I don’t really subscribe to this mono-console evangelism that you see so much online. I can’t see any reason why Wii, PS2, my Mac, PSP and DS can’t all co-habit nicely in my house. Although my bank manager can probably cite at least one reason.

Anyway, I dug the PS2 out of the cupboard this weekend, after getting a copy of Pro Evolution 6. It got me thinking about Wii and football games: specifically, the fact that there aren’t any at the moment, and what they’ll be like when they eventually arrive.

There are millions of people out there who vehemently dislike football in all its forms (with thousands of those being West Ham fans after yesterday’s match).

So I apologise in advance for my belief that to be a success, a console needs at least one great footy game. Which basically means Pro Evolution Soccer and/or FIFA. I speak as someone who suffered through Dreamcast’s lifetime with just Sega Worldwide Soccer to play, in the absence of those two titles…

It’s tempting to assume that Wii isn’t ideal for football, though. A couple of generations of gamers are locked into the idea that you need a traditional joypad with four buttons plus 2-4 shoulder buttons, a couple of analog sticks and so on. Is the Wiimote’n'Nunchuk combo really up to the task?

I think it is, but it might take some work. Presumably you’d use the Nunchuk’s analog stick to move your player around, and then its Z button to dash, and its C button to switch between players when defending. That’d leave the Wiimote free for passing, shooting, tackling, crossing and so on, using some combination of the A button and trigger.

How about aiming your shots? I’m wondering if it’d be feasible to control the direction and height of shots by waving the Wiimote, or whether this’d be too fussy compared to simply using the length of your button press and which direction the Nunchuk analog stick is being pushed in.

Perhaps the Wiimote’s motion control could be saved for controlling special moves like stepovers and dummies. Or, of course, you could simply wave the device to crack defenders in the eye socket with a craftily-placed elbow. Or just to take throw-ins, of course, but that’s obvious.
What I’m getting at is this: how much scope is there to do something innovative with the Wiimote for football games? And if there is, would players want it, or do they just crave basic gameplay mechanics with no funny business?

Konami revealed it was working on Wii Pro Evo last year, although due to Microsoft signing an exclusive deal for Pro Evo 6 AND FIFA 07, neither can come out for Wii (or PS3) until later this year. Hopefully both EA and Konami are approaching the challenge of the Wii’s controls with imagination.
Of course, Nintendo is also working on Mario Strikers Charged, which is sure to use the Wiimote to full effect. But (and this isn’t meant to be rude), it won’t be the serious soccer sim that hardcore Pro Evo or FIFA fans crave.

What do you think? I’d be keen to hear how you’d like to see the Wiimote’n'Nunchuk adapted for football games…

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 at 2:37 pm by Stuart Dredge
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