The perennial FIFA vs. Pro Evolution battle would appear to be over for another year, with both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 having tabled their latest offerings - but what of the Nintendo, which is arriving a little late to the home-console party with Pro Evolution 2008 on Wii.
Konami gives up the details of its control system for PES 2008 on Wii. Credit: Konami.
Japanese developer and publisher Konami has today announced that PES 2008 is on schedule for a late March release, with the Wii version of its hugely popular football franchise set to "make full use" of the Wii’s unique and innovative control system.
What that means for Nintendo-based fans of the Pro Evolution series is that Wii gamers will be able to utilise a "point and drag" control method whereby they use the Wii Remote to guide whichever player is in possession of the football, while also able to perform skill moves and close control by applying subtle hand gestures.
Furthermore, the Wii Remote can be used to achieve extra control for steering players when dribbling and tactically running into open spaces on the pitch, while nearby team mates can also be selected to receive incoming passes or make runs on to attacking through-balls.
And that’s not all. Shaking the Wii Remote will cause outfield players to perform sliding tackles and also prompt the goalkeeper to clear any loose balls in his penalty area. The Remote’s D-pad will enable the user to quickly select game tactics on-the-fly for those looking to approach matches with more defined strategy.
"It was vital that the Wii version of PES 2008 made full use of the hardware’s innovative control system, and we are extremely pleased with what the team has come up with," enthused Jon Murphy, Pro Evolution Soccer Team Leader. "It feels as if you have total control over the entire team… It adds a new layer of realism, and makes this Wii version an essential PES experience."
PES 2008 will offer up six modes of play spread across Match, League, and Cup categories, while also packing in Training and Trade (transfer) sections too. The new Wii version will also include the exclusive Champions Road competition mode, which will see players given the opportunity to compete as their favourite team in various league tournaments around the footballing world.
Interestingly, a core feature in Champions Road will see the user building an even more potent team of world-class footballers by receiving players plucked from the teams defeated along the road to Champions glory.
Packed with extra skills, player-specific experience points, in-game mini-tasks, and full Mii support - which expands to the integration of 16 pre-defined Miis in order to form a full team - PES 2008 should deliver all the excitement and authenticity that Konami’s series is renowned for.
It also expands the experience via an online component where players can go head-to-head with unknown opponents in Free Matches or take on those present on their Wii Friends list in Friend Matches, while WiiConnect24 can also be used to send team data to friends.
See PES 2008 in action on the Wii by clicking below.
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