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First off, Football Manager 2008 has been out on PC since October 2007 and you can read our review here. So excuse us if we’re not going ballistic with excitement over the Xbox360 version. After all the series lends itself so well to the PC because of the mouse and keyboard. It’s just one of those games that appeals to the ‘supposed’ hardcore audience that plays games on PC. SEGA begs to differ and have provided us with a Xbox360 version, with the hope that it’s as addictive as the PC version. We’re standing on the edge of the abyss of losing our life to a game, but does Football Manager 2008 reach the top of the league or is it relegated, with fans craving its blood?
Like any average football fan, or even average person, if a top football team offered us a couple million to manage their club, mess about with training and chose some transfer targets, we wouldn’t give it a second thought and quickly jump into the position before we’d thought of the problems that we’d face. Football manager gives you just that opportunity, granting you a million pound budget (if we’re talking premiership), gorgeous women to enjoy and a nice suit to wear. If you’re new the game, series or genre, then before you get to enjoy all those perks you’ll need to address the game’s manual. It happens to be one of the thickest we’ve ever comes across, but then again with the amount tweakable settings, from individual player training to tactical customization, it isn’t much of a surprise. New for this year is the option to change your tactics on the fly during a match. This means there’s no need to pause when you’re 1-0 down and there’s only 10 minutes left on the clock. You can now set it to ‘all out attack’ and revel in the delightful performance of you letting in another two goals. The graphics are the usual 2D affair, and sadly while detailed and providing you with what you need to know, aren’t different from the last edition. We mentioned why the series is such a success on PC; the use of a mouse. The Xbox360 version comes across as fiddly. The developers have done their best to simplify and shortcut the control scheme but hit a wrong button and you’re at a menu you didn’t want to be. There also seems to be a slight lag when navigating with the analog stick which is just a pain in the behind. It takes a while to get used to the game’s rhythm, like daily tasks, menus you should regularly visits and options that need constant attention. Sports Interactive have included an advisor system, which is akin to a puppy bothering you every five minutes with helpful hints and tops. It helps the new players but will be turned off instantly if you’re a veteran, which is a shame as there are subtle new features you won’t be aware of. It can reduce the daunting effect the game has, but it can patronize the experienced players. Sound is pretty much nonexistent in Football Manager 2008 minus an annoying click noise whenever you move the cursor around the screen. There’s some atmosphere enhancing cheers in matches but they lack any real energy. There’s no multiplayer but then again with Football Manager Live coming on PC there’s no reason for you to want multiplayer. Once you’ve picked up the basics, the depth is there but we still can’t recommend this over the PC version. The changes are you typical ‘insert date here’ tweaks, so if you own 2007 there’s not really much to suggest you spend £40. If you’re a casual gamer then you should stay well clear as it’s easy to get lost but football fans are better off getting Pro Evolution Soccer or FIFA. Score: 6/10
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