Wii FIFA Soccer 09 Hands-On

As one of five EA Sports games to feature the new all-play mechanic this year, FIFA Soccer 09 for the Nintendo Wii maintains much of the core gameplay from last year's game. However, most of the improvements in FIFA Soccer 09 focus on bringing a fun, competitive gaming experience to gamers of all ages and skill levels. We had a chance to take a look at what FIFA Soccer 09 had to offer at EA's EA3 event a few weeks ago.

The main addition to FIFA Soccer 09 (as evident in the cover art) is the new all-play control scheme. With all-play enabled, only a Wii Remote is required to play--the Wii's Nunchuk attachment is entirely optional. With the Nunchuk detached, players will move and pass automatically. A shake of the remote on offense directs the ball handler to shoot, while a shake on defense orders the closest defender to slide tackle. It is EA's hope that this will attract a wider audience that may otherwise be intimidated by the robust controls of today's games. As new players gradually become more familiar with the game, they can plug in the Nunchuk to gain control over player movement as well. Regardless of whether you choose to use the normal or all-play control schemes, you will still be able to compete with others using a different control from your own.

In addition to greater variety in control schemes, FIFA Soccer 09 introduces a soccer academy geared to teach you the basics of the games. The lessons are broken down into passing, tackling, and shooting drills, each with two levels of difficulty.

Although most of the changes in this year's game focus on new players, one new feature sure to excite fans of last year's game is the implementation of point passing. Only available in the normal control scheme, point passing will allow you to direct passes anywhere on the pitch simply by holding down the A button, pointing the Wii Remote where you want the ball, and then letting go of the A button. With this new mechanic, it is easier to lead your teammates and make crosses. FIFA Soccer 09 still features more 500 licensed teams with their authentic kits and crests.

A new mode, 8v8 Footii Matches, also make their debut for the first time in FIFA Soccer 09. In this story mode, up to four players can play together in an 8v8 game against 12 of the best national teams in a tournament. Each win unlocks the star player from the opposing team. Once all of the players have been unlocked, the all-star team will be available for use in the game. The look and feel of 8v8 Footii Matches resembles that of Wii Miis, and you can, in fact, use your Mii's in this game mode.

FIFA Soccer 09 also includes Manager mode for the first time, which is where you will be able to manage club finances and sponsors, as well as watch visual simulations of your team matches. You can also train your players and even schedule friendlies to hone their skills. As in last year's game, FIFA Soccer 09 includes Footii Party minigames where you can face off against up to three other players in a variety of quick soccer minigames. While all-play does offer a more tiered approach to the soccer gameplay, players who are less familiar with soccer will probably be more attracted to the minigames. On the other end of the spectrum, EA's implementation of point passing is a unique, innovative control that is only possible on the Wii. For players of FIFA Soccer 08 on the Wii, this feature may be reason enough to give FIFA Soccer 09 a try. We'll bring you more news on FIFA Soccer 09 as we learn more.