Of late, The FIFA series has not been all that impressive; in fact with the brilliance of Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA continues to play second fiddle. Wii owners don’t have the luxury of multiple soccer games on their console so if you need a footy fix on the Wii, you’re forced to look at FIFA 08. The good news is that EA has put forth a decent first attempt.

The Wii-mote controls are there, and EA does nothing to dispute the fact that the Wii is a kid’s console. They’ve included “Family Play” which allows gamers to play soccer without the complicated controls that are in the 360 version of FIFA or PES such as “running with the ball”. This option is actually very helpful when your gaming opponents are your kids as they can enjoy the game without thinking of multi-button combos or how to call an offside trap.

You use a nunchuck and a Wii mote for ‘advanced’ controls while novice players can use “EA Family play” – even if you’re on the same team, which is a nice touch. The controls actually make the game more fun to play and using the nunchuck becomes second nature. Other nifty features include wi-fi support, the fact you can use your own Miis in the game and of course the standard Wii controls for things such as throw-ins. It’s all very hands on.

The graphics and audio are both disappointments. Madden looks much better on the Wii than FIFA. The default camera angle puts the field vertically rather then horizontally. If you love Sensible World of Soccer, you’ll remember this view fondly, but for everyone else, it’s a little odd. The view does make sense with the controls laid out as they are but this is not a game to show off the “power” of the Wii. Textures aren’t bad but you see jaggies all over the place. At least the grass looks like grass and the ball is easily seen; however the players are difficult to recognize using this camera.

The linesmen only exist in your mind and not on the game; one wonders if adding two more sprite like characters would cause the game to flicker like an Atari 2600? Another gripe is the kit (jersey) clash – one game played as the Revolution vs. the New York Red Bulls saw both teams wearing blue jerseys, making a game extremely difficult because it was tough to tell one blue blob from another.

As a fan of Major League Soccer it was a big let down to never hear player’s names on the Revolution. Of course you always hear Beckham’s name for the Galaxy, but that’s about the only name in MLS that the commentators mention. It’s a lot of generic commentary for MLS, but with the league seemingly always taking a second class citizenship, it’s not a surprise. Commentary for the Premiership (UK) is done much better than the US League.

Thankfully the gameplay is very enjoyable – once you understand the new Wii controls. Shooting is done by “pulling” the Wiimote up – the faster you pull up, the more you drive the ball. It’s a similar to kicking a field goal in Madden. In order to perform a header or “finesse shot” you start the Wii mote level and then push it down 90 degrees. Unfortunately, this is the same motion while on defense to perform a slide tackle so you can try for a header but instead slide tackle for a red card. Running strategy is simple and the players seem to understand that they need to make an attempt to get the ball on defense. You’ll even see your computer controlled teammates make runs for a through-ball, which gives the feeling that you are truly part of a team.

The game modes aren’t as fleshed out as the other versions of the game – you can play in a ‘tournament’ which is actually a single season, but again in MLS the league standings display in a traditional European table and not with the division format they have had for 10+ years. There is no US Open Cup feature which is also a disappointment. On the other hand while the deep player creation mode that’s in the 360 version isn’t in this game, there are fun party games called “footii party” where you can even use your own Miis – another nice touch.