GBA compatibility basically confirms to me that this is GBA2, just without the name (imagine the uproar that'd cause with consumers that bought the GBA and GBA SP?). I honestly can't see any way that this is anything but a GBA replacement, no matter how much Nintendo talks about the "three pillars". Sure, they might co-exist at first while the GBA/SP sits at $70-100 and the DS costs $150, but once the price starts to drop wait for the GBA to disappear without a successor...
It is a large oversight, and I'd have been harder on it if not for a few things. Firstly, the transfer took place just over a month before release, which is probably too late for inclusion. Secondly, the game's release comes smack in the middle of the summer transfer window. Even if they DID manage to include Beckham, there are scores of other transfers that they would have missed out on. And lastly, you can manually transfer him (and everyone else) yourself -- a feature not present before.
In general, Konami can be really lazy with the rosters in their game -- witness Pro Evolution Soccer 2, released in October 2002, but containing virtually the same lineups as April's Winning Eleven 6 -- but in this case, I'm not TOO bothered (especially since they can be fixed anyway!).
Incidentally, I forgot to mention that anyone playing the game in Japan with a BB Unit (+ HDD) can download roster updates direct from Konami, including presumably all the summer transfers as well as adjusted player stats and the like.
-Ravi
Slashdot Mirror
I'd love to see something like this for my UX50...
GBA compatibility basically confirms to me that this is GBA2, just without the name (imagine the uproar that'd cause with consumers that bought the GBA and GBA SP?). I honestly can't see any way that this is anything but a GBA replacement, no matter how much Nintendo talks about the "three pillars". Sure, they might co-exist at first while the GBA/SP sits at $70-100 and the DS costs $150, but once the price starts to drop wait for the GBA to disappear without a successor...
It is a large oversight, and I'd have been harder on it if not for a few things. Firstly, the transfer took place just over a month before release, which is probably too late for inclusion. Secondly, the game's release comes smack in the middle of the summer transfer window. Even if they DID manage to include Beckham, there are scores of other transfers that they would have missed out on. And lastly, you can manually transfer him (and everyone else) yourself -- a feature not present before. In general, Konami can be really lazy with the rosters in their game -- witness Pro Evolution Soccer 2, released in October 2002, but containing virtually the same lineups as April's Winning Eleven 6 -- but in this case, I'm not TOO bothered (especially since they can be fixed anyway!). Incidentally, I forgot to mention that anyone playing the game in Japan with a BB Unit (+ HDD) can download roster updates direct from Konami, including presumably all the summer transfers as well as adjusted player stats and the like. -Ravi