World Soccer Winning Eleven 2002
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2002 is a football game from Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, released in Japan for the PlayStation on April 25, 2002. It was the final entry in the series on the original PlayStation, arriving as the PlayStation 2 was taking over. The game keeps the tactical style that made Winning Eleven popular, with exhibition matches, cups and the Master League career mode.
Controls
What World Soccer Winning Eleven 2002 is
Winning Eleven is the Japanese name for the series most players outside Japan know as Pro Evolution Soccer. This 2002 edition was built by Konami's Tokyo studio and published in Japan in April 2002, and it shares its opening CG sequence with the PlayStation 2 game of the same year. It was the last game in the line to appear on the original PlayStation, so it represents the most refined version of the series on that hardware.
The appeal has always been in how matches feel. Players have weight and momentum, the ball does not stick to their feet, and a through ball into space is usually worth more than a mazy dribble. Alongside single matches and cup competitions, the Master League lets you take a squad of unknown players, earn points from results and use them to sign better ones over several seasons.
How it plays in your browser
This page runs the Japanese NTSC-J version through a PlayStation emulator, so menus and commentary are in Japanese. The layout is close to the English Pro Evolution games of the same era, and most menus can be worked out by trial: the top options lead to matches, and team selection screens show flags and club badges.
Matches start after a short loading pause, just as they did on the console. Use a gamepad if you have one, since football games depend on quick passing and sprinting at the same time, which is easier on analogue shoulders than on a crowded keyboard. Keep a match or two in exhibition mode to learn the controls before starting a Master League season.
Arrow keys move your player, Z, X, A and S cover the face buttons for passing and shooting, Q and E are the shoulder buttons, and Enter pauses.
Tips worth knowing
- Short passing moves the ball faster than any player can run, so pass first and sprint only when you have space ahead.
- Try a few exhibition matches with strong national teams before starting the Master League, where your starting squad is deliberately weak.
- When defending, stay goal-side and wait for the attacker to make a heavy touch instead of diving into tackles.
- Shots from inside the box with a player facing goal go in far more often than long-range efforts.
Frequently asked questions
Is World Soccer Winning Eleven 2002 the same as Pro Evolution Soccer 2?
They belong to the same generation of the series. Konami released the PlayStation game in Japan as Winning Eleven 2002, and Europe received its Pro Evolution Soccer 2 later in 2002. This page uses the Japanese version.
Why are the menus in Japanese?
The ROM is the NTSC-J release made for the Japanese market. The gameplay is the same football simulation, and most menus follow the same order as the English Pro Evolution games.
Does it have a Master League?
Yes. The Master League career mode, which the series introduced on the PlayStation, is included and lets you build a club over several seasons.
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