England’s Paul Scholes lays through a pass that splits the Norwegian defense and gives striker Emile Heskey a shooting chance from just outside the 18. The striker takes the shot, but the Norwegian keeper is already in motion, attacking forward to cut down the visible shooting area. He dives to his right, getting a hand on the ball, driving it up and outside the six. Michael Owen was cruising down the left side of the field, and puts on a burst of speed to get to the ball, but his position and angle to the goal prohibits an attempt to score. Deftly he heads the ball back across the six.

Heskey, knocked off stride after the shot, dives feet first at the cross, getting his right foot on it and sending it back into the left side of the net.

GOAL!

Konami’s World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International for the PC redefines the game on the platform, providing incredible action, attention to details and a brand of soccer that will have gamers ‘ooh’ng and ‘aah’ing as they take teams through tournaments and matches.

Let’s get the minor annoyances out of the way. First match played was a friendly, and the computer AI dictated that the keeper not pick up the ball. Instead, the keeper played it with his feet, giving the striker the opportunity to steal it. It was only after a misplayed steal attempt that the keeper finally dropped on the ball. This is just wrong. Most players at the upper level will not go near a ball in the control of a keeper. Had the striker not attacked, the keeper may well have kept dribbling the ball around inside the 18.

Also, the crowd noises are a little loud initially, drowning out the commentary of Peter Brackley and Trevor Brooking.

The game itself has more than 100 international teams, 21 stadiums and several ways to play. You can indulge in match mode, league mode, cup mode, training mode and Master League mode. In the latter you create and build your own team, and guide them through either the Division 1 or Division 2 competition in one of four leagues. From created players, to salary negotiations to challenge training, this is a complete journey into the game.

The game features a new engine, which allows for more animations than before.

One of the elements that really sets this game apart is how strictly it pays attention to the rules of the game. A through-pass is pushed a little too far, and while Heskey tried to catch-up, the opposing keeper beat him to the ball and sent it up the field. But the keeper’s clear is intercepted, and the ball is pounded back up the field. The defenders, though, seeing the opportunity arise, move forward and trap Heskey offside. While this may be a reason to holler, one still has to admire the intelligence of the AI to pull so effective a trap.

The game does support several controllers. The default is the keyboard, but if you go into the options with another controller plugged in (like a gamepad), the game will allow you to customize the controls.

Graphically, the video representation of the sport does not get much better. The weather effects are solid, but the star of this is the player animation and control of the ball. This game looks amazing. The default is a rather low resolution, but you can easily reset that to higher resolution and graphical display.

WE7 is a great PC game, and has to be considered one of the year’s best overall. The missteps are very minor and easily overlooked. If you are a PC sports gamer, get this title.
 

Gameplay: 9.1
There are a few minor flaws at the lower difficulty level, likely put in to give players the opportunity to succeed before moving up to the bigger challenges. And the game will throw numerous highlights up after a score or in the post-half highlights.

Graphics: 9.7
The default graphics are a little sharp-edged, but go into the options and pump up the screen resolution and you will be treated to jaw-dropping animations and settings.

Sound: 9.2
The sound of the crowd has a tendency to drown out the excellent commentary by Peter Brackley and Trevor Brooking, and the menu music is not as adrenaline pumping as it could be. Minor annoyances in an otherwise solid category.

Difficulty: Medium

This game offers several difficulty levels of play, on a 1-5 scale, and then compounds that with team ratings. And even then, with the flexibility to adjust lineups, you can take a team, reconfigure its lineup and perhaps beat that team that is ranked higher.

Concept: 9.3

This game has depth, it has accessibility, and is stunning to look at. Top to bottom, WE7 is top notch.

Overall: 9.4

This is the best PC soccer game – period. Graphically, adherence to the rules, and the whole atmosphere has been incredibly realized in this game.