All of us have a friend who has lost his life to a football management sim. Sitting alone in the wee small hours, nothing but a time-worn dressing gown, Sara Lee gateau and toastie maker within arms reach for company, these are a forlorn people, a lost tribe whose lives were cruelly taken over by titles more addictive than crack (probably).
People whose greatest achievements are ranked by the championships and cups won by the brave assault of Brentford on the football leagues, and whose wives and girlfriends have left them for more mobile, less season-orientated males. With the release of Football Manger 2009, the huddled masses of bedroom management talent once again have something to leave the house for.
The history of the Football Manager series is one that is full of a deep and abiding passion for the sport itself. Initially titled Championship Manager, the Sports Interactive brand established a huge and dedicated following and a reputation as the con-noisseurs footballing title.
A few years down the line, Football Manager has consolidated its place at the top of the management sim tree through a process of constant evolution and attention to the demands of a fanbase that knows its onions just as well as the developers do – and expects a title of this stature to be nothing short of brilliant.
Football Manager 2009 follows this tradition, and introduces a raft of new features to the series that are sure to have fans chained to their PCs for the foreseeable future.
First and foremost, a 3D match engine has been introduced for the first time, transforming the match day experience into a realistic depiction of an actual game for the first time. Motion captured players have been used to provide realistic action, whilst the extensively tested match engine looks more than capable of putting on quite a show. Multiple camera angles, rewind and fast forwarding are all available, whilst the old 2D version view is still on hand for those whose computers might not have the sufficient power to drive the new feature.
“The 3D match engine is the biggest USP that we are shouting about this year,” comments Sega’s Ben Payne. “It takes FM09 to a new level, and silences those that deride the game (unfairly in our opinion) for looking less exciting than others.
That said, FM’s depth is still as immersive as ever. Miles [Jacobson, Sports Interactive director] and his team have been working on the 3D match engine for several years, so it’s clearly been met with very positive responses by the FM community, as well as retailers.”
Additionally, a TV view means players can watch matches in full screen mode.
The new match views are just the start of the new features that have been piled into the title. Assistant manager feedback both pre-match and in-match presents vital information to managers, as well as providing tactical hints. The media has a much greater part to play in the game, with Sports Interactive having worked to try and reflect the increased impact the media has on the modern game. Media speculation, more news stories in greater detail and a more realistic simulation of how things are in reality have all been worked on, whilst press conferences both pre- and post-match are attended by local and national journalists.
Elsewhere, the transfer system code has been completely re-written, giving players a more realistic simluation of the transfer market, whilst board confidence – a feature added in Football Manager 2008 – has been expanded and improved.
Players can be trained to learn prefered moves, giving player training an extra edge, whilst another interesting addition has been that for the first time, players can play as a female manager. Elsewhere, Sports Interactive has worked on the financial side of the game to ensure it more closely reflects what occurs across every financial area correctly for each country. Finally, Football Manager 2009 has been fully updated with all the data from the current football season, and has over 5,000 playable clubs from 50 countries with around 350,000 players and staff.
The PSP version of Football Manger 2009 will also benefit from plenty of new features. For the first time on PSP, a 2D match engine will be included with two camera angles, whilst multiple leagues have also been included, allowing players to move their careers around the continent, as on the PC version. All leagues, cups and players have been updated for the new season, whilst finally two new skins in a light and a dark tone have been added.
One of the key selling points of the Football Manager series has been its ability to tap into the psyche of the average football fan. Most followers of the sport are far from casual observers; football fanaticism is the base of the average British male, a condition that leads to tables and team selection, tactics and fixtures pored over and debated in the pubs and clubs of the UK more regularly than any other topic. Thanks to its attentions to the smallest details and pandering to the dreams of what it is a football fan really wants from a title like this, Football Manager has remained successful.
“This is a game made by fans for fans,” adds Payne. “Year-on-year the quality of product improves, and the fans know that their feedback will be absorbed and implemented into continually improving their favourite management franchise. I hope Miles would agree with that.”
As with any well regarded football title, Football Manager 2009 is certain to sell bundles, and it’s a fact that as long as football remains the nation’s favourite sport ahead of any other, this will continue to be the case. The enthusiasm for these sort of ... Article continues below
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s, even in their infancy – when all players were really doing was looking at a database – was absolutely massive, and there is no question that this latest installment of the series, with all its extra bells and whistles, will appeal to a huge number of punters right from kick off.
