Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Being able to rent games is something that most of us take for granted -- in Japan, it doesn't happen because of publisher blackballing. Konami has decided to give the whole rental thing a try, though, starting with the popular soccer game, Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 (aka Pro Evolution Soccer 2008).

Even so, Japanese gamers won't be able to test out the title in full. Instead, trial versions of the Wii game will be offered for free at Tsutaya stores. It's kind of like downloading a demo, only you have to go and pick it up instead.

We're interested to see if this has any impact on Japan's gaming industry, and if Konami will expand their "rental" service in the future.


[Via Game|Life]

Those of us in the U.S. call Konami's soccer series Winning Eleven rather than Pro Evolution Soccer. Winning Eleven will soon be no more, however, as the title for the new U.S. game will officially be Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, like its European counterpart.

As IGN points out, this is unfortunate timing. Had the newest game kept its Winning Eleven name, it's title would have been Winning Eleven 11. Only Japan will have that glory now.

We at Nintendo Wii Fanboy tend to prefer Winning Eleven to Pro Evolution Soccer, but at the end of the day, what's in a name? At least this change might serve to cut down on some confusion.

As we have previously discussed, the Wii version of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 will be a very different game from the version that appeared on other consoles (and we're not just referring to the Wii-specific logo above). Is that a good or bad thing? We'll know soon enough, because Konami has announced that the game will be out in March.

Scouring today's press release, we also learned about a random bunch of other features that are exclusive to the Wii edition. These include the ability to fashion a squad of 16 pre-defined Miis, a "Champions Road" mode that sees you building a team from the opponents you defeat (similar to the "Gacha-get" mode in the DS version), and the way in which sliding tackles can be executed and 'keepers brought out with a shake of the Nunchuk.

Oh, and it will have full online play, but if the online support is anything like other versions of the game, expect it to be absolutely lagtastic.

[Via press release]

Soccer fans, take note -- Konami's next installment of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer is looking pretty good, and it seems they spent some time on the Wii controls. In this week's video spotlight, we've got a lengthy look at the control scheme ... and it's no watered-down, casual-friendly deal, either. Check out the video and see for yourself.