Franchise Hockey Manager 2 Available Now on PC and Mac

[Steve_OS]

Franchise Hockey Manager 2 (FHM 2) is available now for purchase for a special opening week price of $29.99. Buy now and save money, as after October 5th the game will cost $39.99.

Quote:

This is the deepest, most immersive, and most customizable hockey management game in the world. It's the closest you can get to being a professional hockey coach or general manager. Choose one of 21 leagues from around the world and select a team to guide to glory. Or, create your own fictional setup from one of 34 templates. In FHM 2 you are in charge of signing free agents, making big trades or waiver wire pickups, drafting the next crop of superstars, setting your lines and in-game tactics and much more.

The game comes with complete 2015/2016 rosters, new game engine, revamped tactics system, league expansion support, robust and complete history tracking, Facegen technology and much more. Read the full details here.

[CarryTheWeight]

Bought it yesterday afternoon and was immediately blown away by the staggering amount of detail.

Took over the Sabres and had my first "OMG" moment in the simulator just five games into the season.

It's overtime in New York at the Barclays Center and the Sabres are even with the Islanders at 2-2. Jack Eichel's line peppers Kevin Poulin with shot after shot. One by one, Poulin covers or the puck goes out of play. For what seems like minutes, my top offensive line of Moulson-Eichel-O'Reilly wins draw after draw, keeping the puck in the zone, when, finally, the 18 year old phenom tips a rebound into the net and wins the game in overtime. Who would have thought a text sim could be so exciting?

There's a few little things missing from this game that are keeping it from reaching the level of ultimate control its baseball cousin delivers. First, you can't temporarily control other teams as Commissioner like you can in OOTP (the Act As feature). You can't forcibly bring players out of retirement whether to play or coach. The AI trade logic is a bit unbalanced and your assistant/head coach often plays natural wingers at center should you choose to automate tactics and lines. Finally, there aren't any international competitions (Olympics, World Championships, World Juniors etc.)

With that being said, it is a HUGE improvement in every way over its predecessor. While the lack of a few features other games included are a bit annoying, what it does include more than makes up for what it lacks. This is an excellent foundation that future games in the series will only improve on --- the two year development cycle certainly worked in FHM2's favor.

After many years without, we now have two great hockey management sims on the market. EHM: EA and FHM2 are worthy alternatives to NHL's Be A GM Mode. What's more, they're both great ways to support two hard-working independent sports game developers.

[shotclockcheese]

Can I play the game offline(with AI opponents)?

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Quote: Originally Posted by shotclockcheese

Can I play the game offline(with AI opponents)?

Yes, that is the main mode of FHM 2.

[RobUofM]

Is the in game interactive? Do the players and puck move at all? I know its text just wondering if their is any visual? I tried to get into EHM but it seemed confusing. I have played OOTP for a decade I might have to try this out.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Quote: Originally Posted by RobUofM

Is the in game interactive? Do the players and puck move at all? I know its text just wondering if their is any visual? I tried to get into EHM but it seemed confusing. I have played OOTP for a decade I might have to try this out.

No, you see a graphical indication where the puck is on ice (which zone, the rink has 24 zones total) at all time but the game has no 2D/3D mode. However, you could choose to "watch" the complete game (every action that takes place) with pbp text (that takes of course quit some time ) or you can select one of the highlight modes (right down to scoring alone). Whatever fits your style of play best.

[Spear]

The visual is better than OOTP. Every second in the game is simulated.

There then is a dot on the ice, so when a play happens, there's a text. Example: pass back to the blue line and the dot moves back towards the blue line. If you wanted and sit through the entire game you could, it would take a while though.

[shotclockcheese]

Which one should I get? This or Eastside Hockey Manager(Latest version)? I know that FHM2 is newer but EHM has a cheaper pricetag.