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I remember when I was in Year 8 at secondary school – I was sat in maths with my friend and instead of studying and learning algebra or whatnot, we were writing down the different names of footballers we could think of that start with “Freddy”. The usual suspects came up such as Freddy Kanoute and then-wonderkid Freddy Adu, then I thought a bit – “Freddy Guarin” – he looked at me and went “Fredy William Thompson”. These players were Football Manager, or Championship Manager as it was then known, gods. It was at this moment I knew I was addicted to a franchise that is now an integral part of any football loving gamer’s spare time.
And, as we all know – this year’s annual edition of Football Manager is no less addictive than the others – it has all the same features as the old one but the creators, Miles and the gang, have listened to criticism that has been lobbied at them regarding the simplicity of the game. The tactics system in itself has often been an area that has baffled many – with player’s questions littering forums such as our own about why their 4-2-3-1 slow tempo counter attacking possession football tactic isn’t sweeping up all who come. It is now much simpler to use, with shouts such as “Exploit the left” and “Hassle opponents” replacing the age old system of tactical sliders. It is now much easier to create the style of football you’ve longed for. The best thing though? Every shout is colour coded and clearly listed into columns so it’s impossible to make contradictory statements to your players – something which should help players create that not-so swashbuckling style of play they long to see.
That I believe is a key theme that spreads through Football Manager 2014 – ease of use. The one thing I praised last year’s version for was the sheer depth of information that it presented to you compared to previous editions. Anything and everything could be customised, but it was often a chore and things were hidden away in menus that took 30 minutes to find never mind alter. This year however, the information is still there, but presented in such a way it allows you to filter through it all in far less time. Even the action of pressing ‘continue’ seems so much smoother than before with slick animations improving the presentation of the game outside of the match engine. Training was once such an overwhelming opposition to casual players who just wanted to boot the game up and beat their real life counterpart at what they do best. Not anymore. It works so easily, more simpler than ever before.
When I first booted up my game, I selected my favourite club Newcastle United. After immediately sacking Joe Kinnear – I went in search of an attacking midfielder and quickly arrived at the feet of Keisuke Honda, from CSKA Moscow. I thought he was a snip at £1.6m so quickly brought him in. Only I noticed that £4m was subtracted from my measly £6m transfer budget. FM14 now takes into account player’s contracts such as the fee you pay to those ever lovable agents when making transfer offers – adding another element of realism and quite regrettably justifying big Mike Ashley’s stance on financial fair play. Bad news for you players at Manchester City – you’ve now got to play fair!
The game just seems so much faster, easier and quicker – which is remarkable considering the line between reality and simulation is becoming slimmer with each release. I managed to waltz through 3-4 months of gameplay with relative ease, the pace of the game seems much quicker – then I looked at the time. 3:40AM. Brilliant. Hooked again.
Final rating: Put it this way, what other game are you going to play for nigh on 1,000 hours?
Football Manager 2014 is released on the 31st October 2013 and can be purchased directly from us here at Sortitoutsi. Click here to find out how.
And, as we all know – this year’s annual edition of Football Manager is no less addictive than the others – it has all the same features as the old one but the creators, Miles and the gang, have listened to criticism that has been lobbied at them regarding the simplicity of the game. The tactics system in itself has often been an area that has baffled many – with player’s questions littering forums such as our own about why their 4-2-3-1 slow tempo counter attacking possession football tactic isn’t sweeping up all who come. It is now much simpler to use, with shouts such as “Exploit the left” and “Hassle opponents” replacing the age old system of tactical sliders. It is now much easier to create the style of football you’ve longed for. The best thing though? Every shout is colour coded and clearly listed into columns so it’s impossible to make contradictory statements to your players – something which should help players create that not-so swashbuckling style of play they long to see.
That I believe is a key theme that spreads through Football Manager 2014 – ease of use. The one thing I praised last year’s version for was the sheer depth of information that it presented to you compared to previous editions. Anything and everything could be customised, but it was often a chore and things were hidden away in menus that took 30 minutes to find never mind alter. This year however, the information is still there, but presented in such a way it allows you to filter through it all in far less time. Even the action of pressing ‘continue’ seems so much smoother than before with slick animations improving the presentation of the game outside of the match engine. Training was once such an overwhelming opposition to casual players who just wanted to boot the game up and beat their real life counterpart at what they do best. Not anymore. It works so easily, more simpler than ever before.
When I first booted up my game, I selected my favourite club Newcastle United. After immediately sacking Joe Kinnear – I went in search of an attacking midfielder and quickly arrived at the feet of Keisuke Honda, from CSKA Moscow. I thought he was a snip at £1.6m so quickly brought him in. Only I noticed that £4m was subtracted from my measly £6m transfer budget. FM14 now takes into account player’s contracts such as the fee you pay to those ever lovable agents when making transfer offers – adding another element of realism and quite regrettably justifying big Mike Ashley’s stance on financial fair play. Bad news for you players at Manchester City – you’ve now got to play fair!
The game just seems so much faster, easier and quicker – which is remarkable considering the line between reality and simulation is becoming slimmer with each release. I managed to waltz through 3-4 months of gameplay with relative ease, the pace of the game seems much quicker – then I looked at the time. 3:40AM. Brilliant. Hooked again.
Final rating: Put it this way, what other game are you going to play for nigh on 1,000 hours?
Football Manager 2014 is released on the 31st October 2013 and can be purchased directly from us here at Sortitoutsi. Click here to find out how.
- Date Created
- 29 Oct 2013 00:29:32
- Date Updated
- Unknown
- Last Comment
- 29 Oct 2013 00:29:32
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