Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008[1]
European cover of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Series	Pro Evolution Soccer
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation Portable Xbox 360 Wii Nintendo DS Mobile phone
Release date(s)	Nintendo DS JP: October 25, 2007 EU: February 1, 2008 AUS: March 7, 2008 NA: March 11, 2008 PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 EU: October 26, 2007 AUS: November 8, 2007 JP: November 22, 2007 AS: November 22, 2007 (PS3)[2] NA: March 11, 2008 Windows EU: October 26, 2007 AUS: November 21, 2007 PlayStation Portable JP: January 24, 2008 EU: February 29, 2008 AUS: March 7, 2008 NA: March 11, 2008 Wii JP: February 21, 2008 NA: March 18, 2008 EU: March 28, 2008 AUS: April 17, 2008 Mobile EU: 2008
Genre(s)	Sports game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer, online multiplayer

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008^[1] (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).

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,^[3] a Xbox 360 demo has been released on the Xbox Live Marketplace,^[4] and a PC demo has been released.^[5]

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.^[6]

Teams

Unlicensed leagues

The leagues below are partially unlicensed, and some teams from these leagues are unlicensed:

• Premier League

Licensed leagues

The leagues below are fully licensed, and all teams from these leagues are licensed:

• Liga BBVA
• Ligue 1
• Serie A
• Eredivisie

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.^[7] 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.^[8] Also in Japanese version, Jon Kabira and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa continue as commentator and pitch reporter was Florent Dabadie.

Reception

Reception

Review scores Publication Score DS PC PS2 PS3 PSP Wii Xbox 360 1UP.com N/A N/A N/A C+[9] N/A B[10] N/A Eurogamer 6/10[11] N/A N/A 8/10[12] 7/10[13] 8/10[14] N/A Game Informer N/A N/A N/A 7.75/10[15] N/A 8/10[16] 7.75/10[15] GameSpot 6/10[17] 7/10[18] 7.5/10[19] 6/10[20] 7/10[21] 8/10[22] 7/10[23] GameSpy N/A N/A [24] [25] [26] N/A [27] IGN (US) 5.5/10[28] (UK) 4.7/10[29] N/A 8.4/10[30] (UK) 9.2/10[31] (US) 8.6/10[32] (UK) 8.9/10[33] (US) 8.3/10[34] (UK) 8.9/10[35] (US) 8.6/10[36] (UK) 9.2/10[37] 8.6/10[38][32] ONM N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 90%[39] N/A OXM (US) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 4.5/10[40] PC Gamer (UK) N/A 86%[41] N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A PSM N/A N/A N/A [42] N/A N/A N/A Digital Spy N/A N/A N/A [43] N/A [44] N/A Aggregate scores GameRankings 58.57%[45] 78.50%[46] 82.58%[47] 73.46%[48] 79.74%[49] 83.60%[50] 75.53%[51] Metacritic 58/100[52] N/A 82/100[53] 74/100[54] 80/100[55] 83/100[56] 76/100[57]

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;^[50][56] 82.58% and 82 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version;^[47][53] 79.74% and 80 out of 100 for the PSP version;^[49][55] 78.50% for the PC version;^[46] 75.53% and 76 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version;^[51][57] 73.46% and 74 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version;^[48][54] and 58.57% and 58 out of 100 for the DS version.^[45][52]

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 sold approximately 104,654 copies since its debut in Japan.^[58] It debuted at #5 in the UK game charts before moving to #3 in the second week after a 34% increase in sales.^[59] It was awarded Best Sports Game for the Wii by IGN in its 2008 video game awards.^[60] It was also nominated for Wii Game of the Year by IGN.^[61]

References

1. Gibbon, David (June 19, 2007). "'Pro Evolution Soccer 2008' revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
2. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Release Information for PlayStation 3". GameFAQs. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
3. Bramwell, Tom (November 2, 2007). "PES 2008 demo on PSN". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
4. "PES 2008 Xbox 360 demo now online!". Konami. September 21, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
5. Suffwan (September 25, 2007). "The Case Of The Lost PC Demo, Its Here!!!". WinningElevenBlog. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
6. Edge staff (March 28, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer (Incomplete)". Edge. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
7. "PES 2008 Features". PESGaming.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
8. Adonis (August 9, 2007). "ZOO Confirm English Commentary Team?!". WinningElevenBlog. Archived from the original on September 1, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
9. Pfister, Andrew (March 12, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)". 1UP.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
10. Pfister, Andrew (March 18, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)". 1UP.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
11. Lyon, James (March 5, 2008). "DS Roundup (Pro Evolution Soccer 2008)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
12. Korda, Martin (October 25, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
13. Fahey, Rob (April 14, 2008). "PSP Roundup (Page 2)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
14. Reed, Kristan (April 4, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
15. Kato, Matthew (May 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3, X360)". Game Informer (181). Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
16. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)". Game Informer (181): 92. May 2008.
17. Cocker, Guy (April 1, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (DS)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
18. Cocker, Guy (November 20, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
19. Cocker, Guy (November 6, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
20. Cocker, Guy (November 1, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PS3)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
21. Anderson, Luke (March 28, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PSP)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
22. Cocker, Guy (April 17, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
23. Cocker, Guy (November 1, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (X360)". GameSpot. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
24. McGarvey, Sterling (March 24, 2008). "GameSpy: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
25. McGarvey, Sterling (March 20, 2008). "GameSpy: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)". GameSpy. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
26. McGarvey, Sterling (March 24, 2008). "GameSpy: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PSP)". GameSpy. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
27. McGarvey, Sterling (March 20, 2008). "GameSpy: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (X360)". GameSpy. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
28. Harris, Craig (March 31, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (NDS)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
29. Robinson, Martin (February 6, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 DS UK Review". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
30. Ahearn, Nate (March 19, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
31. Simmons, Alex (October 18, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 UK Review (PS3)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
32. Ahearn, Nate (March 17, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PS3, X360)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
33. Robinson, Martin (February 20, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 UK Review (PSP)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
34. Ahearn, Nate (March 18, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (PSP)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
35. Robinson, Martin (March 28, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Wii UK Review". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
36. Bozon, Mark (March 17, 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (Wii)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
37. Simmons, Alex (October 19, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 UK Review (X360)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
38. IGN staff (November 4, 2007). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 AU Review (X360)". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
39. Scullion, Chris (March 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review (Wii)". Official Nintendo Magazine: 58. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
40. Lewis, Cameron (June 2008). "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008". Official Xbox Magazine: 81. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
41. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008". PC Gamer UK. December 25, 2007.
42. "Review: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)". PlayStation: The Official Magazine: 76. May 2008.
43. Gibbon, David (October 26, 2007). "PS3: 'Pro Evolution Soccer 2008'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
44. Gibbon, David (March 28, 2008). "Wii: 'Pro Evolution Soccer 2008'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
45. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for DS". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
46. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
47. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
48. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 3". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
49. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PSP". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
50. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for Wii". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
51. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
52. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for DS Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
53. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
54. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
55. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
56. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
57. "Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
58. Nintendo Wii Japanese Ranking
60. "Wii Best Sports Game 2008". IGN. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
61. "Wii Game of the Year 2008". IGN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2015.

External links

• Konami Europe Website
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PlayStation 3, Wii, Windows, Xbox 360) at MobyGames
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PlayStation 2, PSP) at MobyGames