August 17^th, 2005 (2:41pm) - Konami has officially announced that World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 will be arriving this winter on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PSP and, for the first time ever, will be playable online.

Renowned as the world’s best selling soccer video game franchise, Winning Eleven 9, shoots and scores with the renowned on-the-money controls that create the most authentic soccer experience in gaming history. Featuring real players, a large variety of licensed teams, photo-realistic graphics, and a huge variety of stadiums, gamers will be able to re-create the same excitement that surrounds the world’s most popular sport.

Winning Eleven 9 will feature full team rosters and official kits for all clubs playing in the Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and Dutch Eredivisie leagues, and also some of the world’s biggest clubs from famous European leagues. New additions include English champions Chelsea and runners-up Arsenal, while the ’Old Firm’ Scottish clubs of Rangers and Celtic will also be included. Norwegian Champions Rosenburg will also be joined by Portuguese giants FC Porto, Turkey’s Galatasaray SK, Denmark’s FC Kopenhagen, Ukraine’s Dynamo Kiev, and Djurgarden from Sweden.

Players will also be able to compete on a more global level with the game’s new Online Mode. With this option, players from around the country can go head-to-head, using Master League teams if they choose. Online players can even qualify and play in tournaments they put together themselves.

Additionally, this year’s version includes the genre’s most detailed Master League and a variety of other modes that are certain to thrill even the most discriminating soccer fans. Winning Eleven’s already-deep Master League mode has been tweaked, primarily when it comes to player conditioning. A new training system adds more depth while player development has more variation than ever before, giving virtual managers more ways to build their team for success.

Taking the Winning Eleven franchise to legendary status will be a series of all-new features including additional formations to be employed on the pitch - such as "Wing Back" and "Second Striker." Through the use of all-new motion capture, Winning Eleven 9 will also boast new player motions that will imitate the moves and look of the players down to the smallest detail. Additionally, those who have mastered the previous versions’ harsh weather including rain and scorching heat, will have an all-new obstacle from Mother Nature to overcome: snow. In the freezing cold, players can actually see their breath as they fight conditions down the frozen field.

Rounding out the new features in Winning Eleven 9 is the Memorial Match, which allows gamers to save results from non-AI "VS." matches. Cumulative match records and winning points can be logged for up to 20 people.