Football Manager, now in 3-D...er, great. I guess.
The Good
* It's addictive, very addictive
* FM 2009 contains a fully licensed database
* New features allow you to interact more with players, other managers and journalists
The Bad
* Some players may find it a steep learning curve
* 3D Match engine needs some work
* Press conferences become repetitive very quickly
Gone are the days where you can simply field eleven half decent players, use an all conquering tactic and expect results in Football Manager. The last few instalments of FM focus intently on stringent training regimes, interchangable tactics, some player hand holding and media interaction giving the game a more genuine management feel. However, this will disappoint some FM fans as you now have to factor in a number of managerial elements in order to get your team performing, which can be highly rewarding, but only when you get the balance right.
The 2009 version includes a new 3-D match engine for the first time, which if I am honest sounds a lot better than it actually is. What I've always loved about FM is that there has never been a focus on the graphical side of the game and although it would appear that the developers haven't paid a great deal of attention on bringing the game to life - so to speak - it's a plausible feature, should you choose to use it. However, I would guess that most FM players will sit through one or two 3D matches but then revert back to the 2D pitch view.
FM 2009 comes with a number of new features including extended media interaction where you now have the chance to partake in pre or post match conferences where journalists throw questions at you. This is a nice feature but after a few games it can get repetitive. There are more options when approaching players for transfer, more tacitcs to tinker with and a whole bunch of statistics to browse through to see where your team is going wrong - just to name a few.
The database is impressive as ever, listing thousands of players, managers, coaches, referees (I could go on) from around the globe, all with their own individual attributes. All players are officially licensed and the better known players come with their own mug shot and detailed profiles.
I've witnessed for myself and spoken to several disgruntled people in FM forums that FM2009 can be a tough nut to crack. When you're winning it's great but with a huge emphasis on tactics, mentality and player morale FM can prove to become a puzzle requiring some serious problem solving.
All in all FM2009 is a fine game, it has all the elements that has made the series so successful but I can't stress enough how frustrating it can be if you stuggle to get to grips with how demanding the management game has become. The new features both help and hinder the gameplay and it's fair to say that although some of the features may be to everyones taste they are signs that the developers strive to improve the title every year. Despite the few issues that hold it back it is certainly worth your time and effort.