between WE8 and FIFA. It makes me want to bang my head against a wall. How can you not feel the difference just by the control you have over your players? Thankfully, I also have 2 friends who are totally into WE8 and the sport as well, so now that I actually own it we can talk smack in versus matches that much more often. Such a great game.

 

[saelz8]

Best Soccer game ever

 

[Drakken]

I've only played WE6, but I absolutely loved that. Before, I liked soccer, but I wasn't too interested in it. Super Soccer (back on the SNES) was the only soccer game I'd played. After playing WE6, my interest increased, I started watching games on TV occasionally, etc.

That was awhile ago, though, and I forget what happened to it. I think I traded it for another game I REALLY wanted at the time, or something like that.

Anyway, now I really want to get another WE game. Is there any major difference between the PS2 and Xbox versions of WE8? Which one do you guys think controls better?

I suppose since I've waited so long already, I could wait for the next Xbox / Xenon version and hope that it's online.

EDIT: Oh yeah, playing with 6 or 7 people (using a multitap) was crazy.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

I love this game, but sadly alot of my friends suck at sports games in general. They get frustrated to easily and cant take a loss. They have like a couple of game and then want to go pl;ay a fighting game or something. Its sad cause WE8 is pretty close to the perfect aports game. Luckily when my cousin comes over we manage to get atleast 20 games or so in a row.


Playing 4 ppl against the CPU and 2 on 2 rocks so much.

 

[Volt]

I recognize myself in your words Alucard
Bought the game (PES4) upon release in November last year and I'm still playing it almost exclusively some weeks.

The draw games are the worst because you get so mad at the game... that you can't go to sleep without at least having another bout, hoping you'll win it this time, with a couple of world class actions to boot !

 

[Bluemercury]

By the way, what improvements does the new we8 liveware evolution has besides online play?

 

[Mike Works]

I have a friend who is also in denial and says he doesn't see the big difference between WE8 and FIFA. It makes me want to bang my head against a wall. How can you not feel the difference just by the control you have over your players? Thankfully, I also have 2 friends who are totally into WE8 and the sport as well, so now that I actually own it we can talk smack in versus matches that much more often. Such a great game.

It just kills me, because THEY'RE the big soccer fans, not me. They couldn't get the controls down pat right away, so they said that they're bad. Now every time a player isn't responsive when we play FIFA, I bring up that WE8 isn't like that, but they don't care now, they're dead set against it. Fuck.

 

[Alucard]

I recognize myself in your words Alucard
Bought the game (PES4) upon release in November last year and I'm still playing it almost exclusively some weeks.

The draw games are the worst because you get so mad at the game... that you can't go to sleep without at least having another bout, hoping you'll win it this time, with a couple of world class actions to boot !

Last night was seriously a matter of "just one more match." Then that became "well, I only have 3 games left in the season, I might as well finish it!" And then THAT led to "I've gotten better! Let's see if I can start out the new season on a high note!"

But yeah, the goaless draws are the worst, especially when you feel like you should have won and had plenty of chances to put the game away but just haven't come to grips with the controls yet. I can't count the amount of times I've been on a near-breakaway, chipped the ball past the keeper but JUST missed the side of the net. Then again, I've scored some wicked goals, few more satisfying than a wicked one-timer that banged off the crossbar and into the net. I still need to get used to headers too...I've scored twice using them but feel like I'm missing something. I'll try to check out the training mode sometime soon, or I'll just read through the full instruction manual.

It's great when you have a friend or two who share your love for a game of this quality and for the sport it depicts. Seriously, I've had some matches with a friend of mine where there really is a sense of pride and nationalistic passion that goes into the game. Sad but true.

 

[Volt]

Ow yeah I know the feeling. At the end of a Master League season you always get the chance to train your players and of course negotiate for new ones ! So instead of Saving & Quitting, you wanna train the new guys first of course, and see them in action in at least one match-up...

Probably my most played game this gen, except for maybe Fire Emblem

 

[Alucard]

It just kills me, because THEY'RE the big soccer fans, not me. They couldn't get the controls down pat right away, so they said that they're bad. Now every time a player isn't responsive when we play FIFA, I bring up that WE8 isn't like that, but they don't care now, they're dead set against it. Fuck.

Yeah, there are people that NEED the real teams and everything else or else they won't the game a second look. In the case of FIFA, I really do think it's just a case of brand loyalty and justifying your own purchase. I played FIFA 2004 to death and enjoyed it, despite stupid flaws like players waiting for passes to come to them, or players running for a ball that was going out on the opposing team anyways, or the fact that the ball is kicked way too far ahead of a player when they are sprinting. After WE8 though, I just can't go back to FIFA. It really does feel like a second-rate soccer game that belongs in the action/arcade section and not sports. Good luck with converting your buds. Haha. Just keep pointing out annoyances with FIFA to piss 'em off. I realized there was a problem when I started winning every game by at least 10 goals.

 

[Socreges]

I have just one friend who's willing to play Winning Eleven with me (ie, soccer + videogame fan). We get together most weeks. The only person that I know that's hung up on FIFA is my brother, but he's naturally inflexible.

So, can't wait for online. Nice to know that Mike Works and Alucard are on board. The series is getting pretty damn popular here.

I still need to get used to headers too...I've scored twice using them but feel like I'm missing something.

On corners, make sure you have the ball curve in/out low and hard. But keep it away from the keeper. You can lose half of your opportunities if you have a habit of putting it too close to the goal. Also be particular about who takes the kicks (ie, Beckham should every time if you're Real).

On crosses, be considerate of where the ball is going. This is something that you probably have to develop. ie, after some time playing the series you'll get to the point where you're carrying the ball down the wing, you can look at your radar (simultaneously) and see a forward sprinting in at the far side. So, if (eg.) you're on the left wing and at the bottom of the screen, hold Up(/Left) to place it near the far post and hopefully hit him as he's running. The defenders will realistically have a much more difficult time heading the ball out, whereas if your forward is standing still and waiting for it with one or two defenders draped on him, either they'll clear the ball or you're going to head it over the net. It's also important to consider Jump ability and Header Accuracy. Someone like Kluivert will be much more deadly with headers compared to someone like Ronaldo.

Also you can use R2 to reposition your player when receiving crosses

You may know a lot (or all) of this, but I hope it helps. Sometimes it's just impossible to score on crosses (short forward, aggressive defenders), but you should definitely be more successful than that.

 

[Daigoro]

As much as it may frustrate me, as much as I may want to scream obscenities at my television after another 0-0 draw, I can't stop playing this game for those few moments of brilliance that will sometimes occur in a match; that perfect chip shot over the keeper's head as he comes out to challenge you, the perfect through ball to send Thierry Henry on a breakaway, or that glorious shot from the edge of the box as it hurls itself into the top corner of the net.

thats the beauty of this game. i get SO worked up over failed plays and when i fuck up on defence and allow a goal. but it just feels so rewarding to set up something that works perfectly. scoring just makes all bad things melt away, as if all were right in the world.

its a beautifull thing.

Fucking Konami...

...are GODS!

It just kills me, because THEY'RE the big soccer fans, not me. They couldn't get the controls down pat right away, so they said that they're bad. Now every time a player isn't responsive when we play FIFA, I bring up that WE8 isn't like that, but they don't care now, they're dead set against it. Fuck.

your friends are obviously bitches who could use a swift kick to the nuts. i suggest you take matters into your own hands and start kicking ass. and they have the nerve to call themselves soccer fans?! fucking blasphemy i say.


its good to see this game getting more love on this board. it deserves all the praise it gets and more.

 

[Solid]

I wonder if PES5/WE9 will be on Xenon or just Xbox.

 

[Gibbo]

I swear..No other game would give you the amount of excitement that WE does. The amount of (manly) screaming and swearing I do during the matches is pretty obscene :lol

Alucard> Try playing with money. 2 Bucks a goal. I guarantee that this will bring the fun factor of the game to a whole new level

 

[Shinobi]

I tried to get my friends to get into it, but they prefer FIFA because it has "better graphics". Christ, every time we play FIFA and my player waits to receieve the pass instead of moves towards it, a part of me dies. They're not willing to give it another chance because of the graphics, and because it doesn't have as many official teams.

fhjgslfdhgjlfds

If the official teams thing is what bothers them, buy an Action Replay, hit PESFan, and download your roster file of choice (of which there are many). You can get the rosters fully up to date, the jerseys will be accurate right down to the sponsor logos, and you can even find files that have better or more familiar teams added in leiu of other ones. It's the only way to go, and defintely makes the game cooler if you're a fan of the sport.

I honestly don't blame people for wanting to play FIFA for the real teams...I'd be the same way with any of the other games. But the WE community is as fervant as any game on the net, and that difference frankly no longer exists to me.

Also WE is incredibly difficult to get into when you're first playing it...hell I almost gave up on WE7 after a few weeks, whereas you can nail most of the intermediate stuff in other sports games after a couple of hours. But the reward for learning at least some of the high level controls is extremely satisfying...heh, probably the same feeling people get when they figure out Virtua Fighter.

For those who have the XBox version and want a more natural controller for the game, try out the Pelican Afterglow Pro.

It has white and black buttons on the top of the controller, and with a bit of work can at least somewhat replicate the Dual Shock scheme. I changed the configuration a bit to make it more comfortable for me, and my level of play is virtually identical to what it was in WE7. Controller looks pretty cool in the dark as well.

Also the Xenon controller should be near perfect for future WE's based on the description...like the Afterglow it'll also have the black and white buttons on top, though they might be behind the triggers.

 

[Ghost]

I tried to get my friends to get into it, but they prefer FIFA because it has "better graphics". Christ, every time we play FIFA and my player waits to receieve the pass instead of moves towards it, a part of me dies. They're not willing to give it another chance because of the graphics, and because it doesn't have as many official teams.

fhjgslfdhgjlfds

friends who prefers Fifa to WE arent your friends, find new friends.

 

[Ronok]

"Best Soccer game ever"

Football, I think you'll find it's called football...



Oh and you obviously havn't played fifa 95 with a couple of the cheats activated..... That was the most fun football game I have ever played!

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

WE is so good it turned my American baseball/basketball loving butt into a full fledged futbol enthusiast. When you start Tivoing Fox Soccer Channel you know the game has some power.

I just wish it had online. When Im gaming with my buddies its usually of the NBA Street variety. WE doesn't get touched. Its not even a FIFA thing, its a "game where they dont use their hands" thing. Sigh. ML is terrific, as is the AI for the most part so its not too bad.

The thing I love about WE is even after logging in an obscene amount of hours into WE 6-8, I still see something new almost every game. Thats what keeps ya coming back. Its the smartest and most organic sim of any sport thats ever been accomplished in the medium. If the two big basketball developers had half the talent and attention to detail the Konami crew has when it comes to soccer Id be overjoyed.

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

The Winning Eleven series is the epitome of gaming.

I hardly play any of my game backlog, which is huge, but I definitely need to find some time during the day to play at least 3-4 matches of WE. When I don't, I feel incomplete.

Right now I'm playing a league with Inter and damnit has it been frustrating. I'm in 2nd place, something I'm not used to, 5 points behind Roma, who has yet to lose a freaking match after 14 matchdays with 14 wins. WTF!?!?!?

The only thing that irks me about WE8, especially, is the subtle catch up AI hidden there. For example, when you're leading 1-0 with 25 minutes to go, the other team gets a second wind and starts running and pressuring all over the pitch. That's fine with me, but when they start pushing and tackling my players in what it is an obvious foul and the ref ignores it, it sure pisses me off.

Still, it is a gem and easily the greatest sports game/sports series ever made.

 

[bionic77]

Nothing else currently compares to playing Winning Eleven with your friends. It is scary how time passes when you are in the middle of a good tournament with your friends. Last night me and my friend vowed to quit after just 2 games, but of course we kept playing it for almost 4 hours and ended any chance we had of doing any work.

I wish the USA was a better team though, my god they are horrendous in this game. They can't even handle simple passes it seems. I need to find a country with at least average skills when we play National teams, right now I usually just pick the historic rivals of whatever my friends pick (Turkey if they pick Greece, Japan if they pick Korea, England if they pick Ireland, etc.).

Simply the best sports game ever created. I was getting bored with Madden and disgusted with most bball sims anyways, but after playing this game EA and VC have a long fucking way to go before they can get me to go back to their shitty products.

 

[Solid]

Glad to see Americans getting converted! Spread the love!

 

[gettergooey]

For those with the PS2 version, aren't you guys bothered at all by the framerate drop in WE8?

It severely turned me off to the point of not wanting to play it anymore. And it gets worse for me since I play the wide camera mode.

My fav of the series is still WE6:FE, oddly enough on the Gamecube!

 

[Drakken]

Again:

Is there any major difference between the PS2 and Xbox versions of WE8? Which one do you guys think controls better?

I suppose since I've waited so long already, I could wait for the next Xbox / Xenon version and hope that it's online.

Is there?

 

[bionic77]

Again:



Is there?

Graphics wise it is better on the Xbox and has less slowdown than the PS2 version.

I hate playing it with the Xbox though, I just can't reach the black/white buttons easily no matter how much I practice. For this reason you pretty much have to go with the PS2 version or get a DS adapter for your Xbox.

 

[Ronok]

Bionic, if you want an international team who are reliable when it comes to passing then any of the following teams should work well enough......... Brazil, France, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Holland, England, Germany....... There are more, but, these are some suggestions....... Teams like Ireland can also be useful as well if you get used to the game........

The worse teams in the game should only be used once you get really good, it can be kinda depressing messing up nearly every pass you make and not once pulling off a decent through ball.

 

[bionic77]

Bionic, if you want an international team who are reliable when it comes to passing then any of the following teams should work well enough......... Brazil, France, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Holland, England, Germany....... There are more, but, these are some suggestions....... Teams like Ireland can also be useful as well if you get used to the game........

The worse teams in the game should only be used once you get really good, it can be kinda depressing messing up nearly every pass you make and not once pulling off a decent through ball.

No I know which of the countries are good, I just need to find a country I feel good about that also has some skill. The guys I play with play with a country they identify with. My Korean friend plays with Korea, another friend is Irish and he plays with Ireland, etc. I really don't have a country I identify with in the game other then the US, and they are terrible.

Ronok, btw what was I doing wrong with the US that they couldn't handle passes? I just assumed that was the skill level of the players and I tried to change my strategy.

 

[AgentCooper]

Glad to see Americans getting converted! Spread the love!

Converted? There's a reason why some of us imported PS2s Especially since they stopped giving us ISS (yeah, I know it's not the same).

 

[Ronok]

Yeah it is the skill levels of the players...... It's the one thing Konami didn't get right...... The basic skills that worse teams can't pull off at all. In reality these teams aren't THAT bad, but, it had to be exagerated I guess.......


With worse teams I tend to use VERY simple passes, no long balls or through balls..... If you set up your formation well you can use this to go through most defences....... Oh and make sure you know exactly who on your team can do what..... Oh and don't bother taking your defenders anywhere, they are bad enough as it is, don't want them out of position.


But yeah, bassically it's all strategy with worse teams you are right... Unless you want to slightly edit there stats to make it a bit more realistic. :-/


Oh and as for a team you can relate to I wouldn't worry too much about that... Find a team who's default formation best suits your style of play and go with it. I mean me, I use Arsenal as a club team, I support them in real life and I pretty much think of football the way they play it and therefore there default formation/strategy works perfectly for me..... I always know Ljumbergs going to be making that run to the post, or that Cole is going to be outwide when I need him........ Because of this I also use France (with a few modifications) cause I can play pretty much the same way with them without any problems. :-/ Then again, sometimes me and my friends say to only pic average teams and I choose England or Ireland as I am English/Irish........... This normally isn't as fun as just playing with the teams that feel natural to me, but, there is added tension cause there is a feeling of pride............


In short, I would say find a team you feel is natural to you and then practice until you can get past the downfalls of the US's lack of skill for them patriotic moments. XD

 

[swander]

Classic Brazil all the way!!! I love the fact that if you get it to Pele you can score from like 40 yards out.

 

[Shinobi]

I hate playing it with the Xbox though, I just can't reach the black/white buttons easily no matter how much I practice. For this reason you pretty much have to go with the PS2 version or get a DS adapter for your Xbox.

Did you not see my post boy?

Pelican. Afterglow Pro. Get it. Don't even entertain the thought of a PS2 adapter for XBox...mutiple people say it's far too laggy to bother with.

And at least you can use the US...there's no Canada in this game, which pisses me off. They moved up to #84 in the world today! 84!

 

[bionic77]

Did you not see my post boy?

Pelican. Afterglow Pro. Get it. Don't even entertain the thought of a PS2 adapter for XBox...mutiple people say it's far too laggy to bother with.

And at least you can use the US...there's no Canada in this game, which pisses me off. They moved up to #84 in the world today! 84!

Well, I don't have an Xbox and I don't plan on buying a new controller just to play it on my friend's Xbox. My friend is an Xbox addict and he even he hates playing WE on his Xbox, he was considering getting some Dual Shocks and the adapter based on my recommendation. I will have to convey your advice and recommend that controller instead.

I doubt it will play as nice as on my DS though.

 

[speedpop]

I had 2 all-night sessions with WE7 back in the day and christ the only reason why I stopped was because I'd lose concentration by about 4-5am then I'd have to stop because I'd lose a few or be stuck on a draw streak. Morale is a huge hidden factor in this game, after bouncing back after my good players had rested after a huge week of league, league cup and wefa champions league I'd bounce back with a 3-0 drilling and it'd stay like that for awhile which was great.

 

[Pack of Wild Rats]

Yeah, there are people that NEED the real teams and everything else or else they won't the game a second look. In the case of FIFA, I really do think it's just a case of brand loyalty and justifying your own purchase. I played FIFA 2004 to death and enjoyed it, despite stupid flaws like players waiting for passes to come to them, or players running for a ball that was going out on the opposing team anyways, or the fact that the ball is kicked way too far ahead of a player when they are sprinting. After WE8 though, I just can't go back to FIFA. It really does feel like a second-rate soccer game that belongs in the action/arcade section and not sports. Good luck with converting your buds. Haha. Just keep pointing out annoyances with FIFA to piss 'em off. I realized there was a problem when I started winning every game by at least 10 goals.

I'm not into soccer so this might be a bit off topic, but the same exact thing happened to me with madden/2k5. I played madden 04 so much, then I played NFL 2k5 and i could never play Madden again.

 

[Socreges]

I had 2 all-night sessions with WE7 back in the day and christ the only reason why I stopped was because I'd lose concentration by about 4-5am then I'd have to stop because I'd lose a few or be stuck on a draw streak.

Same here. I find that my best games will actually be the first ones that I play and then I get continually worse and worse. I suppose I'm not as freshly minded. But if I'm conscious of this than I can actually change my state of mind (in how I see the game) and begin doing much better, but that might not last.

Morale is a huge hidden factor in this game, after bouncing back after my good players had rested after a huge week of league, league cup and wefa champions league I'd bounce back with a 3-0 drilling and it'd stay like that for awhile which was great.

You mean the arrow beside their stamina bar? I hope everyone pays attention to it. I've actually seen a table that shows exactly how much your attributes will strengthen or weaken depending on where the arrow is pointing (or what colour it is). Some go up SIX POINTS if your player is red. So I always pay careful attention to that. I'll sub pretty much anyone who is 'depressed' (down arrow).