Metacritic Games

World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International (Xbox)

Winning Eleven 8 once again raises the bar with in-depth gameplay, improved realism and increased control. The game now features all the teams from the Italian, Spanish and Dutch leagues under the official license. Featuring 136 club teams and 57 national teams, Winning Eleven 8 offers gamers control of up to 4,500 of the world's greatest soccer players. The game introduces a wealth of new moves and tricks including new free kick and penalty kick techniques, an innovative indirect free kick move and a new dribbling system that offers more control as gamers go one-on-one and try to pass opposing players. Also featured is the first-ever on-screen referee in the history of the series. Boasting an enhanced ref AI, the referee will run up and down the field reacting realistically and instinctively to fouls, giving advantage for minor infringements and even stepping in to calm things down when the action gets heated. Winning Eleven 8 also features improvements to the popular Master League, which now has more strategy through player development and injury, and a new 'My Best Eleven' option so fans can save their greatest teams. [Konami]

Konami
Sports, Soccer
Players: 4
E (Everyone)
Developer: Konami Tokyo
Released February 1, 2005

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

90 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 G4 TV
Where "FIFA" feels like hockey with soccer players, Winning Eleven 8 feels like the year's first entrant for best sports game of 2005.
100 GameSpy
Even lacking that [online] option, WE 8 stands as the best soccer game of all time. It looks fantastic and plays out of this world.
95 Play Magazine
Player animations and transitions are seamless; it will astound you how versatile the movements are in the game. [Apr 2005, p.77]
95 GameZone
With wonderfully solid controls, great graphics, enough game modes and enough teams to select, this game is one you should not miss if you love sports in general.
94 IGN
Winning Eleven 8's single-player Master League is enormously good fun, and with its expanded management tools and WE-Shop minigames, the game is easily worth $50. The one-on-one gameplay? Priceless.
93 Team Xbox
One of the most entertaining sports games you will play because the fundamentals have absolutely been nailed with a great general gameplay engine.
93 GameSpot
KCET's best soccer game to date, which basically makes it the best soccer game ever made...even taking the seminal "Sensible World of Soccer" games on the Amiga into account.
91 Game Revolution
While we’re sorry that the series still lacks an online component for its console versions, we love the cyclical player skills system, as well as the new player search.
90 Talk Xbox
While FIFA may have the licenses, Winning Eleven 8 is on top of the soccer game world in every other area that matters. Gameplay is superb, the graphics are impressive, the top players are included and it’s thoroughly enjoyable.
90 XboxAddict
Some more shots of the crowd and better track of calling plays from the booth would easily make this game the greatest soccer game of all time.
90 DarkStation
The best soccer game on the Xbox to date.
90 Extreme Gamer
The mojo drops like rain on the field and you can't help not to get wet!
90 1UP
WE8 just feels real. The tempo and feel of the game show a deep understanding of soccer. The A.I. is spot-on, especially that of your own teammates, who continually move around and make runs for your benefit. Control is smooth and rock solid.
90 GamePro
Team stats overall are better balanced (not blatantly favoring South American and European teams), selection of International teams more diverse, and the Master League mode is easier to delve into.
90 Yahoo! Games
"FIFA" may continue to entice football fans who live in action-adventure mode, but for the purist and realist, there's no better footie than this.
88 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The A.I. is even brainier than before (teams now put extra pressure on the goal when trailing and sit back with the ball when ahead), the shooting controls are less sensitive - a good thing - and the visuals are finally comparable to FIFA's.
88 Game Informer
It's not a quantum leap, but it's the kind of adjustments that will only endear the faithful to this already beloved series even more. [March 2005, p.115]
86 My Gamer
The best soccer game around. It’s as simple as that.
83 Gaming Age
It is without a doubt the best soccer game created.
83 Official Xbox Magazine
With realistic-looking players, a full suite of edit options to let you tailor names to your liking, and core on-field action that plays just so smooth, Winning Eleven 8 is the way to go if offline soccer action is all you crave. [March 2005, p.81]
83 Next Level Gaming
The gameplay and sheer amount of options alone are mind boggling. And it looks fantastic. Konami knows how to do European Football. Now, they need to get this thing online and fast.
80 Stuff
The computer AI, just like your girlfriend, will sniff out your weaknesses and exploit the living crap out of them.
80 Maxim Online
Although it's dogged by Commodore 64–quality music and selective licensing agreements—Manchester United is simply Man Red—this new edition more than compensates with killer graphics, new tricks, and an improved dribbling system.
80 Operation Sports
The biggest and inexcusable disappointment is that we Americans and Canadians are being short-changed in comparison to our European counterparts with regard online play on the Xbox and PS2 consoles.
75 Detroit Free Press
Really isn't a leap above "Winning Eleven 7." Though the variety of play modes is huge, the well-animated visuals could use some polish, the audio sounds rather bland and the number of licensed teams and players is a bit wimpy.