I know you guys are gonna bitch me out for this, saying that the N64 versions have nothing to do with Winning Eleven. NOT TRUE. ISS98 N64 is the N64 version of ISS98 PSX which is WE3. ISS2000 N64 is the N64 version of ISSProEvo which is Winning Eleven 4. It is TRUE that the N64 versions are slightly different than the PSX ones but at core they are the same game.
I own the N64 versions and also used to own ISSPro PSX. The PSX versions are what evolved into what we know today as Winning Eleven. The N64 versions, sadly, died along with N64.
I wanted to talk a little about the features of the ISSN64 games. Every now and then, I get bored with WE PS2, and I go back to ISS98. I have been playing it a few days now. I don't know why, I just find the game a bit more fun, especially in multiplayer.
I'll be referring to ISS98 N64 since that is the game I'm currently playing.
Cool features? Gone? Where!?
1. Curling. Back in the good old day, you could curl the shots, chips, crosses. The Z button the N64 controller served the purpouse of curling. After the shot/cross, you could hold Z+Dir and curl the ball any way you wanted. Yes, I do agree it was slightly overdone in some instances but amazing goals could be created such as the banana shot into the far corner over the goalie which is almost imossible in WE.
2. Crossing. Back in the good old day, a chip shot, a long thru ball, a long pass/cross and lifing (of the ball) were executed by the same button - LeftC. How is that possible? Think of real life - what do all these have in common? You kick the ball exactly the same, only adjust the power/height. It's exactly the same in the game. The physics are spot on. There is no scripting. The ball doesn't gravitate toward a player/object as it does in WE. You can really do amazing things with this, most importantly you can cross the ball anywhere into the PK/space by combining LeftC with Z.
Even though WE has a manual crossing mode (I use type 5), the ball hardly ever curls plus you can't even control the curl. It is almost impossible to hit crosses into space.
*Football Kingdom uses similar system.
3. Ground play. 10 years ago a very smart person used their great programming knowledge to allow us to pass / clear the ball while our player is down on the ground. When your player falls and this happens very often for exp. a defender in a 1vs1, he still has a chance to reach and clear the ball while on the ground. Why was this feature removed?
4. Free Kicks. FKs in Winning Eleven are weak. Everybody knows that. Soft spots/glitches, or whatever you call them, have been part of WE for some time and do not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Over the wall and into the unguarded space - it's a GOAL! If you've been playing WE for a while, you most likely find it easier to score than to miss from 20-30m.
I have never scored a FK in a match, on ISS on N64. I do not think I've ever seen CPU score one either. Even though you have the big arrow to help your aiming, it is still almost impossible to score.
I also wanted to mention the PKs. Honestly, anything is better than the current PK system. The ball goes wide often and there is really only 9 places you can put the ball in. On ISS, both the keeper and the PK taker have the ability to aim their dive / shot using the square block indicators. This helps but in no way makes the PK predictable or easy to save.
*On a side note, Football Kingdom has probably the best PK system ever.
5. Quick FK Restart. Even though the feature is making a comeback in WE10, why the hell was it taken out? In ISS98, when you are fouled, there is no loading screen. The play is simply stopped, you get the ball back and play on. No resetting positions, no nothing.
6. The atmosphere. In ISS98, the moment you enter the stadium, you can smell football. The grass is green, the fans are loud. Maybe it's just me but I have reasons to believe WE5-9 use only a 256 color pallete. The colors seem washed out, unnatural while ISS hits your eyes with all 16 million colors. When you score you can actually hear the crowd and maybe it's just me but I love how the big, golden number pops up to show the score while in WE when you score it seems pretty causual like it doesn't even matter that you scored.
I think the grass textures deserve to be mentioned. They are brilliant in ISS while in WE9, they simply suck. Hey, a pic's worth a thousand words, so see for yourself.
Man, WE9 is so cool. Wait, how much has actually changed?
I was playing ISS98 today against my brother and I have to tell you I was surprised to see many things I thought were exclusive to the current gen WEs.
For starters. Besides the Z and C buttons the controls in the N64 ver are exactly the same as in WE PS2. The PSX version are probably the same as those now as far as I remember. For exmaple the pass feint. I was really surprised to see my player jump over the ball or lift his foot over the ball to let it run after pressing the dash/dribble button. Works exactly as in WE9. You know how in WE9 you can lift the ball with R4? Over the defender and volley? You can do that in ISS using LeftC while standing in place. Jumping with the ball, spring boost after the dribble, the tactics and formations, etc.
Seems as if the core hasn't changed much since the earliest versions. Yes, the graphics have gotten better, the presentation, the modes but the gameplay, the technical side, has taken just as many steps backwards as it has forward. Some may agree, some may not. For some of you who have been playing the series since the beginning this is probably nothing new.
That's just my observation, I'm not pointing fingers. I just hope that Seabass & Co. bring back some of the good features in the future.
Take care. will update this as I continue playing. I still love WE.
I own the N64 versions and also used to own ISSPro PSX. The PSX versions are what evolved into what we know today as Winning Eleven. The N64 versions, sadly, died along with N64.
I wanted to talk a little about the features of the ISSN64 games. Every now and then, I get bored with WE PS2, and I go back to ISS98. I have been playing it a few days now. I don't know why, I just find the game a bit more fun, especially in multiplayer.
I'll be referring to ISS98 N64 since that is the game I'm currently playing.
Cool features? Gone? Where!?
1. Curling. Back in the good old day, you could curl the shots, chips, crosses. The Z button the N64 controller served the purpouse of curling. After the shot/cross, you could hold Z+Dir and curl the ball any way you wanted. Yes, I do agree it was slightly overdone in some instances but amazing goals could be created such as the banana shot into the far corner over the goalie which is almost imossible in WE.
2. Crossing. Back in the good old day, a chip shot, a long thru ball, a long pass/cross and lifing (of the ball) were executed by the same button - LeftC. How is that possible? Think of real life - what do all these have in common? You kick the ball exactly the same, only adjust the power/height. It's exactly the same in the game. The physics are spot on. There is no scripting. The ball doesn't gravitate toward a player/object as it does in WE. You can really do amazing things with this, most importantly you can cross the ball anywhere into the PK/space by combining LeftC with Z.
Even though WE has a manual crossing mode (I use type 5), the ball hardly ever curls plus you can't even control the curl. It is almost impossible to hit crosses into space.
*Football Kingdom uses similar system.
3. Ground play. 10 years ago a very smart person used their great programming knowledge to allow us to pass / clear the ball while our player is down on the ground. When your player falls and this happens very often for exp. a defender in a 1vs1, he still has a chance to reach and clear the ball while on the ground. Why was this feature removed?
4. Free Kicks. FKs in Winning Eleven are weak. Everybody knows that. Soft spots/glitches, or whatever you call them, have been part of WE for some time and do not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Over the wall and into the unguarded space - it's a GOAL! If you've been playing WE for a while, you most likely find it easier to score than to miss from 20-30m.
I have never scored a FK in a match, on ISS on N64. I do not think I've ever seen CPU score one either. Even though you have the big arrow to help your aiming, it is still almost impossible to score.
I also wanted to mention the PKs. Honestly, anything is better than the current PK system. The ball goes wide often and there is really only 9 places you can put the ball in. On ISS, both the keeper and the PK taker have the ability to aim their dive / shot using the square block indicators. This helps but in no way makes the PK predictable or easy to save.
*On a side note, Football Kingdom has probably the best PK system ever.
5. Quick FK Restart. Even though the feature is making a comeback in WE10, why the hell was it taken out? In ISS98, when you are fouled, there is no loading screen. The play is simply stopped, you get the ball back and play on. No resetting positions, no nothing.
6. The atmosphere. In ISS98, the moment you enter the stadium, you can smell football. The grass is green, the fans are loud. Maybe it's just me but I have reasons to believe WE5-9 use only a 256 color pallete. The colors seem washed out, unnatural while ISS hits your eyes with all 16 million colors. When you score you can actually hear the crowd and maybe it's just me but I love how the big, golden number pops up to show the score while in WE when you score it seems pretty causual like it doesn't even matter that you scored.
I think the grass textures deserve to be mentioned. They are brilliant in ISS while in WE9, they simply suck. Hey, a pic's worth a thousand words, so see for yourself.
Man, WE9 is so cool. Wait, how much has actually changed?
I was playing ISS98 today against my brother and I have to tell you I was surprised to see many things I thought were exclusive to the current gen WEs.
For starters. Besides the Z and C buttons the controls in the N64 ver are exactly the same as in WE PS2. The PSX version are probably the same as those now as far as I remember. For exmaple the pass feint. I was really surprised to see my player jump over the ball or lift his foot over the ball to let it run after pressing the dash/dribble button. Works exactly as in WE9. You know how in WE9 you can lift the ball with R4? Over the defender and volley? You can do that in ISS using LeftC while standing in place. Jumping with the ball, spring boost after the dribble, the tactics and formations, etc.
Seems as if the core hasn't changed much since the earliest versions. Yes, the graphics have gotten better, the presentation, the modes but the gameplay, the technical side, has taken just as many steps backwards as it has forward. Some may agree, some may not. For some of you who have been playing the series since the beginning this is probably nothing new.
That's just my observation, I'm not pointing fingers. I just hope that Seabass & Co. bring back some of the good features in the future.
Take care. will update this as I continue playing. I still love WE.