Pro Evolution Soccer 3

Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 7 in Japan and World Soccer: Winning Eleven 7 International in North America) is a football simulation video game developed and produced by Konami as part of the Pro Evolution Soccer series. Initially released for the PlayStation 2, it is also the first in the series to be released on Microsoft Windows.

Pro Evolution Soccer 3
PlayStation 2 cover art featuring referee Pierluigi Collina
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Publisher(s)Konami
Composer(s)Norikazu Miura
SeriesPro Evolution Soccer
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation 2
Original version
  • JP: August 7, 2003
International
  • EU: October 17, 2003
  • NA: February 17, 2004
  • JP: February 19, 2004
Microsoft Windows
Original version
  • NA: October 17, 2003
  • EU: February 17, 2004
  • JP: February 19, 2004
International
  • EU: November 21, 2003
  • KOR: March 25, 2004[1]
  • NA: April 9, 2004
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The cover features the image and signature of iconic Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, who had previously officiated the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final. This was unusual, as football games had come to almost exclusively feature only players and managers on their covers; plus, referees only appear in cutscenes in this game (they would only be integrated to the playing field in the next entry of the series). PES 3 was succeeded by Pro Evolution Soccer 4, which was released in 2004.

New features edit

  • New graphics engine.
  • Improved gameplay, control, ball physics, animation and AI.
  • New Shop mode, where points can be traded in for hidden items.
  • Master League expanded to four divisions, with tons of new players.
  • Support for 1–4 players (multitap required for 3 or 4 players).

Licenses edit

The game does not include any full leagues but 64 clubs from various European countries. 6 clubs are fully licensed, which are the five Italian Serie A clubs Milan, Roma, Juventus, Lazio and Parma, as well as Feyenoord from the Dutch Eredivisie. All other clubs have fictional team names, logos and jerseys. Also player names are fictional, but only if the player is part of an unlicensed national team. Noticeable cases are for example Dutch players (e.g. Von Mistelroum instead of Ruud van Nistelrooy) and German players (e.g. Kalm instead of Oliver Kahn).

Reception edit

In Europe, Pro Evolution Soccer 3 sold 1 million copies on its first day of release,[25] setting a launch sales record.[26] The PlayStation 2 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 3 had surpassed 1 million units sold by November 2003. It was a significant hit in Italy, which purchased more than 200,000 units in under one month, for revenues of €8 million or $9,000,000 (equivalent to $14,000,000 in 2022).[27] The PS2 version went on to sell 1.16 million units in Japan and 1.55 million units in Europe for a combined 2.71 million by the end of 2003.[28] The PlayStation 2 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 3 received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[29] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[30] In the United States, it sold 33,403 units by January 2005,[31] adding up to at least 2,743,403 units sold worldwide.

The "International" version of World Soccer: Winning Eleven 7 received "universal acclaim" for both platforms in all regions except the European PC version, which received "favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[21][22][23][24] It received a runner-up position in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Traditional Sports Game" award category across all platforms, losing to ESPN NFL 2K5.[32] During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Pro Evolution Soccer 3 for "Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to ESPN NFL 2K5.[33]

References edit

  1. ^ "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International Release Data for PC". GameFAQs. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Edge staff (October 2003). "Winning Eleven 7 (PS2)". Edge. No. 128.
  3. ^ EGM staff (March 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 [International] (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 176. p. 118. Archived from the original on April 27, 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Bramwell, Tom (November 21, 2003). "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PC)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Bramwell, Tom (October 15, 2003). "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PS2)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Bramwell, Tom (March 25, 2004). "Winning Eleven 7 International (PS2)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Kato, Matthew (April 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 Int'l (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 132. p. 101. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. ^ Tokyo Drifter (March 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. p. 82. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Goble, Gord (April 30, 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  10. ^ Calvert, Justin (February 20, 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 [International] Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Meston, Zach (March 8, 2004). "GameSpy: [World Soccer] Winning Eleven 7 [International] (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  12. ^ Lafferty, Michael (July 21, 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  13. ^ Lafferty, Michael (March 7, 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 [International] - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  14. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (February 10, 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  15. ^ Hiranand, Ravi (March 2004). "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 [International]". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. p. 101. Archived from the original on March 5, 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Waters, Darren (October 17, 2003). "Pro Evo Soccer 3 nears perfection". BBC Sport. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  17. ^ "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  18. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  19. ^ "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  20. ^ "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  22. ^ a b "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (pc: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  23. ^ a b "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  24. ^ a b "Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (ps2: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  25. ^ "Konami ships 1.4 million PS2 copies of Pro Evolution Soccer 4". GameSpot. August 16, 2006.
  26. ^ Autrijve, Rainier Van (October 13, 2004). "GameSpy: Pro Evolution Soccer 4 Launches Big". GameSpy. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  27. ^ B2B Staff (November 14, 2003). "Pro Evolution Soccer 3: oltre 200.000 copie vendute". Multiplayer.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on August 23, 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Non-Consolidated Financial Results for the Third Quarter Ended December 31, 2003" (PDF). Konami. 2004-01-29. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  29. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009.
  30. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
  31. ^ "PS2 Software Best Seller Ranking". Shrine of Data. 2005-01-30. Archived from the original on 2005-02-25. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  32. ^ The GameSpot Editors (January 5, 2005). "Best and Worst of 2004". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  33. ^ "2005 Awards Category Details Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 27 October 2023.

External links edit