FIFA Manager 11 has had to contend with being in the shadow of the more popular Football Manager, but the new instalment in the FIFA series is a completely different type of management game.
FIFA Manager is more customisable, with the player being able to to select from a number of game modes. There is the traditional game, in which you can choose to play as a Club Manager; Club and International Manager; Play a Career, in which you are offered three random contracts; and finally Found a New Club.
Once you have selected your game mode, you pick which leagues you would like to make playable. All the major countries are already selected as standard and there is a huge selection of leagues from around the world to pick from.
The next steps before playing are customising your manager, including selecting your appearance and personal life, your favourite club and player as well as your least favourite club. Once this is complete, you choose difficulty levels, a club and a player to manage or you can create your own player.
The club board then asks you for your season targets. You are allocated a budget, which you negotiate with the board until an agreement is reached.
After all this configuration, you finally start playing the game.
The game play, in 3D, is completely different to Football Manager, but the highlights are similar to that of FIFA 11. During game play you can constantly tweak your team movements and shout out instruction to the players, such as telling them to shoot or slow down play.
FIFA Manager 11 is an impressive competitor to Football Manager, and offers a different style of gameplay. It can be complicated depending on the setting that you select, but overall the product is enjoyable and offers hours of fun.
Ratings:
Out-of-box playing: 4/10
Game-play: 8/10
Graphics: 10/10
Addictiveness: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
