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Put your Miis on the pitch with Wii Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

But it's the controls that offer a mobile and handheld angle

Put your Miis on the pitch with Wii Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Konami has unveiled a mysterious Mii Training mode for the Wii version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.

I say mysterious, because the publisher just mentioned it in the press conference for its PES European Finals event in Rome. But they didn't say any more about what it actually involves.

"We won't talk further about that," said producer Akiyoshi 'Greyhound' Chosogabe. "A further announcement will be made in the near future."

Rest assured, it's something to do with playing as your Mii avatars, which should delight fans.

Why are we blathering on about Wii games on Pocket Gamer? Good question. The Wii version of PES 2009 hints at intriguing possibilities for handheld versions of the game.

How? Well, it'll let you play the game using the Wiimote controller held sideways, or the Wii Classic Controller - which both have essentially two buttons and a D-pad available.

"We've used technology so that the AI detects what the player wants to do, so you can play with the Wii controller with less buttons," said Chosogabe.

That's pretty positive for any future DS versions of PES - with previous versions receiving a mixed (to say the least) critical reception.

Boiling PES down to two buttons also holds out the possibility of an iPhone version, using similar controls to Gameloft's Real Football 2009.

Of course, Konami's mobile studio has already boiled PES down to a one-button control system, which debuted in last year's mobile game, and has been refined for the upcoming sequel.

Interesting stuff. Otherwise, handheld and mobile didn't merit a mention at tonight's press conference, which was mainly focused on the Wii, with a side-order of PS3 and Xbox 360.

Oh, by the way, the Master League is in the Wii version this time round (could it also finally come to DS?).

Stuart Dredge
Stuart Dredge
Stuart is a freelance journalist and blogger who's been getting paid to write stuff since 1998. In that time, he's focused on topics ranging from Sega's Dreamcast console to robots. That's what you call versatility. (Or a short attention span.)