Portable Gaming Revolution

If you’ve played the PS2 version of this franchise then you’ll be facing the same game. Something about two teams of little men kicking balls in my pants scared me, but I was wrong. World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 was a surprise on the PSP that I never seen coming.

First and foremost, the game is almost untouched from the PS2 version. That is the most commendable aspect of this title. Konami put the renowned gameplay of this franchise on the PSP, without any hacking and slashing that other developers do. If you loved the other ventures on the consoles then you’ll never be left wanting more with the PSP version. Nothing was more exciting than getting that goal time and time again. Right now this title has dominated the soccer aspect of the PSP. One thing that almost every single game has ended up with is a problem with the controls, whether it is quirky response or just poor planning on the button layout. World Soccer has none of the above. It was extremely easy to pick this up and begin the goals raining down on the opposing team. One sad thing is that the “Master League” career mode is absent, but don’t worry, there’s more. You have Match, League, and Edit modes to keep you happy. Don’t know jack about the way World Soccer plays? Have no fear, the training available is well done and is actually helpful.

Graphically, World Soccer is astounding. This title is a testament to how powerful the PSP is. The realism is unprecedented. The movement is fluid and truly magnificent. There’s really nothing I can say that sums up the beauty that is World Soccer considering all that’s going on. On the other hand, there is one thing that results from the beautiful graphics, longer than usual load times.

The sound is the only disappointing part of this game. The music is dull and repetitive. Not something that should really bother you, but when you sit back and listen to it it’s like buying a brand new flat-panel HDTV and finding that there’s one dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. Yet, on the other hand, will you really be listening to the music when you’re going down the field?

Multiplayer is where I figured I would spend most of my time. I was sort of right. Although there is no infrastructure, the ad-hoc that is available is something. The ad-hoc only lets you play against one other person. Two… that’s all we’re going to get, but maybe someone, somewhere will be dawned upon by the light of intelligence and let us go further in numbers…maybe not today.

I have to say that I’m not really a soccer fan. I grew up playing football, but this game makes me want to go out around town and kick soccer balls at random people. Yeah, it’s that good! If you have a PSP and you love or even slightly like soccer, then this game is a must have. Other games come close, but World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 takes the win.