Football Manager Live – Review

	Available On: PC Format Reviewed: PC Publisher: SEGA Developer: Sports Interactive Players: / Online: Millions

As anyone who has played a Football Manager game will tell you, they can be extremely addictive and become a major factor in your every day life if you let them. So when Football Manager Live dropped onto my desk from Sports Interactive and SEGA I was equally excited and worried at the same time. Ever since first being introduced to the online football management game a little over a year ago I was instantly hooked. So it was with both trepidation and extreme excitement that I began to run the install process. But would Football Manager Live end up being man of the match or getting the red card? Well read on to find out…

Football Manager Live is a subscription based MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game), which for the uninitiated means that rather than play against computer based AI you will face real human opponents the world over for a monthly fee. The best way to go is by purchasing the full retail copy of the game which gives you four months of play for free. Subscription fees after that can be as little as £6 per-month depending on how many months in advance you decide to purchase. At this point some of you may be thinking that this will end up being a pretty expensive title, but then keep in mind a single trip to the cinema will cost more than £6 for just a couple of hours entertainment. Football manager Live is hands-down the most addictive and entertaining experiences I have experienced in PC gaming.

Those familiar with the Football Manager series from Sports Interactive and SEGA will instantly feel at home, although you will notice that it has all become much more accessible. After the installation process it is time to start putting your team together, with the first step being to choose a name for your team and stadium, and design a kit. The next step is to choose a game world to play in, which are then broken up into leagues. The great thing about this is that you’re free to pick a game world and league that will suit your playing habits. For example, I knew that I would play mainly in the late evening and at weekends, so I chose a friendly casual game world and a league where the other players had similar online gaming habits to my own.

Once all those important decisions have been made it’s time to get introduced to the team. An 18 man squad of players are automatically selected for you, however you can make some changes and bring in some new players from a roster of available players. The only downside is that if you’re one of the late adopters you will not get a great auto-selected team and will have much less desirable talent to choose from in the available players roster. When I first scanned over my players I only actually recognised a few names and not wanting to spend a fortune on new players I decided to just stick with what I had and see how things go over the first few matches. The tinkering about with team tactics, training, and getting to know your players is just a small part of why the game becomes so damn addictive.

Obviously no one wants to be stuck with a bunch of players that would struggle to shine in the Vauxhall Conference, so once the money begins to roll in from TV appearances and tournament matches it’s time to hit the transfer market. There are a few ways to secure a player who will fit in with those future tactical plans, you can go through the official transfer list, private offer to another player, or bid for your future star in the online auction. No matter what system you choose to use everything can be done in a few simple mouse clicks and is like making a purchase online or bidding for an item on eBay. Outbidding other real human players and securing that all important midfield general your team has needed for so long gives a real sense of achievement.

One new feature not seen in a Football Manager game before are the use of skills, these work similar to the staff that could be hired in the offline version. When starting out you can choose to specialise in one of six areas; coaching, management, physio, infrastructure, scouting, tactics and learning. Depending on what you choose when starting out will give you a boost in that skill. To give you an example of how these skills work I had plans on bringing in some young talent and transform them into football virtuosos, so I decided to go down the coaching and scouting route first. Once I achieve the level I am happy with I am planning on putting more into tactics to give the team that all important tactical edge come match day.

Further skills are unlocked in real-time, with some taking just a few hours of game time to unlock, others taking days and weeks. The important thing is to keep a good eye on what skills you choose, losing focus and dropping behind will see you heading the same way as Phil Scolari. Some of the more hardcore Football Manager fans may find the new skill system somewhat casual and will probably start to rant that the game is being dumbed down for the newer casual gamer market. But then that is a phrase thrown about a lot recently and in my opinion think that accessibility is the key to a winning formula. On the whole I found learning skills and shaping your own style of play much more addictive, gives something to aim for, and shapes the experience the way you want it.

Once you have your team setup and have been assigned a league by your chosen FA, a fixture list will be created for your team. Each fixture can be played as and when you want, so if you happen to see an opponent online while you are then that would be a good time to arrange a match. Although each fixture can be played at any time, they do have a kind of expiry date. If you don’t play a particular match before the expiry date then the AI will take over your team and simulate the fixture. A good feature if you can’t always get the time to get online, but then it certainly has its drawbacks. The biggest being that the AI will never change tactics or make squad changes unless a player has been injured. Not an ideal solution, but one that works well enough if you or your opponent can’t get online for one reason or another. Before an AI match takes place the manager of each team is given a 24 hour notice period to get online and play the match before leaving it to the AI.

Matches are played out using the old overhead view rather than the new 3D match engine used in the recent Football Manager game. But then the old style match representation works and fits much better with this online version, streamlined is one way of putting it. As the match plays out you’re able to make substitutions, formation changes, and as you rise in skill can focus on individual player tactics. The majority of these tactics are changed by the use of a sliding scale. For example, at one end of the scale is defend at the other is attack, sliding it from one end to the other will see your team responding appropriately. Very simple in concept but one that I found works very well, quick and intuitive.

Being an online game the community of players is just as important as the game itself. With a good online community a game can thrive and go from strength to strength. So, you will be glad to hear that during my time playing Football Manager Live I found most players to be chatty and friendly with only the odd manager not choosing to talk or comment much. During matches there is a MSN style chat box allowing you to talk, or taunt, the opposing manager. During the early stages I found many dispensing some very useful advice and helpful tips, other times would be discussions over recent injuries or match day glory and disaster stories.

Overall Football Manager Live is one of the most addictive experiences you will be likely to encounter, this is the crack cocaine of the video game world. OK, it’s not so deep as the traditional offline Football Manager games, and yes it does feel a lot more accessible and almost casual, but that doesn’t stop it from being the best management game available. Nothing matches the feeling of watching the team that you built rise to the top of the league, it truly is the beautiful game!