Football Manager 2009- Will it's well-hyped 3D match engine revolutionise the game? (Football Manager 2009 (PC))

Member Name: Connor1597

Product:	Football Manager 2009 (PC)
Date:	03/03/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attempts are clearly being made to improve the great series

Disadvantages: Not many great new features, and a disappointing 3D match engine

Football Manager's always been a popular game, but I must admit, the first Football Manager game I purchased was last year's version, which completely took my breath away with the amazing amount of statistics and tactical ingenuity you had to use to win.

So, after that, I decided to buy Football Manager 2009, and, although there aren't too many changes from 2008, it's still an addictive and enjoyable management simulation and there's a lot of hours to be wasted playing this new instalment!

The first new addition the player comes across is the Press Conferences, which, at first seem a fantastic idea, but, after a while it gets incredibly boring and monotonous, with the same questions being asked, and sometimes you get asked the same question twice in a row, meaning everytime I see I have a press conference, I just let my assistant handle it, as really, there's much more fun to be had from the game.

After the first, disappointing addition to the game, I came across the new 3D match camera, which is refreshing in a way, as you don't have to put with seeing dots on the screen and imagining how good the goals would have looked normally but also seems very slow and sometimes you can end up missing highlights because of the "lag" the game seems to generate using the 3D match engine which irritated me to the point of using the 3D only for goal replays.

So, after the mediocre 3D and the tedious press conferences, you must be thinking that Sports Interactive have done nothing right this year? Well, that's wrong, as a smaller feature they've added has been quite impressive and also has a good sense of realism attached to it. I'm talking about the new "Transfer Rumours" section in which you can get a shrewd idea of the players other clubs appear to be chasing (especially fun if you're playing with your friends in a network game and want to see who they're after!), and can also be used as a useful scouting tool.

Another good feature is Assistant Manager Feedback which gives the player hints on how to tinker their tactics to get the best out of their players, which opposition players need to be focused on mainly and helps you decide which players need to be substituted off, with information on the fatigue and the form of that player during the game.

But, where Football Manager 2009 gains its marks are from where it's kept the same tactical aspect of the game, and the great enjoyment that can be had from trying to take your team to the top of the Premier League and trying to create the best tactic to suit your team. The same, easily accessible quick tactics screen is there during the match, so if you need to make any changes, then you don't have to pause the whole game to make them.

So, overall, I am impressed with Football Manager 2009, although the game has barely introduced any new features, which, from their point of view is understandable considering the amount of work Sports Interactive have put into creating a 3D engine (which is at least a base to be improved on). The game is a lot of fun and just as addictive as it's predecessor.

Summary: Another good game from SI, but more needs to be added to keep interest for the next game