Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)

Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Designer(s)	Akiyoshi 'Greyhound' Chosokabe
Series	Pro Evolution Soccer / Winning Eleven series
Platform(s)	Wii
Release date	^NA March 18, 2008 ^EU March 28, 2008 ^AU April 4, 2008
Genre(s)	Sports game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer, online multiplayer
Input methods	Wii Remote and Nunchuk

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, known as Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 in Japan, is the first Wii entry of the association football video game series Pro Evolution Soccer by Konami. It is also the first game in the series to be released on a Nintendo home console outside of Japan. The 'Play Maker' in the Japanese name and the arrow and circle in the game's logo refer to the game's new style that relies more on tactical passing and player movement.

1 Gameplay
2 Modes
3 Stadiums
4 Reception
- 4.1 Critical response
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Dribbling is done by pointing the cursor to the desired direction.

This version of PES 2008 differs radically from the other versions, and it was made by a different team in Konami to fully concentrate on taking advantage of the unique features of the Wii Remote. The basic gameplay is centered around pointing the Wii Remote at the screen and directing players by dragging them with the on-screen cursor, and passing is done by simply pointing to the desired space or player and pressing a button. This allows for a more tactical approach to the game, as there is almost complete freedom in moving any player on the screen anywhere, and many more tactics and maneuvers can be used in than ever before.

Players defend by pointing the cursor at the ball holder to chase him, and they may tackle or slide tackle in an attempt to win the ball. It is possible to instruct defenders to mark opposing players, intercept passes and drag defenders into space.

[edit] Modes

The top menu in the game

[edit] Match

In this mode, friendly matches can be played with up to 2 players against each other. More than 30 stadiums are available for selection in the game, making the Wii version the version with the most stadiums in the series.

[edit] Champions Road

The Wii version of PES 2008 omits the Master League mode for the Champions Road, which lets the player tour different leagues around Europe, and when a games is won, it is possible to acquire players from the defeated team. Players can gain experience in the Champions Road by playing matches. In the Champions Road, it is possible to select what abilities the players acquire when they gain enough experience to level-up.

[edit] Mii Support

Players can play as their the Miis in friendly matches. When Mii matches are played, all players will have comically large heads, including the non-Mii players. Only the referee and the linesmen appear normal. This feature has to be unlocked.

[edit] Online Functionality

The game features a 1 vs 1 online mode that Konami called "the best online experience" when compared to the other versions,^[1] where players can either play against random opponents or online friends. It is also possible to send the current Champions Road team to friends via WiiConnect24 to play 'invitational matches'.

[edit] Stadiums

#	Stadium	Real Name	Place	Team
1	Red Cauldron	Anfield	Europe	Liverpool
2	Magpie Park	St. James' Park	Europe	Newcastle United
3	Lutecia Park	Parc des Princes	Europe	Paris Saint-Germain
4	Massilia Stadium	Stade Vélodrome	Europe	Marseille
5	Borussia Stadium	Signal Iduna Park	Europe	Borussia Dortmund
6	Hauptstadtstadion	Berlin Olympiastadion	Europe	Hertha Berlin
7	Blautraum Stadion	Schüco Arena	Europe	Arminia Bielefeld
8	Orange Arena	Amsterdam ArenA	Europe	Ajax
9	Rotterdam Stadion	Feijenoord Stadion	Europe	Feyenoord
10	Catalonia Stadium	Camp Nou	Europe	FC Barcelona
11	Estadio Palo	Estadio Mestalla	Europe	Valencia
12	Stockholm Arena	Råsunda	Europe	Sweden
13	Cuito Cuanavale	Vodacom Park	Africa	Bloemfontein Celtic
14	Diamond Stadium	Newlands Stadium	Africa	None
15	Estadio Gran Chaco	Estadio Alberto J. Armando	South America	Boca Juniors
16	Amerigo Atlantis	Estadio Nacional de Chile	South America	Chile
17	Nakhon Ratchasima		Asia
18	Kanji Dome	Sapporo Dome	Asia	Consadole Sapporo
19	Dietro Monte Stadium	Kashima Stadium	Asia	Kashima Antlers
20	Porto Folio	Nissan Stadium	Asia	Yokohama F. Marinos
21	Queens Land Park	Nagai Stadium	Asia	Cerezo Osaka
22	Haze Hills	Olympic Stadium	Asia	None
23	Occhio Del Mar	Ōita Stadium	Asia	Oita Trinita
24	Ayase-Nakano Stadium	Saitama Stadium	Asia	Urawa Red Diamonds
25	Kusunoki-Mihama Stadium	Niigata 'Big Swan' Stadium	Asia	Albirex Niigata
26	Nangsoh Stadium	Seoul Sang-am Stadium	Asia	FC Seoul
27	Konami Stadium	Fictional	Asia	None
28	Estàdio da Luzii	Estádio da Luz	Europe	Benfica
29	Estàdio Dragon	Estádio do Dragão	Europe	FC Porto
30	Estàdio José de Alvalade	Estádio José de Alvalade	Europe	Sporting Clube de Portugal

[edit] Reception

Reviews
Publication	Score
1UP.com	B^[2]
Eurogamer	8 of 10^[3]
GamesMaster	90%
IGN	8.6 of 10^[4] (UK: 8.9^[5])
Official Nintendo Magazine	90%
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler	Score
Metacritic	86^[6]
Game Rankings	85.0%^[7]

PES 2008 for Wii sold approximately 81,791 copies since its debut in Japan ^[8]. It debuted at #5 in the UK game charts before jumping to #3 in the second week after a 34% increase in sales ^[9].

[edit] Critical response

The game received generally much more positive reviews than the other versions.^[10] ^[11] 1up said "The less-technically apt Wii version ends up being the game to move the franchise forward". Many reviewers praised the innovation in the game, with Eurogamer calling it "the most innovative football title we've come across in many years", and praised the online mode saying that they "had probably the most lag-free matches we've ever encountered on any football game".

Some reviewers found the visuals only a small improvement over the Playstation 2 version, and found the steep learning curve and difficult defending a disadvantage. They also criticized some aspects shared by other versions of PES 2008 such as the commentary and the absence of some team licenses.

[edit] References

[edit] External links