With the disturbing (though not entirely surprising) news that PES 6 for the Xbox 360 is stinking up the joint with an unimpressive, vastly pared-down, mediocre port of the PS2 version,  I was intrigued by what new things KCET would bring to the table with J-League Winning Eleven 10. The answer….not much. 

A small side note: the official title of this game is J-League Winning Eleven 10 + Europe League '06-'07!

Graphics 75/100

Graphically, JLWE10 is pretty much identical to Winning Eleven 10. The crappy 2-D fans seen during gameplay views are still present as are the grainy (by comparison to next-gen titles) visuals. While it might be a bit much to expect KCET to include 480p support for Winning Eleven on the PS2, I think it’s completely within reason to expect a Widescreen option. Alas, neither are present.

Player likenesses and  builds are still very good and the catalog of animations is vast and much greater than even the next-gen FIFA. That said, despite the fantastic variety (and quality) of animations present in Winning Eleven, the overall movement of players is starting to look somewhat robotic compared to the free-flowing, fluid animations in FIFA 07 for the Xbox 360.

The main changes in the graphics come from the phenomenal 62 (SIXTY-TWO!!!) different and excellently modeled stadia in the game. JLWE10 features many of the same stadia present in WE10 (but no Anfield...sob) but also adds a plethora of unique J-League grounds. Another change in the visuals comes in the TV-style presentation which features a few more dynamic camera angles and zooms – during a recent match I played between Valencia and Real I hacked down Diarra with Baraja, and as the ref pulled out his yellow card, Baraja walked away while the camera zoomed out and panned up to show the immensity of the Santiago Bernabeu. It’s a small touch but it helps to set the scene and further emphasize the importance of big matches.

On a final note, JLWE10 features an very, very cool anime-style intro that’s not only very different from others in the series, its also one of my favorites (and much better than the useless intro sequence in WE10).

Audio 75/100

Different menu music (not licensed, obviously) and lots of team-specific crowd chants for the J-League teams are the main changes. Kabira-san is ever present and fantastic as usual.

Options 80/100 * See Addendum Below

All the expected modes of play are present; Exhibition, Master League, League, Cup, and Training etc. The new modes include the Community Mode which is Konami’s equivalent of the FIFA Lounge where you register human players for head-to-head matches AND training challenges (like a head-to-head Free Kick challenge). Another new mode is the Japanese Challenge where you select a club team and go on tour playing against other teams around the world (starting off in Japan against J-League teams and later playing International squads). Finally, there are a number of unique All-Star Team match-ups where you can create randomly generated team of players by picking three or four nations and having the computer randomly picking players from those nationalities.

Of course, the Master League is the meat of the gameplay…barf. Fortunately, you can forgo the regular ML structure and play in the actual J-League (with its own 2-division, league format). I really enjoy playing in the J-League but the rest of the Master League is in desperate need of a reform (even if KCET have created new and improved menu screens).

J-League Winning Eleven 10 features the following licensed domestic leagues;

And the following non-licensed leagues/groups;

As you can see, a big minus is that the K-League is MISSING! Furthermore, the Bundiesliga is absent. In the non-licensed leagues/groups there are a few individual teams here and there that are licensed (now Chelsea are no-longer licensed but Manchester United are). There are a full slate of international teams but no WC qualifying modes.

I’ve said this before, but Konami really needs to get on board with more licenses and an organized league/manager-mode structure. A few other changes include a renaming/changing of the 5-Star Difficulty system – it’s now changed to ‘Beginner’, ‘Amateur’, ‘Standard’, ‘Professional’, and ‘Top Player’. Nothing major there. Rosters are completely up to date (Cannavaro at Real, Ashley Cole at Chelsea, Kuyt at Liverpool etc.).

Gameplay 90/100

J-League Winning Eleven 9 was, in my opinion, the most realistic game in the series and a noticeable change in gameplay from its predecessor Winning Eleven 9. The same cannot be said for JL-WE10 which plays more or less the same as Winning Eleven 10. The only notable change comes from slower, and more mistake-prone play, due to the lower skilled J-League players and a further improved player interactions (pushing, shoulder barges, collisions and so on).

Don’t get me wrong, J-League Winning Eleven 10 still plays the deepest, most enjoyable game of videogame football on the planet but I wonder how far this series can go without some more substantial changes. The past few editions of the series have all been very good but have all had fairly minor (though important and well thought-out) changes/refinements. I think the biggest thing that needs to be reviewed is the dribbling and player movement model – while I still prefer Winning Eleven’s dribbling to FIFA’s, FIFA 07 for the Xbox 360 has such a fluid, organic dribbling model that it really highlights how constricted Winning Eleven’s dribbling can be at times.

Minor pondering aside, JL-WE10 plays a mean game of soccer though one that is not massively different from Winning Eleven 10. There are no new major moves and the ball physics are basically the same. The pace of the game does seem a little slower and the keepers seem slightly less rebound-prone.

Replay Value 85/100

Unlike J-League Winning Eleven 9 this game doesn’t have a lot of new gameplay changes (from the previous version) to explore so really you’re just adding the J-League teams, stadiums and league structures to a game that’s been out for more than 6 months now.

Overall 85/100

J-League Winning Eleven 10 is a solid soccer title but not significantly different from Winning Eleven 10 in any major way - hence this short, by my standards at least, review. Gameplay-wise the game is practically identical to its predecessor and the same goes in the graphics department. The major change comes in the presence of J-League teams and league structure – however, this comes at the price of the robust World Cup qualification mode present in Winning Eleven 10. Which of those two you prefer should largely dictate whether or not you import this title. If you’re a J-League nut, go for it. If not, save your money and keep playing Winning Eleven 10.

The Master League has been improved - now you have full 20 team leagues (by nation) as well as a World Club Championship tournament (on top of the existing UEFA and Champions League Cup equivalents). Furthermore, the Master League has the number of available subs per match to five something that was only present in the J-League modes in previous games! I've adjusted the game's score appropriately, however, even with the changes I still can't call this game a must-buy if you already have Winning Eleven 10.

Screenshots from www.konami.jp

Special Thanks once again to the man, the myth, the legend - Fernando for the Japanese to English language patch!

With the disturbing (though not entirely surprising) news that PES 6 for the Xbox 360 is stinking up the joint with an unimpressive, vastly pared-down, mediocre port of the PS2 version,  I was intrigued by what new things KCET would bring to the table with J-League Winning Eleven 10. The answer….not much. 

A small side note: the official title of this game is J-League Winning Eleven 10 + Europe League '06-'07!

Graphics 75/100

Graphically, JLWE10 is pretty much identical to Winning Eleven 10. The crappy 2-D fans seen during gameplay views are still present as are the grainy (by comparison to next-gen titles) visuals. While it might be a bit much to expect KCET to include 480p support for Winning Eleven on the PS2, I think it’s completely within reason to expect a Widescreen option. Alas, neither are present.

Player likenesses and  builds are still very good and the catalog of animations is vast and much greater than even the next-gen FIFA. That said, despite the fantastic variety (and quality) of animations present in Winning Eleven, the overall movement of players is starting to look somewhat robotic compared to the free-flowing, fluid animations in FIFA 07 for the Xbox 360.

The main changes in the graphics come from the phenomenal 62 (SIXTY-TWO!!!) different and excellently modeled stadia in the game. JLWE10 features many of the same stadia present in WE10 (but no Anfield...sob) but also adds a plethora of unique J-League grounds. Another change in the visuals comes in the TV-style presentation which features a few more dynamic camera angles and zooms – during a recent match I played between Valencia and Real I hacked down Diarra with Baraja, and as the ref pulled out his yellow card, Baraja walked away while the camera zoomed out and panned up to show the immensity of the Santiago Bernabeu. It’s a small touch but it helps to set the scene and further emphasize the importance of big matches.

On a final note, JLWE10 features an very, very cool anime-style intro that’s not only very different from others in the series, its also one of my favorites (and much better than the useless intro sequence in WE10).

Audio 75/100

Different menu music (not licensed, obviously) and lots of team-specific crowd chants for the J-League teams are the main changes. Kabira-san is ever present and fantastic as usual.

Options 80/100 * See Addendum Below

All the expected modes of play are present; Exhibition, Master League, League, Cup, and Training etc. The new modes include the Community Mode which is Konami’s equivalent of the FIFA Lounge where you register human players for head-to-head matches AND training challenges (like a head-to-head Free Kick challenge). Another new mode is the Japanese Challenge where you select a club team and go on tour playing against other teams around the world (starting off in Japan against J-League teams and later playing International squads). Finally, there are a number of unique All-Star Team match-ups where you can create randomly generated team of players by picking three or four nations and having the computer randomly picking players from those nationalities.

Of course, the Master League is the meat of the gameplay…barf. Fortunately, you can forgo the regular ML structure and play in the actual J-League (with its own 2-division, league format). I really enjoy playing in the J-League but the rest of the Master League is in desperate need of a reform (even if KCET have created new and improved menu screens).

J-League Winning Eleven 10 features the following licensed domestic leagues;

And the following non-licensed leagues/groups;

As you can see, a big minus is that the K-League is MISSING! Furthermore, the Bundiesliga is absent. In the non-licensed leagues/groups there are a few individual teams here and there that are licensed (now Chelsea are no-longer licensed but Manchester United are). There are a full slate of international teams but no WC qualifying modes.

I’ve said this before, but Konami really needs to get on board with more licenses and an organized league/manager-mode structure. A few other changes include a renaming/changing of the 5-Star Difficulty system – it’s now changed to ‘Beginner’, ‘Amateur’, ‘Standard’, ‘Professional’, and ‘Top Player’. Nothing major there. Rosters are completely up to date (Cannavaro at Real, Ashley Cole at Chelsea, Kuyt at Liverpool etc.).

Gameplay 90/100

J-League Winning Eleven 9 was, in my opinion, the most realistic game in the series and a noticeable change in gameplay from its predecessor Winning Eleven 9. The same cannot be said for JL-WE10 which plays more or less the same as Winning Eleven 10. The only notable change comes from slower, and more mistake-prone play, due to the lower skilled J-League players and a further improved player interactions (pushing, shoulder barges, collisions and so on).

Don’t get me wrong, J-League Winning Eleven 10 still plays the deepest, most enjoyable game of videogame football on the planet but I wonder how far this series can go without some more substantial changes. The past few editions of the series have all been very good but have all had fairly minor (though important and well thought-out) changes/refinements. I think the biggest thing that needs to be reviewed is the dribbling and player movement model – while I still prefer Winning Eleven’s dribbling to FIFA’s, FIFA 07 for the Xbox 360 has such a fluid, organic dribbling model that it really highlights how constricted Winning Eleven’s dribbling can be at times.

Minor pondering aside, JL-WE10 plays a mean game of soccer though one that is not massively different from Winning Eleven 10. There are no new major moves and the ball physics are basically the same. The pace of the game does seem a little slower and the keepers seem slightly less rebound-prone.

Replay Value 85/100

Unlike J-League Winning Eleven 9 this game doesn’t have a lot of new gameplay changes (from the previous version) to explore so really you’re just adding the J-League teams, stadiums and league structures to a game that’s been out for more than 6 months now.

Overall 85/100

J-League Winning Eleven 10 is a solid soccer title but not significantly different from Winning Eleven 10 in any major way - hence this short, by my standards at least, review. Gameplay-wise the game is practically identical to its predecessor and the same goes in the graphics department. The major change comes in the presence of J-League teams and league structure – however, this comes at the price of the robust World Cup qualification mode present in Winning Eleven 10. Which of those two you prefer should largely dictate whether or not you import this title. If you’re a J-League nut, go for it. If not, save your money and keep playing Winning Eleven 10.

The Master League has been improved - now you have full 20 team leagues (by nation) as well as a World Club Championship tournament (on top of the existing UEFA and Champions League Cup equivalents). Furthermore, the Master League has the number of available subs per match to five something that was only present in the J-League modes in previous games! I've adjusted the game's score appropriately, however, even with the changes I still can't call this game a must-buy if you already have Winning Eleven 10.

Screenshots from www.konami.jp

Special Thanks once again to the man, the myth, the legend - Fernando for the Japanese to English language patch!