Football Manager 2012 Review (PC)

[RaychelSnr]

Insomniacs of the world rejoice, Football Manager 2012 is here. The ever popular, “just one more turn, I swear," gold standard of sports management sims has made its annual return.

Every year, the game gets deeper and more realistic in simulating the day to day lives of football managers. This year is no different. That said, not every facet of a manager’s job is playing in the finals and lifting the trophy. Some, in fact, are quite mundane, and FM — consciously or not — brings that to you as well. All that is to say that FM 2012 is a long term investment.

If you’re looking for short term thrills, look away, as this is not a pick up and play game by any stretch of the imagination. But if you’re looking for a game that will last you for months and months on end, as you slog through the dog days of winter trying to build your team, in hope for glory come spring time, this is it.

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[jb1]

Good review and I agree that this game deserves a 9, for me FM continues to set the standard. I spent a lot of time (probably too much!) with FM11 and although as you say there are no real earth shattering improvements here i still feel like i'm playing an even better game. I think most of the improvements have made a for an even better experience.

I still have some issues with AI squad management but none that will stop me enjoying a 20-30 year career!

Oh and yes I would also race through seasons on CM3 but the game has come a long way since then and yes, it now takes a lot longer to complete a season but for me that shows off one of the best things about this game, it's attention to detail.

[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.

[Perceptor]

Great review. Sums up my feelings on the game. I used to fly through seasons in the older games, but I actually enjoy taking the time to review reports and really scout players. Even though I use "big money clubs," I'm always trying to develop and build as opposed to buying stars.

This is the only game I play these days and the improvements keep me coming back for more

[ImTellinTim]

Spot-on review. Can't really add anything to this. Exactly the score I'd give the game because there still isn't an easier way to play online.

To anyone thinking about getting the game, you're in for a long learning process that might even extend into FM13, but once you hit that sweet spot, it's gold. If you have any questions, there's plenty of FMers around here that will be happy to help, just ask!

[Perceptor]

I'm still learning now and I've been a FM addict since CM 2000.

[LingeringRegime]

Is this a licensed game? Or are those team logos mods?

[jb1]

Quote: Originally Posted by DEFTFUNDAMENTALZ

Is this a licensed game? Or are those team logos mods?

Many leagues are licensed, for those that aren't you can download mods from a few different places to fill the gaps.

This is taken from the Sports Interactive Forums to explain what licenses they hold:

Quote: Originally Posted by Miles Jacobsen (Sports Interactive)

Australia – We again have a license with the Hyundai A-League, this allows us to feature both league and club logos, as well as the proper fixture list for the current season. Denmark – Our second official license with the Superliga, with league and club logos, as well as player photo’s where we’ve been able to source them. England – Official licenses from the Football League and Football Conference, with all of their other competitions covered too. Agreement includes logos for all competitions, players photos (where supplied) and real fixtures for the Blue Square Conference, Blue Square North & Blue Square South. France – League licenses for both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, with logos for the competitions & real fixtures for both divisions. Netherlands – Licenses for both the Eredivisie and Juliper League, with competition logos, and player pictures where provided. We also have an official license for Team Holland, the Dutch national team. Northern Ireland – License for the Carling Premiership, including logos and player photo’s where supplied. Scotland – SPL and associated competitions, including logos, player photo’s and real fixtures. South Korea – Official license for the K-League, including all logos, player photo’s where provided and real fixtures. Spain – Licenses for both Liga BBVA & Liga Adelante. This enables us to feature team & competition logos, player photo’s for both divisions and fixtures for the Liga BBVA. Please note that some of these pictures won’t make it into the game for the boxed version, but we will deliver any player pictures that are sent to us between the game going into manufacture and the release date via Steam. USA – MLS license, including player photo’s and the real fixture list. League logos too, obviously. Wales – License for the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League + Loosemores League Cup, including real fixtures & competition/team logos. Italy – We have licenses in Italy with the following clubs, in alphabetical order… AC.Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Cesena, Chievo Verona, Fiorentina, Genoa, Inter, Juventus, Lazio, Lecce, Palermo, Parma, Roma, Sampdoria, Udinese. At last count, there are over 4700 player photos in Football Manager 2012.