If you don't pass the ball, you wont win. Period.
When you're in control of a player with the ball, for example, it's now far easier to perform quick side steps and turns because you don't have to use anything but your left analog stick to do so. You still have the option to perform more showy turns and tricks using shoulder buttons and the right analog stick, but it's unlikely that you'll ever become dependent on them, because now, more than ever, it's your ability to pass the ball that will win you matches. Passing is important, not only because your CPU opponents are now very quick to close you down whenever you get the ball, but also because the CPU players on your team will be making intelligent runs forward and expecting you to pick them out anytime you have possession.
Since passing the ball is even more important in Winning Eleven 9 than it has been in previous Winning Eleven games, it's also important that you're able to intercept the opposing team's passes when you're on defense. The bad news is that the tackles your players will perform automatically when you hold down the "pressure" button are now clumsier than before, often resulting in mistimed challenges. The opposite is true for sliding tackles, however, which are now a little easier to time correctly and are far more likely to result in you coming away with the ball. The upshot of this subtle but noticeable change is that you can no longer rely on just holding down the pressure button to win the ball back. With that said, one of the popular tactics online right now is to have a second CPU player apply pressure to the opponent with the ball, while you concentrate on marking the player you think he's looking to pass to. This isn't a new feature for Winning Eleven 9 by any means, but the additional emphasis on the passing game makes it a much more valuable technique to master now.
Another important lesson you'll want to learn, especially if you're planning to play Winning Eleven 9 online, is not to taunt your opponent after scoring a goal until you're absolutely 100 percent certain that it's a goal. Why would there be any doubt? Because in Winning Eleven 9, just like in real soccer, players occasionally score and celebrate goals before anyone notices the linesman holding his flag up to indicate an offside decision. This might sound like a very minor and perhaps irritating addition to the game, but the fact is that it's one of many such features that makes Winning Eleven 9 feel more like real soccer than any other game before it.
Intelligent CPU players are all well and good, of course, but there's really no substitute for playing against a human opponent, which is easier than ever in Winning Eleven 9 thanks to the inclusion of online play. Although much of the terminology used on Xbox Live and the PS2 Network Mode is different, their functionality is basically the same. We found that it took longer to get online and find opponents on the PS2 than it did on the Xbox, but that certainly didn't come as surprise, and it did little to taint our enjoyment of the online experience.
Your choices when logging on with Winning Eleven 9 include setting up or attempting to join a quick match against a random opponent, or connecting to the game's lobby system, where it's possible to scout potential opponents by checking their online statistics, connection speeds, and such. Your communication with other players at this point--as well as during matches--is really where the two games are very different. The Xbox version supports the communicator headset, of course, while the PS2 game features a text-based system that employs preset phrases and a virtual keyboard. The PS2 system is obviously more unwieldy, but given the kind of nonsense that many Xbox Live gamers use their microphones for, it can occasionally make for a much more agreeable gameplay experience.
All of the PS2 game's preset phrases and in-game messages can be customized, but all of the players that we encountered online seemed content with the standard stuff, which includes "Goal!" "Nice shot!" and "Good game." When playing online, you can only send messages like these during replays and stoppages in play, so there's no danger of the system being abused in an attempt to put you off your game.
Don't celebrate your goals until you know that the linesman is happy with them.
Though it's too early for us to have seen the system in action at this point, Winning Eleven 9 employs a quite ingenious-sounding league system that will consist of five different divisions: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3A, Division 3B, and Amateur. You'll start out as an amateur by default, and when the league is updated on a weekly basis, your statistics and recent results will determine whether you get promoted to (or relegated from) one of the higher divisions. The hope is that the majority of players will choose to play against opponents of similar ability by logging into special division-specific lobbies, although free lobbies with no restrictions and friendly lobbies where the results have no effect on your rankings are also available. For the most part, our online matches have been free of any lag that would be considered detrimental to the gameplay. However, there certainly were a few matches when there was a noticeable delay between us pressing a button and the corresponding action actually being carried out.
Even if you're not planning to take advantage of Winning Eleven 9's online play, the game represents a significant enough improvement over its predecessor that it's impossible for us not to recommend that you check it out. Is Winning Eleven 9 a better game than FIFA 06? It certainly plays a more realistic game of soccer than EA Sports' superb offering, but it also lacks many of that game's great features, such as official licenses across the board, the multiplayer lounge mode, and its innovative playing-style feature. You can't go too wrong with either game frankly, and if you've previously been dismissive of either series for no other reason than its name, now would be a great time to kick that habit.
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