The Wii Remote pointer controls most aspects of offensive movement. By selecting a player with the pointer's cursor, and holding down the A Button, you'll be able to control movement by dragging the pointer in any direction as indicated by a directional arrow. The beauty of this system is that you can control the movement of any player on your team while on offense, whether they have the ball or not. A player in control of the ball can also be controlled with the analog stick on the Nunchuk, making it possible for you to completely and independently control two different players at the same time.
The movement system extends even further by letting you "set and forget" player movement. You can send the player with the ball on autopilot by pointing where you want him to go with the movement arrow and releasing the A Button. Once his path is set, you can take control of other individual players and move them into more favorable positions. Like the ball carrier, you can quickly point them to run in a general direction or take control of an individual player that doesn't have control of the ball. Being able to control anyone on your team, anywhere on the field, makes it possible to open up running lanes, create space to work with, and even come up with your own set plays on the fly during free kicks.
Passing also uses the Wii Remote pointer. All you need to do to perform the basic pass is aim where you want the ball to go with the cursor and hit the B Trigger. For more complex passing routines you can point at an offensive teammate without the ball, hold down the B Trigger, and move the receiver in any direction. The player with the ball will pass to the spot pointed at when the trigger is released, hopefully with the moving player ready to receive it.
The Wii Remote pointer is the ultimate system for making passes. With it, you can make passes exactly where you want them to go. For instance, if you have a winger running down the side of the field, you can pass the ball to a spot well in front of them so they can take the ball without slowing down. You can also make that same winger turn toward the center of the field before passing him the ball, or have him charge toward the corner for a possible centering pass. With the game control system you have the power to make that call on the spot.
What makes the control system so incredible is that it's extremely easy to use. Even though you can control so much on the field at once, it's not confusing at all once you get acclimated to it. The controls feel very tight and responsive, despite the fact that you're using a shaky hand to make pinpoint selections. The pointer cursor on the screen is very stable, making it easy to quickly issue commands to multiple players in a short time. Because you have control over everything on the field, it will really feel like you scored the goal yourself. If you can move your players in just the right way to confuse the defense and then make a perfect pass for a one-time shot for a score, it's an awesome feeling.
I'm still not quite sure what to make of the defensive controls, however. You can still control a single player by pointing at them and holding down the A Button, but for the most part you'll be passively managing your defense. Clicking on a player of the opposing team will have your closest defender mark him wherever he goes. Multiple defenders can be assigned to the same opponent by dragging a movement arrow from a free defender onto the player to be defended. You can do things like stand in passing lanes (Z Button) and perform a hard tackle (Z Button plus Nunchuk shake), but all of it needs to be manually commanded. There have been plenty of times when I've seen some of my defenders just stand in place and watch someone from the other team just waltz right by without even an attempt to stick a leg out or make a play on the ball. I'm sure there are more defensive tactics for me to learn, but so far it looks like this game is primarily about the offense.
The feeling of do-it-yourself sweetness is replicated in the game's main single-player mode, Champion's Road. Here, you start off with a rag-tag team of amateur players and must work your way through a series of branching tournaments. Winning matches will earn your players experience points that increase their skill in different categories such as: offense, defense, speed, and so on. You can also pick up random players from defeated opponents and add them to your own roster. Players are rated in several categories, including an overall star rating, so with some luck you can pick up good players and make your team better more quickly.
You'll have full control over your team between matches. You can choose between preset formations or create your own to best fit your currently active roster. Players may tire or injure after a series of hard matches, so it may be wise to swap them out with players on your 16-player reserve squad. Flashing arrows denote whether or not players may be down in performance. On the flip side, players with arrows pointing upwards are rearing for some action and will get performance boosts. Champion's Road is not just a test of your on-the-field skills, but is also a challenge to see how well you can manage your team to get the best performance out of them in a given situation.
We're currently testing out the game's online features and other game modes. Look forward to our thoughts on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 in our review, coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out some more videos below.
