Everything needs replacing. Unfortunately, even the good ones. But still, we were rather amused as Konami changed the name of its upcoming soccer title. Previously known as Winning Eleven, the awaited game of the year will be now officially known as Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (Xbox 360, PSP, DS). Maybe they wanted a more cohesive campaign as they tie it up with the UK release.

As Winning Eleven, we've seen constant excellent things and good surprises. But even though they changed the name, don't expect the new member of the franchise to disappoint. Happily, the game runs very smoothly and fine. Although the overall increase of speed worked within the game is very noticeable in the X360 version, we also didn't fail to see the limited number of teams available for gameplay (Brazil, Italy, Spain and Czech).

Chip shots and trick dribbling now comes not awkwardly, thanks to the addition of RB and LB. It's also worth mentioning the improvements Konami done with the graphics as the details become more intricate: players position the ball with the inside of their foot before actually kicking it, celebrations, and collisions aside from many others.

They also fixed players just running through fallen opponents as they now jump over obstacles. Expect now more timely slide tackling and call watching from teammates as a smarter A.I. was promised. Pro Evolution will be available on January 9, 2007.