[Wii] Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2008 Developers: Konami Publishers: Konami Platforms: PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and finally the PC. Firstly, I will say this, if you have a Wii and love sports games, this is the game to get. If you have a Wii and don’t like sports games, you still should get this, as it’s a great addition to the collection you’ll have fostering because you’ll be playing too much Xbox 360 and PS3. From the title, you can obviously tell that this is a soccer game. If you love soccer like myself, you are most certain to love this and almost every soccer game released for the next-gen systems. Not only is it fun for soccer lovers, but also for whenever you have friends over and need something to help liven things up. If you are a follower of the series, you will know that this title is also called Winning Eleven in certain countries. This is one of the most revered soccer games ever created, second to (in my opinion) to the FIFA soccer series, due to its popularity and establishment before the PES series. A little history lesson for the novices at ‘Pro Evo’ The very first game with the title of Pro Evolution/Winning Eleven was created for the PS1/PS2 in 2001. This game was very basic; the previous 5 titles were just jokes and utter failures. Though it was dubbed as the ‘very first’ Pro Evo, the previous statement disproves this fact as Konami decided to rename the Japanese’s Winning Eleven 5, and released into the US market as Pro Evolution Soccer. The next 5 titles with not much of a change in gameplay, just a few differences, such as licenses of teams and players, as the FIFA soccer series decimated any chance of gaining any licenses. That was until Pro Evo 6 (2007), which was truly the turning point in the series. With this game, came the jump across platforms as it was finally landed on the Nintendo DS and the PSP, as well as its usual PS2 placement. Along with a plethora of fully licensed teams in this game, the gameplay was significantly smoother and the graphic was much sharper than any of the previous installments and even better than FIFA 2007. Take the shot! So how does PES 2008 stack up to FIFA 08 and the previous installments of its series and FIFA’s? Two words: It. Rocks. You control every player, compared to just taking one player and defeating a team. Now you actually have to pass the ball, or else you will be tackled, and lose the ball. Something that is missing from the usual PES series is the Master league. It has been replaced by the Champions Road. Here you start with a bunch of nobody’s, and as you win matches, you can select player through a face-down card selection screen. As you progress you will first conquer European clubs, and the move onto Asia and then the other continents, in the end, falling back to Europe for the final tournament between countries and your custom team. Online play lacks a bit as it takes a while to find an opponent, but playing online is surprisingly smooth, with unnoticeable/ if any lagging. Controls are great. Just press and hold the A button, then drag them to make them move in the direction. For defense, just press an opponent, and your nearest player will start to mark them. This game truly does give you the control you have always dreamt of in a soccer game. Decoy Running So let’s rack up the points: Presentation: Every cover for the USA, Japanese and the various Euro releases, has the big blown up picture of Christiano Ronaldo (currently Manchester United) and various soccer players, such as Michael Owen (Liverpool) and Didier Drogba (Chelsea FC) to name a few. The game itself has an amazing appearance. From the main menu to the opening scenes of each match, which seem as if you are really watching a game, until you start playing that is… This section gets an 8/10. Graphics: This game seriously defeats the FIFA 08 release this year. Even though playing on the Wii, you only get 480p, you can easily make out the players and while playing, you can see every movement they make, no edgy movements are noticeable. But of course, you can’t really compare this to its PS3 counterpart. The worst graphical display is the crowd, it is horrible. (But who looks at the crowd anyway?) It receives a rating of 7/10. Sound: Well there is no need for sound really, as all you really have is the commentators and the menu sounds. However, the music tracks are totally independent and were created for the sole purpose of its placement on the Wii. Furthermore, the commentary does get a bit repetitive. 8/10 is the rating. Gameplay: I could go on forever with this section. What to start with? The game is controlled so easily. Instead of button mashing to play, you get to control with the Wii-mote and knunchuck attachment. This totally revolutionized the gaming experience for players. With a flick of the Wii-mote, you can set an offside trap, or with the swing of the knunchuck, you can take a shot at goal. Furthermore, now you can control ALL the players on the field at the same time! Though the only hard part with control is defensive movements. Its kind of hard at first to learn the ropes (for defense), but through playing the Champions Road challenge, the game teaches you everything you need to know, except how to do tricks. Even with the downside of the defense, the gameplay still get a 10/10. Lasting appeal: Once you buy this game, you will be addicted, with 5 different gaming levels, you can watch yourself grow from a novice to a pro in no time. PES 2008 gets a 9/10 Total: Wii’s PES 2008 gets 42 goals out of 50. Pros: you get to play with the Wii-mote/knunchuck, can control all players, easy to learn the ropes, great graphics for the Wii, several unlockables and achievements, can play as Mii, great game for a challenge Cons: defensive movements are a bit weird at first but you’ll get the hang of it, the AI can be brutal at times, finding an online opponent takes about 3-5 mins (not including loading times and team selection) and licensing of teams are not as prominent as FIFA 08. Closing comments: I would recommend this game to every Wii owner; it’s just too fun to not get it. It has destroyed FIFA’s feeble attempt at monopolizing soccer games, now you have a choice… are you with the bandwagon with FIFA, or do you want to evolve and play a soccer game that captivates and showers you with achievements? A game that gives you a challenge? A game for all people? A game that says I have totally just crushed the competition? I know where I stand, the question is again, what side are you on? Note: I do not hate FIFA soccer games, as a matter of fact I have most of them. I have also created a video showing a the goals/gameplay of a match, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsijxjJuMyg Work Cited: IGN for two screenshots I thank the readers for taking the time to check out this review because its my first, hope you enjoyed it!
Nice quality review! I tried googling some of your sentences, but didn't find anything, maybe Winterr can do a better job..
I'll definitely have to get this game, I liked Fifa and you say this is even better? Can't wait to find some time for it.
If i had the money I would buy this game, but I wasted it on the PS2 version who is... let's say... HORRIBLE!
