In our early playtest, we got a peek at what the company plans for the Wii version of FIFA Soccer 08. The game will use much of the core assets and engine from "last-gen" versions of the game, so the main game will look on par with what the other teams are doing with the PlayStation 2 version of the series. There will be specific changes -- for example, the default camera will switch from the familar side-scrolling television style presentation to a very NHL Hockey top-down, vertically scrolling movement. The decision to go to this camera was so that a lot of the Wii-centric motion controls wouldn't feel "off" since they're sensitive to your character's position.
For example, if you want to pass the ball to a teammate, it's a flick of the remote in the direction that you want to send the ball -- flick it to the left or right to pass the ball left or right, or flick it forward to pass it ahead. Kicking the ball towards the goal used a "scooping" motion to mimic the foot -- dig it hard and fast and the ball will go in that direction. If you need to throw the ball in from the side, raise the Nunchuk and Remote controls over your head and make a tossing motion...easy as that. Slide tackles were also applied to the motion controls that makes it as simple as flicking the wrist when you want to go for the ball.
Other than the "toss in" motion, the pass and kick controls were very touchy and somewhat disconnecting in our early playtest, but the team is still tuning the game to really give Wii owners a good, unique experience. And judging from some brand new screenshots handed to us today, the experience isn't just going to be applied to the Wii controls.
Though the company didn't make mention of this feature at the event, it appears that FIFA Soccer 08 will be the first third party game to use Nintendo's Mii characters in some fashion.
Additional features include the ability to play online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. We'll most likely see much more on FIFA Soccer 08 for the Wii as we get closer to E3, but for now, check out the first screenshots in action. Watch for additional details on the game, including much deeper hands on impressions, in the coming days.