10 Nov 2016 20:59:38
Football Manager has come a long way since the days when it was just a bunch of numbers on a screen, a glorified spreadsheet in fact. Despite that, the game was addictive, incredibly addictive, to the point where it became cited in more divorce cases in the UK than any other reason. It is the biggest selling game franchise of all time and has made so many improvements to how it looks over the years, it is almost unrecognisable as the same game that came from such humble origins.

Nowadays it is a behemoth, employing the largest network of scouts in the world, scouts that are gathering data on tens of thousands of footballers throughout the world. Real footballers, that are part of the game. Matches have moved from just bits of text to a full rendering of the match, with huge amounts of data to analyse on player performance. There are now interviews and directors of football etc to deal with. It is so much more than a mere spreadsheet now.

The amount of money, time and effort that has been lavished on the game is phenomenal, so why does it feel like a much worse game now? Why is it that a game that was an addiction, something that was impossible to tear yourself away from playing hour after hour has been improved massively but become less addictive? Why is it that I no longer count down the months, weeks and days until the next version is out each year? Why does it no longer hold my attention, when I do get the new version, for longer than a few days at most, when I used to play it religiously for months?

For me, there are a number of issues with the game these days. Firstly, each new iteration feels like little more than an update, rather than a new game worth paying full price for. I know the makers put a huge amount of effort into gathering all the information, but I still feel ripped off when I buy it each season. The game does not move forward enough to be worthy of being released as a new game each season. It is usually just minor updates to the gameplay and a fresh look, nothing that deserves the full price being asked each year.

The second issue is the bigger issue for me, despite the time and effort put in, the game feels less real. It is prettier to look at, the matches themselves have gone from text, to moving dots and now to full scale 3d animations of the games, all the peripheries of press conferences and dealing with personalities has been added, but it has lost something in doing so. It has become slicker, but at the expense of being better. The AI of opposition teams buying and selling has lost any relation to reality, which for me was key to my enjoyment of the game.

It was knowing that the game was often prescient about what would happen in real transfers. You would often see transfers in the game that later came into reality in real life, every game would give you at least one transfer that became reality. I honestly can not remember the last time I played a game of FM and saw a transfer in the game that later happened. Now the transfers seem haphazard and often bizarre, as teams will sometimes collect players for certain positions for no reason. They will have 8 left wingers but still be bidding for one you are after.

Without that in the game, it feels like a slicker, bigger version of the old Premier Manager from my Amiga days, rather than a brand new game. Perhaps their concentration on all the different game modes they now have available, from mobile to classic to the full game and challenges, is taking away the focus from the main game itself. All I know is that I no longer have my game pre-ordered each season, in fact I do not even intend to get this year's version at all.

1.) 11 Nov 2016
11 Nov 2016 09:27:22
Agreed Ed!
Every year I come on here and ask you how you are getting on with the new game (normally as Crewe!) and its, more often than not, the same answer!
I have found myself growing less and less addictive to it! I had put it down to my maturing years! But you are right that the game itself is not evolving quick enough. How can they make it better? I'm not so sure. They are obviously working tirelessly to make it the best game on the market. But when I considered going back to play the 2016 version last night (I had built a serious squad with Liverpool over 15 years!) it made me realise that the updates have become a little stale.
I definitely don't have the love for it that I once had.
But at least there is one person that is happy with my growing lack of interest. The wife couldn't be happier!

{Ed001's Note - good point, it is no longer the addiction it once was and I am sure it is not because of our maturity!}

2.) 11 Nov 2016
11 Nov 2016 13:51:28
Is it a PC game? Or can you get it on the consoles. Is it a game or a sim? Sounds interesting I've never heard of it and been a serious gamer all my life. going to do a google on it now.

{Ed001's Note - I am not sure if you are being serious or not? It is a PC game yes and a sim.}

3.) 11 Nov 2016
11 Nov 2016 13:54:46
Just watched a vid. Can you play it like FIFA or pes?

{Ed001's Note - no.}

4.) 11 Nov 2016
11 Nov 2016 15:42:53
Just been looking up on it can't believe I've never heard of it before it's massive. It was the same when someone said have you been watching the walking dead after about 4 seasons and I'd never heard of it . Couldn't live with out it now.

{Ed001's Note - I honestly was not sure if you were on a wind up then! It is the biggest selling game series of all time.}

5.) 11 Nov 2016
11 Nov 2016 16:10:31
No mate I've never heard of it. You tend to end up on a one track mindset and unless someone points you in the right direction. I've seen there's a phone version or is this a light and lesser version . I remember been addicted to a game called championship manager when I was about 10 (early 90,s) but not played anything like it since

{Ed001's Note - ah that is Football Manager mate. The makers sold off Champ Man and made FM instead. The phone version is very much a light version and not really worth bothering with, imo. The full fat game is good, it just does not live up to the old Champ Man games. Shame Champ Man itself has devolved into just a phone game these days.}

6.) 12 Nov 2016
12 Nov 2016 06:39:45
I had fm 11,12,13 and 14. Was very addictive but all those versions felt like updates rather than a new game so decided to skip fm 15 & 16. already bought the new version with a 10% discount while pre ordering through steam as I had bought fm 13&14 which was nice. Really excited after a two year gap and hoping this feels like a new game. Now just waiting to buy a new mac laptop as I am done with windows.
My last fm save I started unemployed for the first time and had a good time playing it but unfortunately my laptop died so couldn't continue the save. is it a good idea starting unemployed in the new version as I have heard it takes a long time to get a job?