EA Cooks Up Simpler Sports Titles for Wii

The new All-Play line of Wii-specific games will feature controls and game play simplified for the novice player.

Video game franchises like Madden Football, FIFA Soccer and Tiger Woods PGA Tour may be building blocks of EA’s sports video game empire, but the company will tweak the tried-and-true formula for these mainstay titles when it brings them to the Nintendo Wii for 2008. EA announced on Thursday that five of its popular sporting titles would fall into the newly created “All-Play” line on the Wii, a label created for easy-to-play sports titles.

Given the unique nature of the Wii’s controls, “All-Play” won’t just be a sticker – EA has actually retailored the games from the ground up for the system. The company says the Wii titles will feature unique controls, unique presentation, and unique modes to set them apart from the versions offered on other systems.

NCAA Football All-Play, for instance, will feature new All-Play controls for novice users (alongside a “traditional” mode for more experienced players) and an online play mode that levels the field for new players. In another example, FIFA Soccer will come with mini games for situations where a full drawn-out game isn’t appropriate.

Along with news of the reworked Wii titles, Nintendo also announced release dates for all five games. NCAA Football will come out on July 15, Madden NFL on Aug. 12, Tiger Woods PGA Tour on Aug. 26, NBA Live on Oct. 7, and FIFA Soccer on Oct. 14.