Konami's Winning Eleven (Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS) series has made football lovers believe that there is a good football game out there that they could enjoy playing hours with. Every release is met with excitement and enthusiasm from football/gaming aficionados. Now, the game's associate product manager, Colin Ferris, chatted with 1UP about what's next for the series, what's missing from it, and what makes it kickass.

He mentions that one thing that he is proud of is their accomplishments on the Xbox 360 version. He shares that:

In fact, all the screens and videos we have used for marketing the 360 version have been created using the in-game engine. There's no need to touch up the video when it looks this good....We truly did build the 360 version from the ground up. I'll repeat: this is not a port of the PS2 game. Besides amazing graphics, the next generation of consoles allows us to get more realistic in terms of physics and gameplay. In order to take full advantage of new features in coming versions for next generation, the development team felt the need to start over and not burden themselves with code designed for the last generation

Now, the inevitable question - what is Konami's plans for the PS3? He divulges that "WE: PES 2007 will not be released on the PS3, but Konami does support all the next generation consoles. You'll have to wait and see for future announcements."

Ferris also shared that they have worked very hard on including the licenses for the teams that they know that their fan-base would want. Unlike FIFA, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 included all of the World Cup teams (FIFA excluded eight teams). He was also questioned about the lack of the USA National team license for a US release, which he answered by saying:

As with all sports games, licensing is always difficult. In the case of soccer, you have the leagues, the teams, and the team's sponsors all to deal with. Do we get everything we want? Absolutely not, otherwise every single team in the world would be in the game. However, we are very focused on increasing the presence of North American teams in the game. Personally, the addition of Argentina in WE: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is one of my favorite new teams to play with.

You could check out the word-per-word account of the interview by clicking on our read link below.

And after an entire year's worth of reports, Konami's multi-platform sports title Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 finally makes its way to retail stores in the US. Though we are once again at least a month behind our Japanese counterparts who got theirs last December, it's still a good thing to know that fans of this video game genre haven't grabbed another title to add to their list of choices.

Besides enhanced online play, improved graphics, new fully licensed international and league teams, and new game modes, this title will also feature the addition of several new licenses such as the French League, as well as fully-licensed uniforms for the Czech, French, Australian, English, Italian, Argentinean, Spanish, and Swedish national teams. On top of that, the Master League mode also makes a comeback, and once again allows players to fully manage and train their own team of choice.

Now available in stores, the PS2 version costs US$ 39.99, the Xbox360 version costs US$ 49.99, the PSP port goes for US$ 39.99, while a copy for your DS sells for US$ 29.99.

Buy: [Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (PSP)]
Buy: [Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (DS)]

UK's first major trade show event since 2004, the London Games Festival, started the week-long celebration of interactive entertainment. It includes a variety of events that will surely delight gamers.

First is GDC London, an annual gathering of video game developers which comprise an expo and a variety of tutorials, lectures and roundtables by industry professionals on game-related topics covering programming, design, audio, production, business, legal issues, and art. Next is the London Games Summit which provides the most hard-hitting business content specifically developed for the industry. This is where top industry executives and key government ministers provide honest insights on the gaming business today.

Gamers will be in paradise as London Games Festival features other events which may interest them like the HMV's Games Showcases which feature a handful of playable games like Pro Stroke Golf, PDC World Championship Darts, Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 and Rockstar Games' Table Tennis, to name a few. It'll also feature The Game/Play and the Artful Gaming Exhibition.

The festival does not only cater to the gamers audience as it also provides diverse events that cater to parents who need advice on games or people who want to learn more about games and where the future of entertainment is currently heading. So its a festival that caters to almost everyone, not only to the gamers. And this also reflects that gaming is serious business. The festival aims to add learning to fun. Families can attend this celebration and take part in the activities. Check out the schedule of events here.

 

With the World Cup so over and with the whole world now in the know about what Materazzi said to Zidane in the finals, the world of soccer has been a little less interesting lately. But out to change that is Konami's Winning Eleven for the Nintendo DS, proving to one and all that a classic never fails to attract attention and interest from us, mere mortals. And now, they have released some screens of the game for your own viewing pleasure.

One of Konami's more successful and famous franchise is set to hit Japan this coming November 2. Of course, people outside the Land of the Rising Sun would have to wait a little while to be part of the action. We could only hope that these could accompany you through the wait.

    

Winning Eleven DS is going to be receiving a special bundle with the limited edition Black DS Lite. Something we didn't know before is that the bundle also includes a DS Lite bag! So if you ever wanted to look stylish while carrying a bag, they've got the perfect thing for you!

Unfortunately, the chances of this leaving Japan are slim. It might also be hard to import because it looks to be a VERY limited print. How come we never get the cool stuff?

The Winning Eleven DS website has updated with a picture of the limited edition Winning Eleven DS Lite that will go on sale bundled with the game on November 2nd. The game will retail for 3,980 Yen (~$35 US). The bundle will retail for 19,800 Yen (~$170 US).

The game is confirmed to use the Nintendo WiFi Connection. However, it looks like it'll only support two players instead of the four that we're all used to seeing. Winning Eleven is known as Pro Evolution Soccer in other parts of the world.

Football is an important sport. It's time to make sure that the game's represented well in electronic form. With all the Football games out there, we'll have to sort out through the mire. We've found a candidate for one of the greats: Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007.

Konami releases Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 and it's going to be on all the gaming platforms, including the PC. It boasts of realistic gameplays and excellent artificial intelligence, with comprehensive multiplayer support.

New additions include refined physical play and shooting system. The physical play enables defenders to automatically back off slightly to prevent receivers from getting to the ball. With the new shooting system, players can have a more dramatic feel to shootouts. Online play allows up to eight players at a time. On the Xbox 360, however, the graphics will have higher definition, as well as new gameplay additions.

The game features new licenses including the French League, Portugal Lisbon and Benfica. Uniforms from Czech, French, Australian, English, Italian, Argentinian, Spanish and Swedish national team will also be included.

The game will be released on all man-made platforms in January 2007.

Winning Eleven is the most popular soccer (football for the rest of the world) franchise in Japan. The Japanese must be a little sad to hear that Winning Eleven DS for the DS has been announced to be delayed. So no September 21st release. Developers have now given a Fall 2006 release date.

The bundle that was going to debut with the game (Winning Eleven DS + Black DS Lite) will be delayed as well. Why this is happening is unknown. Maybe Konami didn't want to release a game so close to the release of its two other potentially blockbuster hit games Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl? We really don't know.

The release date for North America hasn't been changed and is still scheduled for next year. It'll be released under the name Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007. The biggest audience of this game outside Japan though will likely be Europe where people are so into the sport! Europe is football-crazy, kinda like Canada and hockey!

What's the greatest way to double - or even triple - handheld console sales? Offer a new variety in color then bundle it with one of the most popular games. Nintendo has this down pat, as shown by this latest news about a DS Lite bundle.

Adding to the already enticing color choices of the DS Lite is Jet Black, which will be coming out bundled with the awaited Konami soccer franchise Winning Eleven. Aside from the new color, the Winning Eleven bundle's DS Lite will also have a special graphic printed on top (much like the Pikachu faces printed on Daisuki Club's limited edition Pokemon DS Lite) - although no word yet on what the graphic will be.

Release of the Winning Eleven DS bundle will coincide with the Japanese exit of the game, which is on September 21. Winning Eleven DS bundle is tentatively priced at ¥19,800 (excluding tax), that's roughly $170.

If you've ever tried to talk to your Nintendog or yelled out "OBJECTION!" you'll know that the DS's built-in microphone isn't the greatest way to communicate. Nintendo has figured out a solution. PC gamers have been using headsets as a way to communicate with others for ages now and Nintendo has decided to bring that to the portable market. In a product fair, Nintendo announced a earphone/microphone combo for the DS. It will hit Japan on September 14th for the equivalent of roughly $10 US. Hopefully, it'll be released in other parts of the world soon!

They also announced a Black DS Lite + Winning Eleven combo which will be released in Japan on September 14th. Winning Eleven is a very popular soccer franchise by Konami that has mostly been found on Sony platforms.