Konami’s Winning Eleven franchise has always been that fun alternative to EA Sports' more serious and slightly more realistic soccer action that is the FIFA Soccer games. Yes, EA Sports has the licensed teams, players and anything involving FIFA and yes, even with the strict simulation rules this is one seriously fun game. Still, when it comes to a wildly intense soccer game that moves at a quick arcade-styled pace, Konami’s game has always been the choice for those soccer aficionados that don’t want to bother with those pesky regulations. Unfortunately, unlike the console version or the PSP version, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 just falls flat on its face on the Nintendo DS.

Part of the reason the game isn’t such a smashing success on the Nintendo DS is simply because Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 marks the debut of a Winning Eleven game on Nintendo’s new handheld. EA Sports has already released two FIFA Soccer games on the DS and with each try it has improved on the formula while learning how to deal with the hardware limitations. It’s obvious that the Nintendo DS isn’t always able to produce the same gameplay style found on the console version, but in the case of this game it really does try to emulate the Winning Eleven gameplay.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 brings a small number of game modes but what is found here is actually adequate. There’s the Match mode that allows you to play a friendly exhibition match using any of the available international and the assortment of club teams or, if you like to get down to the more dramatic moment in soccer, go directly to penalty kicks. Match mode contains pretty much everything you might expect from an exhibition mode including the ability to pick alternate uniforms and even playing a match against a created team (more on that a bit later). While there’s a Training mode, Match mode is the best way to practice for the other modes.

Speaking of other modes, Konami Cup acts as a major Americas or European cup tournament that pits 16 teams against each another to win the Konami Cup. Like in Match mode, you can also include a team you create thanks to the Original Team tool. It is using Original Team that you can add players you name, edit their uniforms and even create an emblem for them (that basically acts as their flag) by using the Stylus and drawing it yourself. Your created team can then participate in the game’s main mode, World Tour mode. Acting as a Career mode, World Tour takes your team through several games as you defeat teams placed in specific groups. Whether you’re in Group K or Group B, you must work your way past each team within your group to move on to a higher group.

One of the biggest additions is the online multiplayer mode that is missing in the PSP version of the game. You can connect online and play with other gamers online and, for the most part, it works just nicely. Sure there were moments when the game experienced some lag but it was nothing that kept the game from really staying fast-paced and fun. Offline, a friend can download the multiplayer game and it too runs with little trouble. I also prefer multiplayer against real players since the game suffers from some AI issues I will get to a bit later. A Friend Code feature even allows you to store a player to a sort of “friend’s list” for you to access and invite your friend to another match.

Unfortunately, even with this collection of game modes, Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is a flawed experience and, as I said before, half the blame goes to the hardware limitations. Konami tries to make most of the Nintendo DS by attempting to duplicate the Winning Eleven gameplay. Try as they might, though, there’s no getting past the fact that the opponent AI and even your own team AI is not as bright. No matter who you play, be it Brazil or France, all teams seem to play alike. Most upsetting, however, is the fact that your goalkeeper almost always leaves the goal post and thus leaves you vulnerable all the time. It becomes so frustrating that you will be wondering what the touch screen sliders (one for defense and another for offense) are there for since increasing the defense does nothing at all. There’s also the slight lag problem online, although most of the game’s I’ve played weren’t really crippled by it. 

On the graphics front, Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 looks more like a NES game. While that’s not completely bad (in fact, it could have been downright charming), the Nintendo DS is capable of doing a lot better than this. For one thing, the player models move awkwardly. It’s a lot like watching robots playing soccer … robots with very little animations. Almost every player reacts the same way to a goal and the unrealistic movements are an eyesore. With very little graphical details, even the stadiums don’t look great.

The sound doesn’t fair any better either, although the game’s music isn’t a total loss. When it comes to the sound effects, you’ll hear the recycled sound of the crowds going wild when your team (or their team) reaches the goal. There’s no commentary found here as well … as expected. Pretty much, this is it in terms of the game’s sound.

Clearly, EA Sports has the advantage in the soccer department on the Nintendo DS. Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 simply falls victim to the Nintendo DS’s limitations and doesn’t rise above the flaws that take the fun out of this game. If it’s a deeply involving and addictive soccer portable game you’re looking then you’re out of luck if you think this Winning Eleven game will deliver. Nintendo DS fans are better off sticking with the two FIFA Soccer games already available.

Gameplay: 6.2
The game’s controls are not bad at all and making passes and making quick shots to the goal are handled well enough on the DS. Sadly, some AI issues get in the way and it’s hard to show some style out on the field. The game modes add plenty for player to sink their teeth into and there’s even online multiplayer.

Graphics: 5.0
The NES-styled graphics are very unflattering on the Nintendo DS and the player models are not only stiff but move almost robotically throughout the game. Overall, the visual detail is low and the stadiums look awful.

Sound: 4.9
This isn’t FIFA Soccer so don’t expect a running commentary so the only voice you’ll hear is when you make a goal. There are some distorted chants during a game and it does a decent job of giving you the impression that you’re playing to a crowded stadium. The tunes are just plain dull.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The game is seriously challenging even on the easier difficulty setting and some of it has to do with the opponent AI that is actually pretty bright. It’s your team AI that makes the game hard. Why does the goalkeeper always insist on leaving the goal post when opponents get near?

Concept: 6.5
The game modes are enough to keep gamers playing for a long time to come the creation tools are deep enough that you can create your own team, players and even your own emblem you create with a Stylus. Add online multiplayer and you have an impressive game that could have been great.

Multiplayer: 7.0
While the PSP gets the better handheld version of the game, the DS gets online multiplayer that actually works pretty good. I’ve experienced some lag but nothing too frequent enough to ruin a match. A friend can also download multiplayer straight out of your cartridge so they don’t even have to own a copy of the game to play against you.

Overall: 6.0
Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 translates poorly on the Nintendo DS and, while online play is definitely a plus, the hardware slows down the fast-paced soccer action considerably. While the game does try to mimic the Winning Eleven style, it’s clear that the FIFA Soccer franchise has the upper hand. Here’s hoping that Konami does a better job with next year’s addition.