Touch the Future Now at Staples
GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/05/2007
- Released on: 10/23/2007
- Originally published on GameSpot: Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 (PC) Review
Football Manager 2008 is one of those rare games in that it knows exactly what it's trying to do, sticks to that plan religiously, and does it very well indeed. It places you as a fresh-faced manager in charge of almost any professional team in Europe, with control over everything from season ticket prices to your player's individual training schedules and match-day tactics. You can control your team over as many seasons as you wish, with new young players being generated by the system to keep it fresh until the next database update. You can play in an attempt to get yourself the best management job you can, start as an unknown, or just for the glory of the team. It's entirely up to you.
Every year the game gets fractionally better by drawing on input not from an isolated development team working out what features they feel would be impressive, but from a massive range of sources both inside and outside of the professional football world. Financial changes were influenced by football league chairmen, transfer negotiations and options by agents, and the interface by a small army of usability testers. The result in this year's game is not only still the gold standard for sports-management games, but also a significant step forward for the series.
For once, this improvement isn't going to be noticed only by experienced players of Football Manager; the usability and interface changes are aimed squarely at those who have never played the game before, or who lost interest many seasons ago. In this vein, a significant amount of work has been done this year to revamp the interface into a much sleeker "Web 2.0" style, as well as to add a host of other usability changes based on extensive testing. The interface now has many more graphical options and icons (rather than just imposing text lists), and buttons are duplicated in sensible places to minimise mouse movement and better relate to player interaction.
With a similar goal in mind, the new advisor system is likely to improve the experience of first-time players. This is a contextual help system akin to Microsoft Office's infamous paper clip. It works due to the fact that it is very easy to turn off in full or in part, given that it can be deactivated on a topic-by-topic basis. This provides useful information on every aspect of the management process as issues arise. It's clearly aimed at new players, but will be of interest to anyone who doesn't feel as if he or she is quite making the best use of the wealth of available options.
Despite these changes aimed at new players, there has been no dumbing down of the game's depth at all. The database has information on around 300,000 players and staff, and consequently the option exists to see any match played in the match engine. This can give you tactical insights into your future opposition, considering that you can go to any game to see firsthand who's likely to give you problems, rather than just relying on the reports you automatically get from your scouting teams.
One other feature that's been added as a result of player feedback is the ability set your own pitch dimensions and react to those of clubs you visit. It's a minor change, but its realism is indicative of the way the game works as a whole.
Another feature that is new this year and that will be of particular interest to first-time players, as well as those looking for the challenge of managing in unfamiliar leagues, is the new coaching-report system. You can now ask any member of your coaching staff to give you an overview of any player in the squad, which lets you know instantly not only his best positions, but also how the player fits into your squad, how he's viewed in terms of his current performance and prospects, and all other aspects of his footballing makeup. However, the changes aren't just for new players. As happens every year, the game has moved that little bit closer to reality; although it might not matter to a first-time player that win bonuses are now done by squad rather than player (as in real life), it's the little touches that add up to the great game that is Football Manager 2008.
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Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 (PC):
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