Game Informer writes: "This franchise (formerly known in the States as Winning Eleven) is getting to be a lot like the car you probably drive right now. It doesn't look like much and might not win a lot of style points, but it's just so…reliable. I continue to be a fan of this franchise because it offers the best soccer gameplay, hands down. But that sexy, albeit underperforming, ride on EA's lot may win me over if Konami doesn't step up and offer a better package soon.
With the jump to the PlayStation 3 (the series has been out on the Xbox 360, but the PlayStation family is this franchise's first allegiance), maybe you think this series is now screaming into the current generation complete with sweet graphics and all sorts of bells and whistles. Instead, it's crickets. Now, that's not to say this is a bad game. Konami still has its finger firmly on the pulse of the series' lifeblood - gameplay - but with scant noticeable changes from 2007, it's hard to recommend that series stalwarts pick this up."