Hi, with Toys R Us running their buy 2 get 1 free deal for ps2 games, I've been toying with the idea of buying this game. I'm a casual soccer fan and have never owned a soccer game for any system, but I'm really in the mood for one now, for some odd reason. I'm just wondering how this game is, it has some pretty good reviews, and how accessible it is for a new soccer player. Thanks!

for sort of casual gameplay, i think the fifa series is more accessible. if the price drops, i'll probably pick up fifa 2003 for myself.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=279181

Just bought the game today, but I haven't had a chance to play it. Mainly I bought it because it had glowing reviews, I have a bunch of friends who are soccer nuts, and it was only 39.99, which fit in with the two other games I was going to get on the TRU deal.

I've been reading through the reviews, though, and it seems as if the reason people praise it so much is because it's so realistic. Which might not be that great for a casual fan. Like real soccer, it's very tough to score, and scores will often be 0-1 or 1-2.

I'm in the same dilemma with baseball, since I'm a casual fan who's not really interested necessarily in micromanaging a team. For me, maybe Slugfest is a better bet, since it's more hitting and action. If you're looking more for an "nfl blitz" type of soccer game, Sega Soccer Slam is a decent game for less than 15 bucks at Target. And FIFA is in between, though it does have the license.

The lack of license does hurt the game a little - buy game-play wise, this is the best soccer game ever made - you can adjust it to play realy sim-like or not too much.

But it's hands down the best playing sports game ever - yes, not just soccer, but all sports.

i did edit the names of the players in my favorite team. also, i haven't done so yet, but i think i can edit all the uniforms to make it look more accurate.

I might be a little biased beecause I am a big fan of soccer. But, winning eleven is really an awesome, realistic soccer game. My friends, who aren't hooked into soccer, are already addicted to the game; they want to play me all the time. Give it a chance, it will grow on you. You will have lots of fun time, especially if you play it with your friends.

I'm a soccer fan, bought it after reading the reviews, and am happy with the game. But it's not as perfect as some of the internet reviews have claimed (The lack of licensing DOES matter and the graphics and speed of FIFA 2003 are superior).

I perfer to play this game by myself and FIFA with my friends, I hope that makes some kidn of sense.

Hey asaw_9... are the friends you hooked on the game at least fans of soccer in general? Because it would seem to be a hard game for a non-soccer fan to pick up and play...

Wow, thanks for all the info. I'm still on the proverbial fence regarding this game, but more and more, I'm leaning towards getting it. Thanks again.

Actually, my friends don't care much about soccer. There soccer knowledge might not be more than knowing who won the last world cup or that Brazil's one of the best teams in the world. I live in a dorm, everytime I start playing it by myself, one of my friends will join me and we end up playing for an hour or so. Usually one of us would win it by a single golden goal in overtime. We get too competitive sometimes, but it's all for fun.

I have very little knowledge of soccer terms or strategy, but after buying and playing this game I am more curious than ever, which I think says a lot about the game. I enjoyed the very first game I played, sort of on an arcade level, but also realized that there is a more sophisticated simulation within the game that awaits me as I gain experience and understanding. I am playing at the second lowest level (there are 5 total) and it is fairly challenging, especially on the defensive end. Which means for me (hopefully) that the game has a high potential for replay even as I improve, and does not appear to be a game where you learn "the trick" quickly and can score every time or never lose or some other thing that takes all the fun out of playing. Replay is a big consideration for me in buying a game. And considering this game is $10 cheaper than most new games, I feel like I got a real deal.
Good luck.

Well, I decided to get it yesterday with the Toys R Us deal. I bought Xenosaga, Dark Cloud 2, and Winning Eleven 6. Thanks to everyone for giving their thoughts. I can't wait to try it out!

I went over to my friend's house (his family loves soccer, and I got him FIFA for Christmas) to play it for the first time. His biggest complaint was that it was so slow compared to FIFA (I think he jacked the speed up on FIFA). Is there some kind of speed option that I missed? I know it's probably more realistic being slower, and we weren't used to the controls, but I have to admit that we had more fun with the faster paced game.