Product Description

Created specifically to make full use of the Wii?s unique control system, PES 2008 brings all the realism of Pro Evolution Soccer to the Nintendo machine, but with a more ?team-orientated? control system. The Wii game mirrors the real sport?s use of open space and the exploitation of defensive lapses and accurate passes essential in creating scoring opportunities. The Wii version of PES 2008 expands on these elements, with the use of the Nunchuck and Wii Remote controllers giving the player control over both the player on the ball, and those around him. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Features: Using a point and drag system, the player uses the Wii Remote to guide the player with the ball, and perform all the skill moves and close control with subtle movements of their hand. Instantly, the Wii Remote is used to point at nearby players to select them to receive a pass or to latch on to a through-ball. The Remote can also be used to steer the run of the receiving player, giving extra control as they thread through masses of defenders or run into open space. The new system gives the player full control over their team, and allows the man marking of specific threats, while shakes of the Wii Nunchuk can be used to perform sliding tackles, and send the goal keeper out to clear a loose ball. The strategic elements are also easily accessed, with the directional controls of the Wii Remote used to activate tactical plays and spring counter attacks or send players tracking back. PES 2008 for Wii features six game modes, spanning Match, League and Cup elements, and Training and Trade section. The new version also features an exclusive ?Champions Road? competition, wherein players take their chosen team to compete in league competitions all over the world. The idea of the Champions Road tournament is to come top in every league, and build a team by receiving players from recently defeated sides. Experience points are added to all used players after a match, and

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2780 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2008-03-28
• Platform: Nintendo Wii

Customer Reviews

A game for serious football fans
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.

PES 2008, a pleasant suprise!
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!

Another Wii miss
I dont usually write online reviews but I just had to for this game. It's got so many good reviews I was fooled into buying it. I felt compelled to add to the odd warnings smattered throughout the reviews.

The annoying thing is that it is close to justifying all the glowing reports but falls down on some fundamentals that basically make it pretty unplayable as a PES game.

I admit the point and click controls to drag players around and play balls into space work pretty well and after a few games it becomes pretty natural. Also the defending, albeit tricky, is workable after you work out how to control individual players and make slide tackles. The real problem comes with set pieces and shooting. Shooting is just rubbish with the nunchuck flick being used largely as a gimmick. It just doesn't work as you can't control how hard you want to kick the ball. Secondally and far worse is the dreadfall set piece functionality. Free kicks are again either a pass (you don't get to choose if it's a lofted pass or a driven pass just point where it's supposed to go and the game decides whether it dribbles along the floor (as it seems to do most the time) or is lobbed forward. Shooting from free kicks is pointless again just flick the nunchuck and it's just luck and the characteristics of the player that decide what happens (which is usually nothing much). Corners are probably the most frustrating because they are so close to being good. you can drag players around so they make runs in at the far or near post but then when you press the button (and there's only one useed for all types of passing) the ball just comes in weak and low irrespective of where you point for it to go.

All in all this was so close to being good but the developers obsession to use the wii's flicky controls rather than using a couple of buttons where it's needed has ruined it.