FIFA Soccer 08 Producer Q&A

By Staff, GameSpotPosted Jun 13, 2007 4:35 pm PT

We talk to EA producer Tim Tschirner about the Wii version of FIFA Soccer 08. First screens inside.

In our initial look at FIFA Soccer 08 for the Nintendo Wii, we introduced some of the new features and controls that will be part of the game. However, one of things we didn't know is that the game will be the first EA Sports game to introduce Nintendo Mii characters into gameplay, particularly the party games included with the game. To celebrate this fact, the producers behind the game have included one of the most recognizable soccer stars in the world--FC Barcelona's own Ronaldinho--as a Mii in the game. You'll be going up against Ronaldinho Mii in the various minigames in footii party mode. To get more details on this mode, the Ronaldinho Mii, and how the game is coming along, we spoke with FIFA 08 Wii producer Tim Tschirner.

'Little Ronaldo' is now shrunk down to Mii form--Ronaldinho will be found in FIFA Soccer 08 for the Wii.

GameSpot: Before we talk "football," let's talk American football. EA Sports debuted on the Nintendo Wii last year with Madden NFL 07. Did you have much interaction with the team behind that game, and if so, what kind of lessons learned have been brought to the development of FIFA Soccer 08 for Wii?

Tim Tschirner: Before we started development, we spent quite a bit of time with the members of the Madden NFL 07 Wii team. They had a lot of great information to share with us, both on the design side and the technical side. On the design side, we were able to take away a lot of invaluable information around gestures; for example, what worked well, what didn't work so well, things they tried that weren't feasible, etc. On the technical side, we were able to share quite a bit of their low-level code and libraries.

GS: When we saw the game in May, the control scheme wasn't finalized yet. Have there been any important changes to the controls in the game since then that we should know about?

TT: We have a really cool feature that we have added to the game since I first showed you FIFA Soccer 08 on the Wii in May. At this point, I am not able to go into more details other than to say we have created an innovative new way to play the game, and it's especially great if you're new to FIFA or want to play with or against someone who doesn't know the game or the sport as well. It will allow players of all skill levels to play together and share the experience.

Some other additions to the controls that I can go into details on are directional passes and directional player switching. Regular passes are executed by pressing the A button; if you hold down the A button, you can do a gesture in one of the four main directions (up, down, left, or right) and the player will pass in that direction. To switch players on defense, you also use the A button; if you hold down the A button and do a gesture, it will switch to the player that is positioned in that direction. In addition to using the A button and a gesture, you can use the D pad. The directional passing also works for through-passes by holding down the B button and then doing a gesture. We also integrated functionality to curve the ball by twisting the Wii Remote to the left or right when you flick upward to take a shot.

Producers initially toyed with the idea of attaching the Wii Remote to your foot for FIFA 08.

GS: Did the team ever come up with any strange or unusual control ideas that didn't make their way into the game?

TT: At the beginning of development, we discussed the idea of attaching the Wii Remote to your foot to execute passes and shots that way. We constructed a prototype by taking a sock and sewing a pocket to the side that housed the Wii Remote. While it worked technically (it detected passes and shots accurately), it felt really awkward to stand up and take kicks into the air. In addition, your knees and ankles would start hurting after a while, so in the end, we abandoned the idea.

prev

105 Comments

  • Gally66

    Posted Jul 9, 2007 4:15 pm PT

    sounds cool, hope its good

  • Franzkill

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    This looks really poor. But I'll give it a chance.

  • OrianaDorta

    Posted Jun 26, 2007 7:00 pm PT

    lol Ronaldo looks funny

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jun 20, 2007 6:02 pm PT

    god its going ot be good

  • -Sparkz-

    Posted Jun 20, 2007 10:12 am PT

    I like the idea of having a separate party mode for the mii's, my only concern now is how the controls are going to work.

  • Viewtiful-GaMeR

    Posted Jun 20, 2007 9:08 am PT

    I still don't buy it with those controls.I'll have to wait.

  • tastycasey27

    Posted Jun 19, 2007 9:51 am PT

    i stii cant believe that some people are still moaning about the miis being in the game and it looking cartoony, have you even read the article, the miis are for in game mini games, the main football game will use real realistic players so stop moaning.

  • Lonelynight

    Posted Jun 19, 2007 7:23 am PT

    looks nice

  • lilromeo0606

    Posted Jun 19, 2007 12:05 am PT

    The Wii is a party console and i like the direction some of the games are going. There are a few games that focus on single player, but a lot of these games that are party games are fun especially with four people. What the developers are doing for the wii are unique and because its not powerful in any way, they make the games more engaging and interactive to the point where you can just sit down and play them well. I give them props.

  • kerching

    Posted Jun 18, 2007 11:12 am PT

    is not worth knowing about now anyway...... PRO EVO is back!

  • hotgamer12

    Posted Jun 18, 2007 2:39 am PT

    I like the way you are allowed to integrate your Mii into the game. Awesome idea, but i'm so tired of 90+ percent of nintendo games looking like a saturday morning cartoon. I'm also tired of all the confusion going on over at Nintendo's headquarters. the company created a reputation of being solely dedicated to gaming, made the Wii look mature, and promised to be devoted to wide audiences but, so far 90+ percent of Wii software seems to be "Saturday morning cartoony" and uninspired. Not to mention that the system's software library also appears to be lacking. With these truths, people are losing faith, cause in the end, it's all about the games. Shame on Nintendo's marketing branch.

  • TacticalElefant

    Posted Jun 17, 2007 9:11 pm PT

    We may suck at kicking a spherical ball, but we don't lack the ability of kicking your @$$

  • Princecake

    Posted Jun 17, 2007 4:26 am PT

    if they make the motion capturing too sensitive..most americans won't get the foot attachment lol...they can't kick non-deformed balls...

  • e1337prodigy

    Posted Jun 17, 2007 2:57 am PT

    Whats with the cartoony graphics? Nintendo games always do this. I know it is suppose to be a 'family entertainment console' but you got to attract the mainstream gamers (boys/girls aged 16-25). Most of them aren't going to want to play with cartoony graphics. I'll be getting it though if PES doesn't come out on wii.

  • raynard_muldrat

    Posted Jun 17, 2007 1:38 am PT

    I think that EA (surprisingly) have really embraced the wii for all that it is - different, the mii's look well implemented and almost supplementary to wii sports, i think it would be nice to see or unlock more real player mii's. The wiimote/foot attachment sounds excellent even if it wasn't used for the full game and just used in some of the footii mini games. I probably won't get this until ive tried the controls they sound a little awkward compared to mario stikers charged, that and i'm not really a football fan.

  • TEX-MEX

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 10:25 pm PT

    Should be fun!!!
    Nintendo+EA=Happiness

  • Princecake

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 5:26 pm PT

    PES wins!

  • KingKoop

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 9:58 am PT

    Looks like fun, now Rooney can look how he's meant to look

  • rijnie posted Jun 16, 2007 8:32 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    rijnie

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 8:32 am PT (hide)

    this is so stupid and immature, just look at that faces, that dude was right the wii wont make 2007 or 2008. ps3 and xbox wins.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 8:06 am PT

    sounds pretty cool. i still wanted to try their old leg kicking version but oh well

FIFA Soccer 08 Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $19.99 – 29.99

GameStop $29.99 SHOP ›
Amazon.com $19.99 SHOP ›
Deep Discount.com $28.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
advertisement
Click Here

Related Unions

FIFA Soccer 08 Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
FIFA Soccer 08

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement