The guys at Konami/KCET have done it again. After the original Winning Eleven 6, the European version which was Pro Evolution Soccer 2, and the US release, whose game title slapped the word ''International'' on WE6, now comes the most up-to-date version of the game: Winning Eleven 6: Final Evolution. Sorry if you find it a little bit difficult to understand, but it is that confusing. Konami have released four versions of what is basically the same outing: the sixth installment of the Winning Eleven series. But I'm not here to rant or brag, so let's just get on with the review. :)

To begin with, this is currently a Japanese-only title. So you're automatically out of the pecking order if you don't have a good grasp on the language, right? Not really - fans who only care about the gameplay can still pick this title up. You'll only need to memorize all the mode names at the main menu screen [from the English language version of WE6] to play. However, you will miss out on a few nice additions if you don't understand Japanese.

Let's move on to the game itself. Winning Eleven veterans will quickly notice all the graphical aesthetics added into this game, with even more fluid animations and tighter controls. The game modes haven't changed at all; you still get to play Match, Cup, League, Master League and Training modes respectively. It seems that KCET have been concentrating on improving the whole gameplay experience, and that's where most of the changes are, as far as I can see. All the team rosters and stats have been updated to incorporate more realism within the game, and there's couple new things that you'll be able to do for the first time ever when playing. The AI opposition is noticeably sharper, though not by much. You're still up for a challenge even if you have already mastered the 5-star/Extreme difficulty of the previous installments. Now, it's harder to get around a defender, and you'll truly need skill and luck to win tough matches. The goalkeepers have been given new animations, such as when diving to save a shot or while taking a goal kick. The outfield players have their own deal of new moves too; you can now truly whack the ball real hard [hint : there's an easy way to score from the halfway line *gasp!*]. The animations are as real as they can ever get compared to real football, and trust me, that will never disappoint you. The controls have improved a bit too - I rarely hit the power meter too much this time around. It makes the game better, especially when you're up against the world champions during extra-time and you had one chance to score the winning goal. You can feel the level of passion and emotion involved when you do win - this feels just like real football, and I get to enjoy all this glory and happiness comfortably at home whenever I feel like it. :)

Now on to the part that requires the use of Japanese. Yes, the dreadful commentary is still present in this game, but it seemed like Konami did try to improve the situation. The two Japanese commentators are quite a passionate lot, minus the repetitive criticism and missed-chances mockery. The defining moment is the ''Goooooaaaaaaaaallllllll!'' celebration shout. These guys can give South American commentators a run for their money. I won't deny that it hasn't improved much. They will need to rectify this situation come the next installment. The other part which will require Japanese are the statistics. During half-time and at the end of the match, the game will point out all the highlights of the game, the number of corners taken/ goals scored/ yellow, red cards received and the lot. Other than that, each player will be given an individual rating after each game (ranging from 1-10), which is a lot of help if you're a true strategist assembling your best squad to endure the next match. Above all else, I don't believe you're required to learn a whole new language if you just want to have fun with the game. Also, a staple of the series, the multiplayer mode is absolutely brilliant, highly regarded as one of the best you can ever get from a videogame of any genre (I'm not kidding).This game provides up to eight players capable of playing at once, and just being with your pals in a team to beat the opposition feels incredible. From my experience, no one who came in contact with the multiplayer aspects can't help but love it, and it even tackled a few of my non-football friends into liking the actual sport.

FINAL WORD: By high standards, the Winning Eleven series has been ever-so-brilliant, and this title shows what Konami's capable of doing yet again. You'd be an absolute nightmare not to love this game, nearly 98% of the game is just so good, you'll keep playing this for months to come, or at least until Winning Eleven 7 comes out.

- - FREEQZ