Do You Have What It Takes? (Football Manager 2009 (PC))

Member Name: oo2bea

Product:	Football Manager 2009 (PC)
Date:	04/02/09 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Immense depth and detail

Disadvantages: 'You WILL NOT score' and 'I WILL score'

I am a huge fan of the Football Manager series and was also a fan of the Championship Manager series before Eidos and Sports Interactive split. The key to Football Managers success was the fact that Sports Interactive managed to keep the rights for the game engine, which is no where near matched by the latest versions Championship Manager.

The problem that faces Sports Interactive every time they release their seasonal version of the game is: what makes it better than the previous version, and after FM 2008 became my favourite version of the game last year, they had a tough job on their hands.

Additions to the game such as more press interaction and a completely new match engine make FM 2009 arguably the best FM so far. Sports Interactive also finally added a 3D match view, unfortunately my PC can't handle the graphics so I have to stick with the classic 2D view.

Sports Interactive have a larger scouting network than any football club in the world to ensure that FM is as accurate to real life as it possibly can be, and it really shows. The game has immense depth and you can choose the size of the database you want to run which can include up to 5,000 playable clubs from over 50 countries, which means there is over 350,000 players and staff in the game. What's more is that your game can go virtually forever as the game database regenerates players as the current crop get old and retire from the game.

As well as having an immense database the game itself is very in depth with a few people saying that the tactics system is more complicated than real life. This just makes the game all the more enjoyable as you have to find the perfect tactic to suit your team and your players attributes. You then have to interact with your players to keep morale high and keep them happy at the club.

As well as interacting with your players regarding performances you can also ask them to recommend potential new signings and even potential new staff, and they might just recommend one of their friends from their list of favoured personnel.

As well as being a great game in itself, it also has a massive online presence with numerous forums like the one on the offical FM website to the more obscure fan sites, where you can go to recieve hints and tips about the best players in the game and the best tactics to use, as well forums specifically for setting in game challenges. Another great thing about the game is that throughout the season new patches are released which updates the database and improves the game so you are always up to date with all the latest transfers.

The most improtant aspect of the game is without a doubt the match engine. Matches are where your team proves itself and where your dreams come true or are tossed aside by the opposing team. At the moment I am still playing with the 9.1 patch as I haven't downloaded 9.2 yet which included a few changes to the match engine. However, so far I am very impressed with what I have seen. If you change your tactics during in a game the engine responds quickly and it seems very fair. The only problem I have with it is that the AI has two buttons it can press at any time and although it doesn't happen often it is annoying when it does.

The first one is the 'I WILL score button', you are leading the game 1-0 you have had 60% of possession throughout the game, your team has managed 20 efforts on goal compared to your oppositions 5. Suddenly the clock hits 80 minutes, and the AI hits the button, so despite dominating the game from start to finish you end up drawing 1-1 and dropping those vital two points that would have guaranteed your survival in the Premiership now you will have to wait until next week the last day of the season to find out your fate.

The second button can prove even more annoying when the AI decides it is time. This button is the 'you WILL NOT score button'. The score currently stands at 2-2, you have held the lead twice throughout the match but the opposition has equalised, you have made a couple of substitutions and a few slight changes to your tactics, you're 75 minutes into the game and have started taking control, the opposition is on the backfoot, you're sure your striker with 26 goals in 37 games will score. However, you are wrong the AI WON'T let you, and now you have to wait until next week to find out if you'll gain automatic promotion or have to go through the lottery of the play-offs.

Remember however that I am still using the first patch for the game and the match engine was changed with the second patch so this may no longer be the case.

After playing through three seasons on the game with Huddersfield Town and achieving back to back promotions to reach the Premier League and missing out on promotion in my first season by just 11 minutes, I can safely say that this is THE best football management sim out there.

Summary: Immense football management sim