The World Soccer: Winning Eleven
(WE) franchise used to be the gold standard of football simulation
games until the Fifa series came along and usurped the crown.
Will the new World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2015 (WE2015) reclaim the throne?
It is kick-off time.
Hardcore WE fans have always claimed that its gameplay is superior
to that of the Fifa series. In this respect, WE2015 provides plenty of
firepower to back that claim.
Unlike the previous version's slow build-up play, WE2015 is more
fluid and your passes no longer take an eternity to reach your teammate.
Whether it is jostling for the ball or trapping a ball, it looks
more realistic than ever. The ball can move anywhere, obeying the laws
of physics rather than just sticking to your player's feet.
You can immediately feel the difference in the first touch or
finishing ability when you play as Gareth Bale rather than Gary Hooper.
In terms of realism of player and ball movement, it is finally a match
for Fifa 15.
However, the matches are still slower than Fifa 15's. WE15 is like
the Italian Serie A - all about movement and tactics - whereas Fifa 15
is like the English Premier League, all about fast and furious action.
This is because WE15 requires a better understanding of formations
and tactics. It is less about making that Steven Gerrard-esque
cross-field through ball, but more about passing the ball consistently
well to create space in certain areas for your teammates to run into.
It requires more thought and better reading of the game.
As a result, matches rarely go the way of cricket scores, unless you
are playing in the lower difficulties. Most of the time, the scoreline
is 1-0 or 2-1 at best.
In terms of graphics, WE15 is great eye candy with beautifully
recreated stadia, but only a few, such as the Allianz Arena and the San
Siro, are available. Player faces and team jerseys - when licensed -
are faithfully reproduced too.
However, WE15 players lack emotion and facial expressions, and have
none of the rain and snow weather realism exhibited in Fifa 15.
In addition, the commentary gets repetitive and the music soundtrack is as boring as the menu interface.
Again, the lack of official licences continues to be a major
irritant undermining its realism. Manchester United, for example, is
the only licensed team in local fans' favourite English Premier League.
So, if you are a Chelsea fan, you play as London FC in an uninspiring
blue jersey.
WE15 sees the introduction of MyClub, which is similar to Fifa 15's
Ultimate Team, where you swop virtual cards of players to form the
Ultimate Team.
Unlike in Ultimate Team, which lets you bid and transfer specific
players, in WE15, you can only engage agents to sign a player whom you
have no choice but to accept. You may be tempted to buy virtual coins
to open up more options to sign better players.
Other modes include Master League, where you play as a manager, and
Becoming A Legend, where you play as one player trying to ascend to the
pinnacle of football. MyClub is where most players will probably play
the most.
While WE15's gameplay is a match for Fifa 15's, it still has some
way to go to match the Fifa franchise in overall entertainment.
Rating 8/10
- $63.60 (PlayStation 4, version tested); $42.40 (PlayStation 3); $63.60 (Xbox One)
- Football simulation
