Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review

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Unfortunately, it's a far harder game to master defensively. Simple actions like sliding tackles and pressuring the attacking player are tricky initially. The idea is that you're able to hold down Z and swing the nunchuk to slide, or simply click on the players you want to put pressure on the man in possession - but it's never quite that easy. The onus appears to be much more on the player on the ball, and more often than not you'll probably find yourself regaining possession because of an unforced error than your own defensive might.

Of course, with practice you'll improve your defensive game - but then your opponent's ability to pass accurately will improve too. The result is a game that's likely to see an avalanche of goals compared to most football titles released in recent years. Put it this way: even when you're playing badly, goal-scoring chances aren't exactly hard to come by.

As with the other versions of 2008, PES Wii suffers from licensing nonsense and tired commentary, but hey - it does boast more stadiums (30, in total). Technically, the PES engine is arguably better suited to the lesser demands of the Wii, and as such, the likenesses and animation seem to fit better than the somewhat sterile look on the beefier systems. This is especially noticeable during the excellent replay system. Nice, also, to see Wayne Rooney officially has more freckles than any football player in history. We're freckle sympathists here at Eurogamer. Long live the ginger gene.

Konami has really made an effort to ensure the online capabilities of the game work as they should. Despite the fact that the Wii isn't the easiest machine around to get an online game going on, finding a suitable opponent was a piece of cake, and we had probably the most lag-free matches we've ever encountered on any football game. Playable either with friends (via the convoluted Wii friends code system) or random strangers, it's simple to get matches going, and extremely straightforward to make tactical changes thanks to a new drag and drop system (complete with comedy caricatures of your team).

You can almost hear Hansen howling in dismay.

If you're all on your lonesome, though, the game also sports a one-season League mode, as well as the more involving Champion's Road mode, where you get a chance to build up player stats and acquire opposition players if you beat them. Often you'll also find yourself having to complete certain 'missions' to progress, such as completing 20 short passes during a game and so on. Cunningly, you can also send your match data to a friend, and take the battle to them if you fancy duelling with your offline single-player team. Nice touch.