winning eleven
Latest
Archetype, Hero of Sparta 2 on iPad, PES 2010 coming
A few high profile apps have made their way over to the iPad recently. First up, Archetype is that first-person shooter that ran surprisingly well on the iPhone. It's now available on the bigger device with updated HD graphics and a redesigned HUD to take advantage of the bigger screen space. Additionally, the game has been updated since launch with a new level and a Rocket Arena gametype. The app is US$4.99 on the iPad, compared to the iPhone's $2.99 version. Gameloft has released their Hero of Sparta 2 app in an HD iPad version as well, bringing God of War-style action to Apple's tablet. HoS2 features new weapons and enemies across 12 different levels, and unlike the first Hero of Sparta for the iPad, word is that this one runs and looks great. If you were a fan of the first game and need something new to play on the iPad, you can buy Hero of Sparta 2 now for $9.99. And finally, at GDC Europe last week, Konami announced that it would be bringing Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 to the iPad. This series is also known as Winning Eleven, and it's supposed to be head and shoulders above most other soccer franchises out there, so seeing the brand new version out on the iPad is a nice coup for soccer fans. The app is due out in October of this year, just about a month after the new version of the game arrives on consoles. Unfortunately, there's no word on price yet, but given the premium nature of the title and Konami's pedigree, we're probably talking about a $9.99 game here as well.
Konami's game business Peace Walks toward profit in its fiscal Q1
Konami Corporation's operating income jumped 244 percent year-over-year in its fiscal Q1 2011, from ¥367 million ($4.26 million) last year to ¥1.265 billion ($14.7 million). Within its Digital & Entertainment Business division (the one for video games), Konami attributed the income to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Winning Eleven 2010 Aoki Samurai no Chosen (which " was launched on multiple platforms in May to coincide with the once-every-four-years festivities that excite soccer fans worldwide"), and the Japan-only DS girlfriend simulator Love Plus, which has since been expanded with a followup release, Love Plus+. Other contributing games with "strong sales" included Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 3rd Story and Fairy Tail Portable Guild, both for PSP. In the future, the company is looking to make a bigger splash in "the expanding overseas video game software market" with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Winning Eleven, and music games like Def Jam Rapstar and Karaoke Revolution Glee. We're guessing we'll see more PSP games from Konami, as well, since that's going so nicely for them.
Konami posts record sales for previous fiscal year
Never, ever doubt the interminable power of a long-running football franchise or the appeal of mustachioed super spies. Konami just posted its sales figures for this past fiscal year (ending March 31, 2009), and it certainly seems it'll have an achievement worthy of hanging on mom's fridge. The company's total sales for the year reached a record sum of 309,771 million yen (or $3.25 billion, £2.15 billion), a year-over-year increase of 4.2 percent.Konami's net income actually fell 40.7 percent from last year, though its Digital Entertainment division (you know, the one that makes games) actually did quite well on its own -- it's operating revenue increased 123.4 percent for a total of 3,447 million yen last year. Allow us to convert that for you: It's a freaking ton of $s and £s.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 scores with fresh media, screens, trailer
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 makes its western debut next week on most consoles, but Wii owners will have to wait a little longer -- like last year, the Wii iteration of PES 2009 will be released next spring.Better news: it'll be keeping the same point-and-drag system that proved such a hit, and adding a few frills. There'll be a "new defensive system" in place (or: holding "Z" now sends your nearest player towards the man in possession), a fully licensed UEFA Champions League tournament, and a co-op mode which supports the Classic Controller. Even betterer news: it's PES. If you care one iota about soccer, you should care about PES.Hit up the gallery for the first Wii screens, including shots of cover star Lionel Messi, "savior" of U.S. soccer David Beckham, and lots of screens of Manchester United, a.k.a. the Greatest Soccer Team in the Woooorld.%Gallery-34214%[Via press release]
Another lengthy wait for next Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the Wii was released some five months after other versions enjoyed their worldwide debut, and that won't be changing for the 2009 update. While the Xbox 360, and PlayStation editions will launch this fall in Europe, "Spring 2009" is officially the launch window for the Wii game, making it that rarest of things: a sports title with the correct year on the front of the box. It'll also be fronted by Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi (above).Even a five-month wait is worth the hassle, for PES 2008 on the Wii turned out to be an admirable and unique soccer experience all of its own, and the good news is that Konami will be keeping the same system for the 2009 game -- we're off to fight rival supporters and perhaps smash up a café to celebrate.[Via press release]
Wii scores a Pro Evolution Soccer follow-up
Against all of our expectations, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for the Wii was a brilliant reinvention of an already brilliant series, so here's some brilliant news: we'll be getting a 2009 edition. Konami has the Wii version listed on its own site for a "Winter 2008" launch (as World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009, the Japanese name), which should come as a relief to those who caught an earlier press release that didn't mention the Wii at all.Indeed, the news brought about an impromptu Mexican wave amongst the Wii Fanboy staff. Or it would have done, if we didn't all work in different rooms in different countries.[Via Go Nintendo]
Konami kicks off Japanese rental program with Pro Evolution Soccer
Being able to rent games is something that most of us take for granted -- in Japan, it doesn't happen because of publisher blackballing. Konami has decided to give the whole rental thing a try, though, starting with the popular soccer game, Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 (aka Pro Evolution Soccer 2008).Even so, Japanese gamers won't be able to test out the title in full. Instead, trial versions of the Wii game will be offered for free at Tsutaya stores. It's kind of like downloading a demo, only you have to go and pick it up instead.We're interested to see if this has any impact on Japan's gaming industry, and if Konami will expand their "rental" service in the future. Gallery: Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 [Via Game|Life]
Free online PES magazine is a good way to kill some time
Do you eat, sleep, and breathe Pro Evolution Soccer 2008? Well then, not only do you have an amazing digestive system, but also you'd probably be interested to know that Konami wants to further feed your addiction.Why else would the company team up with GamerZines to make an online magazine completely dedicated to PES Wii? Oh right, promotional reasons. At its core, this mag is just an attempt to hype up people for PES 2008. Even so, if you're a fan of the game or are thinking about buying it, you might find a few interesting things in this free zine. Aside from pictures of happy people who are supposedly playing the game, the magazine offers gameplay videos, as well as an interview with PES 2008's Wii producer, Akiyoshi "Greyhound" Chosogabe. There's also an entertaining little game-like quiz/competition where you have to identify five soccer players (which this blogger failed at miserably).All in all, there's not that much to it, but current and potential PES lovers might find reading it to be a nice distraction. Gallery: Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 [Thanks, Dave]
Wii Warm Up: Hey, batter batter batter, swing, batter
One of the best uses of the Wii's motion controls, in our opinion, is for sports games -- which is probably why Nintendo bundled a game full of sports demos with the console. Take the Wii version of Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer, for example, which was hailed by critics as bringing new life to the series.What do you think, though? Do motion controls add an extra layer of immersion to sports titles? Or, do you prefer to play your sports games without waggle?
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/10-3/16
Japanophiles and sales chart nerds, it's that time of week again to take a look at last week's sales in the Land of the Rising Sun. Those of you who've been keeping up won't find much excitement in this week's chart, though. All the same software from the week before showed up, but it might not be long before Family Ski and Winning Eleven fall out of the top thirty.It was also nice to see Metroid Prime 3: Corruption stick around, as the Nintendo FPS nabbed the number eleven spot for this week. Other than that, the only noticeable difference is that Smash Bros. dropped to fourth. What's interesting is that Brawl is no longer the best selling Wii game, either, as Wii Fit reclaimed that honor. We also learned that you can't keep the big three (Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Wii Play) out of the top ten for long.In hardware sales, the Wii fell a smidge behind the PSP, and did only slightly better than the DS. Hardware: PSP: 57,651 Wii: 55,845 Nintendo DS: 53,266 PlayStation 3: 14,934 PlayStation 2: 9,930 Xbox 360: 1,744 To see the software numbers and rankings for last week, make sure to click past the break.
Metareview: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Thanks to its point-and-pass mechanics and Mii integration, the Wii version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 can safely be described as the biggest upheaval of the series in years. But have such sweeping changes to one of the most finely balanced franchises in gaming been for the better? Well, the critics certainly seem to think so ...Official Nintendo Magazine UK -- 90%: First out of the tunnel with its views is the UK edition of Official Nintendo Magazine, which suggests that persevering with the new Wii controls will pay dividends: "Easily the best football game on a Nintendo system. It takes a while to get used to the new controls but once you get your head round them, they become second nature." [March 2008, p.58 -- excerpt found at Metacritic] IGN -- 86%: IGN's Matt Bozon argues that the Wii controls play a crucial role in creating the "most strategic" soccer experience ever: "The integration of IR into a sports game has been extremely minimal so far, but is absolutely ideal in this situation, allowing players to not only play the ball specifically, but direct traffic and precisely move every player on the field in tandem, making for the most realistic, strategic, and intuitive soccer experiences we've ever seen."1UP -- 75%: And it's more of the same from 1UP's Andrew Pfister, who expresses surprise that the Wii version is so superior to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions: "It's always refreshing to see a unique application of the Wii's motion controls, and it's even more encouraging to see a new idea that's not only functional, but something that really can't be done any other way. We're not sure what's going on over at Konami's PES team: on one hand, there seem to be some major issues in regards to PS3/360 development, yet the less-technically apt Wii version ends up being the game to move the franchise forward."%Gallery-14410%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/3-3/9
To most of us, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is old news. The U.S. has had it since last summer, and even Europe has been enjoying the game for a few months now. It only debuted in Japan last week, though, and we were happily surprised to see it make the top five. It only sold 32,000 copies in its first week, but that's still not too shabby for a Metroid game in Japan. Hopefully, the game will have some legs and not plunge off the charts after its first week, like many other first-person shooters tend to do.As for other software, the Wii didn't have too many games in the top thirty -- only eight, in fact -- yet it was still the second most represented gaming system on the charts. With the exception of the aforementioned Metroid and Everyone's General Knowledge Training TV, all the Wiis top games have consistently stuck around for (at least) a few weeks. In other news, Smash Bros. once again failed to take the first place spot. The game beat out last week's chart champ, the new Gundam for the PS2, but fell behind the newly released Yakuza 3.In hardware, the Wii claimed the top spot once again as Japan is clearly so over the Mint Green PSP (that was so five minutes ago). You can check out the hardware and software numbers for last week in Japan after the break -- we recommend that you do so.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/25-3/2
People interested in Japanese game sales probably have one question on their minds: Did Super Smash Bros. Brawl hold onto the top spot last week? Well, the answer is, no. The new Gundam game for the PS2 managed to end Brawl's reign, and end it convincingly. In fact, Smash barely stayed in second, with Wii Fit being right up the fighter's grill.The Wii itself also lost the top spot last week, overtaken by the PSP in hardware for the first time since Brawl's release. Aside from those major changes, though, everything looks to be what we'd expect, with Winning Eleven and Family Ski continuing to champion the cause for third parties.Go on and take a look at the numbers after the break ... or else.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/18-2/24
Super Smash Bros. Brawl hung onto the top spot last week, but not by much. For the first time, the king of Nintendo fighters was actually close to the game behind it, with a lead of less than 10,000 units. Considering that Brawl has dominated for a month and is already over the million mark, though, we're not surprised to see a little less dominance from the title.A lot of new software was released last week, which finally caused Super Mario Galaxy to fall out of the top thirty. Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 was the Wii's new game, debuting at the number six spot. Family Ski also managed to jump up five spots, despite the plethora of new titles.On the hardware side, the Wii continues to reign in first place. The PSP and DS aren't too far behind, but the Wii is outselling the PS3 4:1 with the help of Brawl.You can check out the listings and sales numbers -- they're posted after the break.
Winning Eleven changes its name
Those of us in the U.S. call Konami's soccer series Winning Eleven rather than Pro Evolution Soccer. Winning Eleven will soon be no more, however, as the title for the new U.S. game will officially be Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, like its European counterpart.As IGN points out, this is unfortunate timing. Had the newest game kept its Winning Eleven name, it's title would have been Winning Eleven 11. Only Japan will have that glory now.We at Nintendo Wii Fanboy tend to prefer Winning Eleven to Pro Evolution Soccer, but at the end of the day, what's in a name? At least this change might serve to cut down on some confusion.%Gallery-14410%
Winning Eleven? Nope, it's Pro Evolution Soccer
Forever, there has been a divide between the Winning Eleven and the Pro Evolution Soccer fanboys of the world. A divide that had North American gamers playing Winning Eleven while their European friends played Pro Evolution Soccer. Funny thing is, they're the same game.But that naming confusion has been put to rest and will be no more as Konami just made it official that Pro Evolution Soccer will no longer be referred to as Winning Eleven in North America and, from hence forth, will be universally titled Pro Evolution Soccer worldwide (sans Japan). That means, North American gamers will never have a chance to experience Winning Eleven 11 (hehe, eleven), but will unite with their European brothers in playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Rejoice and be glad.
Winning Eleven's Mii support video turns heads
Very big heads, that is. The folks behind the Official Nintendo Magazine posted a video showing off Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008's RTS-esque plays and what the pitch will look like when you replace your team of normal-sized-head players with a squad of Miis, goofy expressions and all. It's worth watching the five-minute clip for both of those details!The game looks as goofy as NBA Jam's Big Head code, except with soccer! Also, PES 2008 matches will feature full commentary by Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson, and not some guy yelling out a bunch of foolishness like "Razzle dazzle!" and "Boomshakalaka!" If that sounds like a minus to you, you always have the option of shouting those lines out yourself; that's what we do whenever we're at the dinner table. Kick the read link below for the video. %Gallery-14410%
Down on the pitch with the latest Winning Eleven screens
We've been treated to loads of video from the Wii version of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, but not so much with the screens. As mystifying as this would normally be -- since it's usually the opposite! -- when considering the effort that's been put into building the game for the Wii controls and platform, it actually makes a lot of sense.Doesn't mean we didn't want to see some screens, though, and now we've got a fresh set, which we've tucked away in a gallery just for you.%Gallery-14410%
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of Jan. 20
After a few weeks without nary a release in any region, we're back to seeing the normal flow of games. While Rainbow Islands Evolution may not be the big-name release that some of you have hoped for, we're sure a few people out there have been anticipating its release.North America Games Rainbow Islands Evolution Europe Games No new releases Asia Games Lumines II (The Best Collection) Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone If importing is in your nature, you might want to check out Yggdra Union, which is a remake of the GBA version released in 2006. It's a tactical RPG, so if you've already beaten Jeanne d'Arc and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, this could be right up your alley.
Fresh Winning Eleven info emerges from the tunnel
As we have previously discussed, the Wii version of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 will be a very different game from the version that appeared on other consoles (and we're not just referring to the Wii-specific logo above). Is that a good or bad thing? We'll know soon enough, because Konami has announced that the game will be out in March.Scouring today's press release, we also learned about a random bunch of other features that are exclusive to the Wii edition. These include the ability to fashion a squad of 16 pre-defined Miis, a "Champions Road" mode that sees you building a team from the opponents you defeat (similar to the "Gacha-get" mode in the DS version), and the way in which sliding tackles can be executed and 'keepers brought out with a shake of the Nunchuk.Oh, and it will have full online play, but if the online support is anything like other versions of the game, expect it to be absolutely lagtastic.[Via press release]
