Prepare to lose your life all over again (Football Manager 2009 (PC))

Member Name: CrazyJamie

Product:	Football Manager 2009 (PC)
Date:	12/03/09 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great update to the best management series ever made

Disadvantages: The depth could put off new and casual players

Football Manager 2009 is the latest in the long running management simulation series. These games come along like clockwork once every year, and like past instalments this version offers new features, upgrades and tweaks, to get the series one step closer to virtual management nirvana. The good news is that for football management enthusiasts this remains the definitive title to pick up. The class Football Manager formula has hooked the devoted and the casual alike, and this latest version will be no different.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

The big talking point for the new game is the 3-D match engine. Sports Interactive were always adamant that they would not introduce a 3-D match engine until technology allowed them to do so. Apparently we've now reached this stage, as the series makes the biggest leap in the match engine since the original 2-D engine was introduced many moons ago. You can now view matches in full 3-D glory, even changing viewpoints and arranging information windows to give you the full 'match day experience'.

But is it any good? Perhaps surprisingly, it actually is. Don't be deceived into thinking that the engine is like watching real football, or even a game of FIFA, because it isn't. But it was never intended to be. The animation is deliberately limited and not shown in a great amount of detail, but in a way this still allows you at fill in the gaps with your own imagination, as with the 2-D match engine, and it works fine. It certainly won't be for everyone, but it is good starting point, and for those who just don't like it, you can always return to the classic 2-D view and act like the 3-D engine doesn't exist.

A LITTLE BIT OF ASSISTANCE

There are numerous other improvements in Football Manager 2009 in addition to the match engine, but nearly all are welcome. Tactics are now even deeper, and potentially more mind boggling, but for the devoted this simply allows them to get everything tweaked exactly right. Getting the right mix of players that work well together, individual instructions (you can now tell players to stop doing certain moves, or encourage them to work on new ones), and general tactics is very satisfying if you have the time to devote to it. You can also now assign opposition instructions before each match as well, meaning that your team will rarely play exactly the same way in any given match. Worried about what Cristiano Ronaldo will do if given time on the ball? Instruct your players to close him down. Worried about Van Persie's vicious left foot? Instruct your players to show him onto his weaker foot for shots.

Of course such depth brings with it the challenge of getting everything right, and there is a great challenge here. Fortunately your assistant is now on hand to offer helpful advice during a match, identifying for you players that are having a good and bad game, tactical tweaks that could help you, and generally offering feedback that is genuinely helpful. Player ratings are now down to one decimal place during matches to make ratings more accurate as well, which is just one more tool to help you assess your squad.

For the casual players, there is no need to pay attention to all of this. You can still win matches without it, just perhaps not as many, so if you don't want to read through your assistant's suggestions, or trawl through opposition squads looking for weaknesses, you don't have to. But for those who thrive on the detail that this series brings, these are all welcome additions.

FIND ME A STAR

The transfer system has now been completely revamped, and whilst changes may not be immediately apparent, those who have spent a lot of time with the series will notice the differences. Player valuations are now far more realistic, and the AI behaves in a much more realistic manner. This in itself makes the transfer system more of a joy to deal with, and when linked with tweaks to the scouting system it makes the whole process of identifying players and purchasing them much more satisfying. You feel much less that the game is working to screw you over in valuations, and more that you're part of the system and jostling for position. This feeling is enhanced by the new rumour system, which again feels far more realistic and some rumours are bang on the money, whilst others are completely baseless.

Interaction with the press has also had an overhaul with the addition of pre and post match conferences. As with all press interaction, these eventually do become somewhat repetitive (good job you can send your assistant in your place, then), but equally they are without a doubt the best example of press interaction to date with the series. What you say in these conferences impacts directly upon your players, and you will be asked some testing questions, so the realism factor certainly cannot be denied.

CONCLUSION

Sports Interactive have once again come up trumps with a Football Manager title. As with others in the series, it remains the undisputed leader of the pack in relation to management simulation games. The only downside is that newcomers and casual players may be daunted by just how much depth there is in this game. As well as the core fundamentals gaining more detail and more features making their debut, the game now offers players the chance to manage in a frankly staggering number of leagues. It is ironic that such depth is actually the reason why the game is so high up on its pedestal. That said, the game can still be played whilst missing out many of the features, so those who are apprehensive about playing such an in depth game should not be put off.

For those who have lost days at a time to Football Manager games, it should come as no surprise to hear that this is an essential purchase. The same fantastic detail and depth present in the other games is just as abundant, and the new challenge brought about by the tweaks in mechanics will give devoted fans a reason to fall in love with the game all over again.

You still cannot beat the raw emotions of scoring a last minute winner, reaching the playoffs, just avoiding relegation, winning the Champions League, or a host of other achievements that the game teases you with just like real football. And just like real football, it's all too easy to find yourself hopelessly obsessed with the details, and spending far too much time with it than you should. But when the experience is this good, does it really matter?

Summary: The best FM game to date