http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9761&Itemid=59
By Tom Ivan
It’s not that much of a surprise it has taken Konami so long to release a Wii version of Pro Evolution Soccer. While the Wii has been selling like hotcakes since its release almost a year and half ago and the company’s obviously been keen to capitalize on its increasingly large user base, rushing the game was never an option after the criticism leveled at earlier versions of PES 2008. As series creator Shingo 'Seabass' Takatsuka admitted late last year, the final PS3 product was “so far from what we wanted". The game regularly “stuttered” and was plagued with online problems, something that was also reported by some owners of the Xbox 360 version. It was hardly the beautiful game as we’d come to expect it from Konami, but, says Murphy, things are back on track – in PES 2008 for Wii the platform has finally got the decent football game it has been “crying out for” and one that “offers the best online experience” in the history of the series.
PES 2008 for Wii has certainly made an encouraging start. While reviews are still coming in, the game currently ranks above the six other versions of the title on review aggregator Metacritic, with an average rating of 86 percent.
"It has all the intricacies of the existing versions, but within a user interface that couldn’t be implemented on any other format than the Wii,” says Murphy. “PES 2008 for Wii isn’t just a good football game, it is an ambitious one – and the team’s efforts have paid off enormously. It will make fans of any football game rethink the way they play: no longer is just one player controlled, the user orchestrates the entire team.”
While early reviews have been positive and the game has been praised for introducing a control scheme that goes way beyond the simple shaking of the Wii Remote some of the platform’s other sports title offer, some commentators have expressed concerns that the game’s controls are too demanding for casual players while the gameplay is too different to past PES titles for mainstream series fans, so who exactly is Konami targeting?
“The core audience is not that different from those on other formats: people who demand the best quality football game. If you break it down towards the Wii demographic, it gets both younger and older as more casual gamers have bought into that particular system. Its overall quality will make it a key Wii title, and the machine has been crying out for a decent football game.
“We’ve shown PES Wii to a lot of people, and find that the tutorial elements do a great service to the game. Once people have grasped the basics of using the Nunchuck to move the player with the ball and the Wii Remote to summon and move team-mates, there tends to be a ‘Eureka!’ moment after 10-15 minutes. And this is as true for hardcore gamers as it is for the more casual players.”
Murphy’s also keen to stress the quality of the game’s online functionality and its importance in continuing to build the community that has driven the series forward since its debut in 2001.
“PES is a game that encourages competition, and you only have to watch two mates play to see how it brings the best and worst out of people. The Wii version offers the best online experience to date. Online play is the logical next step to extend the competitive nature of the game and will be vital in the progression of the series.”
PES 2008 represented a rebranding of sorts for the series. The franchise dropped the numerical naming of prior games in the series in favor of a calendar-based title, hence PES 2008 and not Pro Evolution Soccer 7. The reason behind the change, Murphy explains, was the game’s growing popularity with a wider audience.
“People have been calling the game PES for years and it has become a byword for the quality of the series, so it made sense to make use of such a well known name. The use of dates instead of numbers was a logical one, too, especially for a game that is released annually. Since we are hitting a wider audience, we want to make sure they are aware which the latest version is and dates are better for that.”
Now that PES 2008 has finally been released on all major platforms, it begs the question whether the next game in the series will appear on all formats at the same time. Murphy wasn’t willing to confirm whether PES 2009 will be out later this year for 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, DS and PSP. In fact, he wasn’t willing to spill any details on the game, but did say that Konami has “a wealth of exciting announcements to make on the next version, all of which advance and benefit the series.”
Asked how PES was positioned to tackle the competition, and in particular EA’s FIFA franchise, going forward, Murphy said confidently, “PES is still regarded as the strongest, most realistic football game. Realism is everything to us and the team. We have a team that thrives on the details and are always striving to make advances with each version. With such dedication at the helm, we can hold our own against anyone.”
Going forward the series is also likely to be released in new territories.
“We are always looking to extend the series’ reach, and new versions for new territories where there is an interest are always being considered. South America – a great footballing nation – does very well for instance, while the US versions are starting to grow in terms of interest because of the quality of the series. But you also have to look at Asia, too, where PES is untouchable by any other football game in a massive marketplace.”
Thankfully it appears Pro Evolution Soccer is back to its best, and it would seem the Wii release of PES 2008 bears well for the next iteration of Konami’s popular football series.
