Genre(s) Sports game | ||
Platform(s) Microsoft WindowsPlayStation 2PlayStation 3PlayStation PortableXbox 360WiiNintendo DSMobile phone Release Nintendo DSJP: October 25, 2007EU: February 1, 2008AU: March 7, 2008NA: March 11, 2008PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360EU: October 26, 2007AU: November 8, 2007JP: November 22, 2007AS: November 22, 2007 (PS3)NA: March 11, 2008WindowsEU: October 26, 2007AU: November 21, 2007PlayStation PortableJP: January 24, 2008EU: February 29, 2008AU: March 7, 2008NA: March 11, 2008WiiJP: February 21, 2008NA: March 18, 2008EU: March 28, 2008AU: April 17, 2008MobileEU: 2008 | ||
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (officially abbreviated as PES 2008 and known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2008 in Asia, sometimes called World Soccer: Winning Eleven 11 (PS2), only in North America) is an association football video game in the Pro Evolution Soccer series by Konami. The game was officially announced on 18 June 2007. Its title is different from the other Pro Evolution Soccer games in that it's of a year and not a version; this was due to EA Sports' FIFA series naming their titles with two digit numbers (i.e. 07, 08) and in conclusion would seem that PES was a year behind FIFA (to non-fans which had no knowledge of the previous games of the franchise).
Contents
It was released for Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and mobile phone.
The PC version in this game is used the same engine as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time.
A PS3 demo is available for download from the PlayStation Store, a Xbox 360 demo has been released on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and a PC demo has been released.
Wii version
The Nintendo Wii version of PES 2008 (named Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 in Japan) differs radically from the other versions. 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 much more tactics and maneuvers can be used in the attacking game than ever before.
This version omits the Master League mode for the Champions Road, which lets the player tour a slew of different leagues around Europe, and when a games is won, it is possible to acquire players from the defeated teams. Also, it features an online mode that Konami called "the best online experience" when compared to the other versions.
Unlicensed leagues
The leagues below are partially unlicensed, and some teams from these leagues are unlicensed:
Licensed leagues
The leagues below are fully licensed, and all teams from these leagues are licensed:
Generic Teams
There is also a separate league with 18 generic teams (Team A, Team B etc.), which can be edited fully, like in the previous game. This is thought to be due to the fact that Konami failed to get the rights to the German Bundesliga, and is usually made into the Bundesliga or another league of one's preference by patch makers. However, most people use this to put their edited players into playable teams from the start instead of having to play through Master League to purchase them or alternatively edit the existing non-generic teams. This feature does not appear in the Wii version of the game.
Covers
Portugal and Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo is included on all PES 2008 covers, along with Michael Owen in the UK, Lucas Neill in Australia, and Didier Drogba in France. Also in Japanese version, the cover art only Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
Commentators
Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson provide the English commentary for the first time. Also in Japanese version, Jon Kabira and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa continue as commentator and pitch reporter was Florent Dabadie.
Reception
The game was met with positive to very mixed reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 83.60% and 83 out of 100 for the Wii version; 82.58% and 82 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; 79.74% and 80 out of 100 for the PSP version; 78.50% for the PC version; 75.53% and 76 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version; 73.46% and 74 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version; and 58.57% and 58 out of 100 for the DS version.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 sold approximately 104,654 copies since its debut in Japan. It debuted at #5 in the UK game charts before moving to #3 in the second week after a 34% increase in sales. It was awarded Best Sports Game for the Wii by IGN in its 2008 video game awards. It was also nominated for Wii Game of the Year by IGN.