Review: Football Manager 2009 (PC)

Author: Tigervamp | Date: December 3, 2008

The Football Manager games have been the greatest of their type since the genre began all those years ago and have stood head and shoulders above any competition in recent years. I’ve been a huge fan of the FM games since Sports Interactive gave up the helm of the once mighty Championship Manager series. If a small part of you is worried that SI may have lost their golden touch then you can throw those concerns to the ground and smash them into little bits and pieces.

For fans of the Football Manager series they are the most addictive games ever created while others remain totally confused by the hypnotic appeal they have over those in that first group. Hats off to whoever predicted that hours spent staring at a monitor while setting up team tactics, not to mention a search for that elusive wonderkid from Brazil, before you even play a single pre-season friendly would be so incredibly addictive.

The additional 3D match engine works well as, while it is effectively stick figures running around, it’s certainly an improvement over the 2D variety we’ve witnessed in the past few years. I personally had no problems with the 2D engine but the move to 3D does allow for a more realistic visual and it might put an end to friends (female ones, I might add) wondering why I’m screaming at a bunch of little dots. Witnessing my tiny players making runs to attract the attention of my opponents which in turn leaves gaps for my other players to exploit certainly makes me feel much better about getting so emotional over the game.

The press conferences are a great addition to the series and another reason why virtual football managers have never had it so good. This adds an extra dimension of realism which was missing from previous versions and even offers the choice of sending your assistant manager to represent you if for whatever reason you don’t feel like dealing with journalists. The press can be as pushy as they are in real life and they will repeatedly ask the same question in different ways if they’re not satisfied with your response. I can only hope that future versions will allow us to be as cheeky with the press as Mourinho or Strachan as I imagine that could prove to be a lot of fun.

There is one feature which I feel has been sorely missing from the Football Manager games and that is the ability to ask for increased transfer funds in relation to a specific player. I really like having Scouts and the ability to ask advice on a player but this should be taken one step further. We should be able to mention the Scout advice in the boardroom as extra funds should be easier to obtain if your target is a relatively cheap future superstar. This certainly isn’t a deal breaker and the game is fantastic despite my wish that this will one day be included.

This game is incredibly addictive and should come with a warning that if you love your Football then this is sure to steal much of your waking day. I am actually playing the game as I write this review and I’m finding it very difficult to tear myself away from it. Those familiar with the series will already be aware that each game offers incredible value for money and it’s very rare that any title can come close to the vast amount of entertaining hours which Football Manager provides.

9/10

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