RadioSEGA Review: Football Manager 2012 (PC)

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Gavvie
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RadioSEGA Review: Football Manager 2012 (PC)

Post by Gavvie »

We'll get this right out of the way - this review isn't going to appeal to about 95% of the members of this forum. If you've clicked through from Facebook or Twitter though, welcome! This might just appeal to you.

So then, Football Manager. It's pretty much a staple of the football gamer's season, alongside either FIFA or PES (let's face it, you won't buy both...right?) Since the start of the series in 2005 (it was known as Championship Manager beforehand), the game has gone from strength to strength and the last game I played, FM2009, was pretty much definitive. Has enough changed in the past three years to get a casual player such as myself addicted?

Well...

Let's start off with the basics. This game is scarily up to date. Most football games are up to date when it comes to transfers made during the summer window, but then there's the Carlos Tevez saga. Granted, this happened a good three weeks before the game shipped to store shelves, but note that I've been playing it for about two weeks prior to that. Sports Interactive actually put the fallout from that event into the game. It helps to really put you in the place of a manager right now, as everything is current.

The game also feels a lot more accessible, compared to previous games. If you're new to the series, there's a heap of tutorials that can help you out, or advance your knowledge if, like me, you've been away for a while. You can also delegate members of your coaching staff to do things like pick teams and set tactics, if you fancy.

So, I went ahead and set a profile up. I couldn't manage the mighty Grantham Town (local team, and yes, they are in the game), so I went for Manchester United instead. Cue instant disapproval from the fans, as I'm not a recognisable name, however they soon warm to me following a 6-0 battering of Man City. Fans are very important in this game. Perform well, and they'll love you. Perform badly, and the negative reaction can see the board wielding the axe. The threshold for this is obviously different based on the club you choose, but for Man United, it's quite low.

What of the other features? The 3D match engine returns again, and it's really not that impressive. Sure, it's not going to beat FIFA or PES in the graphics race, and SI aren't known for this side of games development, but that can't quite excuse it from looking like a low end PS2 title. The engine has been in the game since 2009, and a little improvement would have been welcome. Nice touch with the stadiums though - if they're meant to be empty, they're empty. No full houses all the time (looking at you FIFA).

The biggest improvements, year on year, do seem to be the interactions between yourself and your staff, both backroom and playing. Being able to call Backroom Meetings enables you to get an overview on how the playing staff are performing in training sessions, whilst Player Meetings can help to boost morale, although saying the wrong things can lower it as well. I know this from experience.

On the fact of player interactions, you now have a lot more options during pre-match, half time and full time team talks in matches, the best of which is being able to pick the actual tone. Telling somebody passionately that they're playing well will elicit a different response than it would by saying it calmly, or even reluctantly. These are all things we'd know from real life, but seeing it in a game like this is welcome.

I've been a longtime FM fan since the Championship Manager days, but it's safe to say that my enjoyment of the games has waned a lot over the years. FM2009 was an absolute drain on resources, whereas FM2012 is a lot smoother, and faster, thus meaning I could actually enjoy the game, and not spend half the time looking at a loading screen.

There's just a wealth of content in this game, and I haven't even scratched the surface in this review. Being able to add/remove clubs and leagues during the middle of a season, increased scouting options, better transfer negotiations (or worse if you hate agents). The game even auto adjusts the layout depending on the screen resolution! It's just amazing that so much has been done in the space of 12 months.

Let's face it, if you're a football fan, it's impossible to imagine that you won't buy FM2012. Having not played FM2011, I'm not entirely sure of the improvements over that game, but if you're on-again off-again like I have been, you can file this one safely in the "must buy" range. If you've played FM2011, then feel free to deduct a point from the score below. It's probably not as essential, but it's still the best football management game available. Bring on Football Manager 2013.

5/5
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dab_dob
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Post by dab_dob »

Looks nice .. thank you
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Post by Killer French Bread »

Bought this a few weeks ago and won the league with Chelsea in my first season. Lost a couple of games and dropped down to 4th early in the second now and fans are already going nuts and players are speaking out in the press about me. Everything's out of control and I'm only nine games into a season!

It's great though. The one annoying thing I've found is how hard it is to get a network game. The in game menu is simply broken and I had to download some third party software and run the game's server through that just play a 2 player game.
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Post by crippenstation »

I've seen tons of ads for it, but I never even get a chance, so thanks for the review.

Of course, I've always preferred soccer games from the PS1 and PS2 eras. I'll give it a chance again if either EA or Konami recruits Ian Darke to be an announcer in their game (I'm not sure if there are commentators in Football Manager) I'll jump at the chance to get it.
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Post by Gavvie »

Just so you guys are aware, I'll be grabbing Football Manager Handheld 2012 on my Android tablet this week, if it's supported, so look forward to reading my opinions on that one sometime next week.
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