The latest instalment of the football manager title was released last Friday (5).
The new game is easier than previous versions to use out of the box – once you have selected your team to manage and input your personal details, you are good to go.
You are introduced to the players and staff by your assistant manager, who also compiles team reports for you to analyse. This feature of the game has changed slightly – the coaches now recommend training schedules for individual players; they also suggest on-field movements for each player which are likely to improve that player’s game play.
In the training area, most of the players are already assigned to routines depending on their positions. Coaches are also already assigned to specific areas of training to provide maximum output. A new feature, Match Preparation, allows you to organise your team before each match and focus on certain areas for training.
A major update in the game is the contract talks. Each player has an agent, and as the manager, you can have live negotiations for contracts with them. This addition to the contract talks makes the game closer to real football management. It also allows you to sign the player much more easily, since you don’t have to wait until the following day to hear from the player or coach as in the previous versions.
Players have their own distinct personalities so need a different approach to agree a contract. Interaction with players, staff and the board have been taken to a different level, with a host of new boardroom and backroom requests, a new player interaction module that allows the manager to have private conversations with players, as well as public conversations regarding players at other clubs.
Two years after the launch of the 3D Match Engine, users will see a number of improvements in this year’s release, with more than 100 new animations added, as well as more player emotions, new player models, new stadia, pitch textures, improved lighting, floodlit night matches, more goal celebrations and lots of other extras.
Talking to the press in the game is also much more customised, allowing you as the manager to convey a lot more about the players and other managers. You can interact with your own players a lot better with the new interaction system.
The other new features include a revamped media module, which will keep the managers up to date with events going on in the football world, as well as being more customisable than ever before. It also includes the most requested feature that the Sports Interactive community have asked for in the last few years – a dynamic league reputation, which makes for an even more realistic model of the footballing world.
Ratings:
Out-of-box playing: 8/10
Game-play: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Addictiveness: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
