Importing PES 2008 & WE 2008 FAQ's
Since today's announcement that North America would not see the release of our beloved game until Spring '08 most gamers based in North America are obviously looking to import the game. I will start off by clearing up some confusion following the announcement of the Japanese release before going into details.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3 & Xbox 360)
Released Europe 25th October 2007
Winning Eleven 2008 (PS3 & Xbox 360)
Released Japan 22nd November 2007
Both games will pretty much be the same, except for regional differences such as Languages (PES 2008 - Multilingual, WE 2008 - Japanese only), Commentary etc. Now the big question, can I import this game and play it on my console? Well it depends on what console you own. It does get very complicated so read carefully and if you have any problems then contact a member of the team for advice.
Xbox 360 Owners - FORGET ABOUT IT:
Due to the strict regional coding enforced by Microsoft you won't be able to play a game from outside your region e.g. North American fans can't import the European or Japanese version to play on their US Xbox 360.
Playstation 3 Owners:
Playstation 3 owners on the other hand are a much luckier. If you are a PS3 owner running your PS3 on an HDTV (High Definition - 720p, 1080i or 1080p) then you can import both European and/or Japanese versions to play on your console regardless of what region your console is from as HDTV signal worldwide follow a single standard known as ATSC.
If you are running your PS3 on an SDTV (Standard Definition - 480i or 480p) then it gets more complicated due to the whole NTSC vs. PAL issue. If your SDTV is Multisystem i.e. able to show both NTSC and PAL signals then you are ok to import the game and play it. There are some instances though where the game still won't run even though you are using a Multiregion TV. However, if your TV only works on one standard i.e. NTSC (for North American fans) then you won't be able to import and play the game as your SDTV won't be able to display the signal coming from your PS3.
My advice for PS3 owners; make sure you are playing your PS3 on an HDTV to avoid all small issues that can arise from regional differences.
UPDATE: You don't have to have an HDTV to play this game unless you are playing it on a console from a different region e.g. PES 2008 (European Import) on a US PS3 in the USA.
So now you ask, how do I get a hold of a European or Japanese version of the game? Simple! We have compiled a list of Importers where you can Preorder/Order the game online for delivery to your doorstep. Most of these deliver worldwide, but all of them deliver to North America.
To Preorder/Order PES 2008 (European Version):
ShopTo.net -
http://www.shopto.net/
It's A Game Thing -
http://www.itsagamething.co.uk/
ChoicesUK -
http://www.choicesuk.com/
SendIT -
http://www.sendit.com/
To Preorder/Order WE 2008 (Japanese Version):
Play-Asia -
http://www.play-asia.com/
Yes Asia -
http://global.yesasia.com/
Renchi -
http://www.renchi.com/
We really hope that helps and makes things easier particularly for our North American based viewers. If you have any more questions don't hesistate to contact a member of the team for further advice.
Best Regards.
W.E.N.B. Team
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