Miis kicking it in FIFA 08

Buried near the bottom and mentioned in an off-the-cuff manner, Fortune editor Jeffrey O'Brien let slip news last month that Miis would be making an appearance in EA's upcoming FIFA Soccer 08. As the news was far from common knowledge, EA was cagey with the information, stating only that an announcement concerning FIFA 08's Wii feature set would be forthcoming in mid-June.

Sure enough, EA today passed along word that Miis will indeed be featured in FIFA Soccer 08 for the Wii. Taking cover-athlete integration to the logical next step, EA has revealed that a customized Mii version of Brazilian soccer phenom Ronaldinho will appear in the game. Also, FIFA Soccer 08 on the Wii will feature motion-sensing controls for passing, shooting, and tricks. The new Wii Remote controls will be taught over the course of 30 tutorial missions.

More than just window dressing, the cover athlete will host a Wii-exclusive multiplayer game mode called "Footii Party with Ronaldinho." Players can take on the Barcelona midfielder with their own created Miis in a series of minigames, with Ronaldinho's Mii eventually being unlockable. Of the inclusion in the game, Ronaldinho commented, "My character looks like he enjoys playing football and shares my passion for the game. This is important to me."

FIFA Soccer 08 is slated to ship this fall for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PC, and mobile platforms, but it has not yet been rated or priced. For more on FIFA 08 for the Wii, check out our recent Q&A or head over to the game's gamespace.