At The End Of The Day...... (Football Manager 2009 (PC))

Member Name: NinjaBaz

Product:	Football Manager 2009 (PC)
Date:	23/02/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More of the same......in 3D

Disadvantages: More of the same....

I've been playing the Football Manager series since the early 90's when it went under the name of Championship Manager. The two entities involved in making the game, Eidos and SI Games (Sports Interactive), decided to go their seperate ways during 2004 leading to a new rivalry. Eidos retained the Championship Manager naming rights and would go on to continue the series using an all new game engine. SI Games meanwhile, teamed up with gaming giants SEGA to produce the Football Manager brand. Having retained the game engine and player database information during their split from Eidos, this was the basically the original game that fans across the world knew and loved, but marketed under a different name.

Right, History lesson out of the way.....is it any good?

Well.....yes and no really. It just doesn't quite have the same addictive qualities as it did when I was a teenager, staying up all night in an attempt to secure the signing of Roberto Baggio. But then again, I do have a bit more to do these days and can't quite allow myself the time that i once could (Or should that be the Mrs won't afford me the time?!).

Overall, the game is still the best Football management simulation around and never looks like losing that tag. The improved features for this seasons incarnation include a new 3D match view, viewable at a number of different angles. I find this better than the old top down match engine as you get a better feel for players positions, and you get greater satisfaction when a net buster crashes in off the bar!

The improved interaction with the press, although a nice idea, gets a bit repetitive after a while. Being asked the same questions match after match, you quickly learn what to say and what not to say in order to get the best response from your team.

The game contains the usual depth of statistics and player detail from 50 leagues throughout the world. The lack of official team licenses for some countries (including the Premiership) does take the gloss off a little bit, however, these are all downloadable as add-ons from several Football Manager fan websites....just a bit of a hassle.

My main problem is once I've played it for a prolonged period (Currently on season 7), the players become computer generated and you feel no emotional attachment to them (as they're not real). After 7 seasons, the last thing I can be bothered to do is start again. I guess this is the price of my success, having taken Leeds from League 1 to being comfortable Premiership midtable battlers. Usually, I'd have been sacked just after Christmas and restarted with a new team......maybe i've just fallen out of love with the game, big money, big egos....doesn't really appeal anymore!

Overall: 7/10

Summary: Sick as a parrot