Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

07, 08), which would seem that PES was a year behind FIFA (to non-fans which had no knowledge of the previous games of the franchise); it is also the first game to use the PES title for the American market, which previously used the Japanese name. It was released for Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360. The game sold 6.37 million units worldwide. PES 2008 was succeeded by Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. This was the first game of the series to be released for the PS3 and Wii, as well as the first game in the series to be internationally available on a Nintendo home console.

• Title — Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 • Developer — Konami • Publisher — Konami • Series — Pro Evolution Soccer • Released — Nintendo DS PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 Windows PlayStation Portable Wii • Genre — Sports game • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — * Microsoft Windows • PlayStation 2 • PlayStation 3 • PlayStation Portable • Xbox 360 • Wii • Nintendo DS

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.

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

The leagues below are fully licensed, and all teams from these leagues are licensed: • La Liga Santander • Ligue 1 • Serie A • Eredivisie

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.

Portugal and (at the time) Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo is included on all PES 2008 covers, along with Newcastle United striker Michael Owen in the UK, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in Italy, West Ham United defender Lucas Neill in Australia, and Chelsea F.C. striker Didier Drogba in France. Also in the Japanese version, the cover art features only Cristiano Ronaldo himself.

Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson provide the English commentary for the first time, replacing long-time commentary team Peter Brackley and Trevor Brooking, who commentated from Pro Evolution Soccers 2 to 6. Also in the Japanese version, Jon Kabira and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa continue as commentators among Masahiro Fukuda and the pitch reporter was Florent Dabadie.