Football Manager 2012 Review (PC)

[ImTellinTim]

DEFT, it's pretty much a non-issue. You can find everything you need to make the game authentic with a simple search of one of the many great community sites out there.

[ey215]

Skyrim and NBA 2k12 are still sucking my life away so I've been dodging my yearly FM addiction. Nice review. For those that don't know, make sure to try out the LLaMa experience. Lower leagues is really where FM thrives.

[Sweed]

Very good review with 9 being a fair score. As you said evolution not revolution. I think FM12 feels much more polished than 11. The action on the pitch is much improved especially action around the goal. Again all IMHO. Totally worth the price of the game to upgrade from 11 to 12.

I'm from The States and knew nothing about football (strategy, transfers, leagues, tournaments, etc.) when I picked up my first version of FM in 2006. It took three months of dedicated play to begin to get a handle on things. This was back in the day when sliders were the only way to build a tactic. So while you rightly say its a large learning curve to play FM12 I actually think it would be easier starting with FM12 than FM2006 because of the in-game tutorials, help files, and the tactic builder.

If you like playing dynasty modes of sports games this is the best out there hands down. Don't let the complexity of the game scare you away. Don't let the fact you don't like football\soccer keep you from trying the game. Tons of guys have become fans because of FM. Others, while still not liking soccer, still enjoy their FM. It is the only sports game I have ever played that has left me feeling like I am involved in a real world dealing with real people. Truly an awesome game.

[jesmith29]

^Well said Sweed and I completely agree. Played the FM 11 Demo and bought the game from Amazon last week. I really like the larger graphics. With the help from the various web sites and forums you can get a handle on the game.

I highly recommend the FM 12 guide you can download from www.fmformation.net.

I love this game.

[RoyceDa59]

I will certainly pick up this game as it looks amazing, I remember Football Manager 06 was the last one I gave a try.

[Marc Vaughan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dazraz

I was an avid fan of football management sims in my long gone youth. Those were the days of the ZX Spectrum & later the Commodore Amiga. In those days playable football games were plentiful but few lacked any real quality. It was in management simulations that the depth & immersion of the sport was realised. Fast forward to the present day & we have a plethora of sport simulations that offer both highly detailed gameplay coupled with in depth season/career modes. Okay not as in depth as the managerial aspects of the likes of this game, but when coupled with playing your teams games, there is plenty to keep you busy. I have invested in a couple of management games in recent years but after a few games I just get fed up & tend to put them to one side. The depth of these games is admirable but most of the depth involves carrying out tedious & long winded tasks, the benefits of which are sometimes negligible. I recall many times of sitting up with my uncle until silly o'clock in the morning ploughing through game after game of one of numerous football management games but now I find the genre dated. Football management games have always been time consuming but the way they are today it amazes me that anyone can find the time to work through them.

btw those of you finding it a struggle to find the time to play Football Manager on PC might be interested to know there is an iOS (iPhone/iTouch) version of the game called "Football Manager Handheld" which is designed to play far faster in the vein of our earlier titles ....

[ImTellinTim]

Quote: Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

btw those of you finding it a struggle to find the time to play Football Manager on PC might be interested to know there is an iOS (iPhone/iTouch) version of the game called "Football Manager Handheld" which is designed to play far faster in the vein of our earlier titles ....

I am going to check this out this weekend as I have some iStore gift money to burn!

I like the idea of the different scenario challenges that are described in the features screen.