Review for F. Game for PC, Steam, Mac and Linux, the video game was released on 10/11/2017
As an editorial team we have deliberately waited to publish the review of F, waiting for Sports Interactive to release a patch to fix the annoying bugs that we told you in this editorial. Bugs that continue to persist, despite the already numerous patches available. We therefore decided to review the title equally taking into account the errors in the database, knowing that Sports Interactive will continue to actively work on troubleshooting. The final vote, therefore, will take into account these bugs, but also the continuous support that the software house dedicates to each new chapter of Football Manager.
Football Manager, as we have already had the opportunity to write in the editorial, is the best football manager on the gaming market. Expression of Sports Interactive's constant improvement work. In each edition the software house tries to implement some small innovations, to try to achieve perfection and maximum realism. This time the novelties that arise are so many: from the new scouting system to the new tactics management, from the new medical center to keep team injuries under control, to the completely renewed match engine, up to the team dynamics, a sort of hierarchy within the locker room.
Let's go in order: the new scouting system is perhaps what, at first sight, looks like something new and difficult to understand, at least in the early stages of the game. Each player present in our research network can be fully observed by both observers and match analysts, to discover strengths and characteristics in which our goal can or must improve. The new hub is quite complex and will allow you to thoroughly research a player starting from a certain role, but rather from a certain characteristic. Furthermore, each player will have an overall rating, which will not be based solely on the skills of the same but will be a global calculation that takes into account the adequacy of the role sought, the possibility of growth and the relative cost. In a single section we will therefore be able to understand if our purchase will prove to be a potential phenomenon, but rather a simple replacement. The research is also accompanied by the suggestions of the scouting team, who will very often recommend a particular player themselves, who may be the subject of more in-depth observation or even discarded. What we have noticed in this edition is that the other teams will much more often make offers for our staff: we will therefore find ourselves often and willingly having to offer contract renewals to our observers, perhaps overestimating their engagement so as not to make them give up in front of offers. of other teams.
As written in the introduction phase, the new tactics system has also been improved and renewed further, making the creation of a new scheme much more detailed. Each player will be able to learn different movements, such as returning to defense or entering the attack phase. Furthermore, in the game scheme, there will be links (connections) that will allow us, through the comment of our staff, to understand if the player is performing, if he needs a change of role and how well he can play with certain teammates.
In the development of the new edition, Sports Interactive also wanted to give more weight to the injuries of the players: in the new medical center, created specifically for this new chapter, we will be able to have an overview of the whole team. It will therefore be essential to understand if a player is at risk of injury - perhaps due to an excessive load in training - or if he needs to rest and to skip the next match. Furthermore, always with this function, we will have the player's injury history available, which will allow us to understand how much a player is susceptible or not to a certain type of injury and how much this could keep him away from the playing field.
Sports Interactive has done an excellent job by completely revamping the match engine, now much more realistic and dynamic, with lots of new animations. Finally, the hierarchies: a sort of social pyramid inside the locker room. Players who spend more time in the team will climb the pyramid, until they become cornerstones within the team. Having the support of the so-called senators will therefore also be important to unravel disputes within the locker room. But that's not enough: the confidence of the high ranks of the ladder will be fundamental, as it will allow the team to express themselves better on the pitch.
The rest of the video game does not present any big news and fans will find the exact same Football Manager as always: managerial, fun, infinite.
If Football Manager has become such a milestone, it's thanks to Sports Interactive. Of course, if it weren't for those bugs already mentioned, we'd be talking about perfection. In each edition, the title always tries to add that touch of novelty, of realism, to surpass itself and to continue the growth process. Football Manager is the simulation video game par excellence.
► Football Manager 2018 is a Management game developed by Sports Interactive and published by Koch Media for PC, Steam, Mac and Linux, the video game was released on 10/11/2017
