Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)

The Wii is the only console I own, and I've been pretty happy with the machine so far. I was very excited when I heard PES was coming to the Wii, and the "revolutionary" control system really got my hopes high.

I was very disappointed with the way it turned out. Of course there is a learning curve to it, but even when you grasp it it turns out flat. Video game football is not about "realism". Kick Off, Sensible Soccer and the initial Fifa games were not brilliant because they where accurate representations of the beautiful game, but because they brought the excitement and football feelings to computers.

PES for the Wii is a dull game, disguised as "clever". The Nunchunk shaking is just appalling and the whole moving around of players and direction orienting gets distracting and makes the game so cerebral that it loses all the fun. Not being able to control your defense individually is very frustrating.

I admit some people really dig the game and its control system, but if you're after for the Pro Evolution Soccer that used to keep you and your friends throwing Playstation controls around the living room in anger, this is not it.

Still waiting for a decent football game for the wii, until then I'll just play PES on my PC.

I got this yesterday and have been playing it for a good while now and Im so relieved to say that its absolutley brilliant.

It has taken football games to a new level and makes the 360 version (Which I also own and have reviewed) look like a game for kids. Gone are the days of seeing a huge gap in the opposition defence and being really annoyed that none of your AI controlled teamamtes are there, gone are the days of your AI player just stopping his supporting run in a one two, and gone are the days when you know how you want to line your defenders up but cant due to limiting controls.

I'll start with the cons. Well, it is very daunting at first - there's a lot to learn. Trying to control the player on the ball while also looking for spaces for other players to run into and then also directing them there can seem a bit much at first, but it only takes a few games to start getting the hang of it. The first time you bamboozle a defence with a decoy run with your striker while you get your winger to run into the gap he has created you feel Enormousley satisfied.

Defending is very difficult at first aswell because you dont directly control any one player. Again after a couple of games though, I could see the advantage to this system. Now, instead of running around like a nutter with one guy, the emphasis is on getting your defenders in a good starting position and anticipating your opponents attacks. You'll find you intercept more balls than win by tackling, but that just adds to the overall realism.

The passing is brilliant, because you now pick exactly where your pass should go, rather than just hoping the AI finds a decent ball for you. The shooting is reasonable, though many purists will be dissapointed that there is no power bar - its down to how you swing the nunchuck. It works well though and I've had no shots when I didnt mean to, or its never not shot when asked.

The only real problem is the absence of the Master League, which is pretty much inexcusable and a bit of a dissapointment. Champions Road though is excellent and reminds me of the old ISS series.

Overall, if you are a proper football fan that understands tactics and the importance of keeping possesion, then this is the definitive version of this game by some distance. I played alot of kids on Xbox live that just get the ball and run all the way down the pitch which I always thought was a fault in that game. In PES wii thats not gonna happen, the emphasis is much more on realism and its by far the best in the PES series so far.

Well, being an avid FIFA player for the last 8 years I wasn't as excited about this title as many others were as i had never played a 'pro evo' game in my life! However i didn't know just how wrong i was! This games is immersive, fun and you can pick it up and play at any time which are all the qualities i love in a game!
Okay, we'll start with the negatives just to get them out of the way! :)

Firstly, although I never buy a game for the graphics and the Wii isn't known for its graphical realism, the game could look a lot better. You can see the resemblance between famous players and their game counterparts but work on this for the next edition is necessary (especially on body sizes).
My second gripe is that there is no option to make transfers (although there is another method of acquiring new players which is explained further on in this review) so oyu cannot choose to just suddenly put a major start such as Cristiano Ronaldo into your team.

That's my moans and groans out of the way now onto what i think makes this game the best sports game i've ever played!
The controls- This is what made me buy the game, having played FIFA 2008 on the wii and been disappointed i thought i would see if PES2008 was any better and what can i say, it's astonishing. I'll admit, they can seem a bit daunting at first as there is a fair amount to learn (but you only really need the basics to start playing some matches) however, you learn with experience. Also on the subject of the controls, they are so indepth you can carry out amazing tactical moves with a few button presses and a wave of your wii-remote! None of that boring analogue stick play which we are all accustomed to! You have the ability to control other players and move them where you want them by dragging them with the wii-remote whilst you are moving another player from your team, this gives you the ability to move them into space and completely destroy the oppositions defence!

Champions road- My friends had told me about the Master League on PES2008 on the other platforms (PS3, XBOX 360, etc) but after playing the Wii's equivalent, the champions road, i believe that this is a far more interesting way to play your game. You start with a poor quality team and play your way through many tournaments to level up. Beating opposition teams is how you gain new players, after you beat a team you get to take some of the players and after seeing them you can choose whether to add them to your own squad! This does make a change from the usual pay money get player routine which comes with other Football/Soccer games out there.
Online play- After hearing about glitches and lag with the online play with other platforms version of this game i was wondering what i could expect from the Wii version and i have to say it runs smoothly providing your connection to the internet on your Wii is good. The only probelm with this is you only get the option to play single matches and you don't know a great deal about your opponents in comparison to other versions (you only know their win/draw/lose ratio, but i suppose that's all you need at the end of the day.)

So, you are likely to pay around £28-£35 for this game and i have to say it IS worth the money! But be warned, it is fairly addictive!
Roll on PES2009 for the wii! Good job Konami!