Football Manager 2011 - A Review

Football (Soccer) is a worldwide game, the World Cup is the 3rd largest viewed sporting event outside of the Olympics and Superbowl. The easiest game to play in probability since all you need is a round ball and 4 sticks.

What about Football Managing (FM011)? You dont play the play, but you play the managment side of things. The franchise is the top game in the UK (September 2010 first month on top) and every year more people would play FM than most other large titles in the UK - more FM gamers than Black Ops or FIFA in fact. So what is it when a game, where you dont play anything, become so addictive?

The games biggest draw is the depth, there are amateur and semi-professional leagues, teams and players. Australian (now defunkt) NLS ex-teams such as Marconi are even in the game, something that is very rare and FIFA Manager doesn't have anything anywhere near as deep. But FIFA Manager is FM, FM is a very deep and realistic feel to the world of management.

My first concern from the other largely popular serious (Championship Manager, which I own 2010s) is the ease of the GUI interface. The basic layout hasn't changed since around 2007. The training, tactics and gameday GUI is very simple to navigate after going through the games biggest drawback, which is the learning curve.

The learning curve is incredible, if you want to play a pick-up game (ie. game with not so much depth but a fun experience for the casual gamer) then this isn't the game, it takes many months upto years and over many game titles to fully perfect your "system" and most never bother with the very small details.

The most fun you can have is taking over a large club like Manchester United, and bring them more glory than Sir Alex [Ferguson] ever could! The new updates such as Press confrences, interviews and newly tweaked player reactions and demands from their agents is a welcomed addition to the game and just adds more depth into a game which I can say with confidence is proabably the most in-depth game on the market.

Depth: 5 / 5
- The depth is incredible and with the mods such as FM Assistant, Coach Calculator and DB Editor there is no limitations to depth!

Gameplay: 3 / 5
- One point off from there still being no great tutorial, the "Advisor" at best is an annoyance or still badly implimented and the 2nd loss of point is for the complex GUI in some parts (such as finding players manually).

Re-Playability: 5 / 5
- Definately going to keep you busy, you'll likely grow bored of the game before you beat it!

Graphics: 4 / 5
- The 3D Match engine is fluid and when it was added in 09/10 its been a wonderful addition. There needs to be a "itensity" option where you can pump up the graphics because some people have 5970s and the GPU load doesnt pass 10% whilst playing, and they can keep the current settings for those who dont have huge GPUs like myself.

Overall: 85 / 100
FM11 is a great game (still) and whilst I wouldnt suggest buying every year, maybe ever 2nd year, that FM11 is a definately a must buy. The depth is amazing, the community mods are wonderful and the ease of playing the game are definate pluses. The new additions such as Agents, Press Confrences just make the game more realistic. However, there does need to be a better tutorial option, and a better layout in some areas but overall a must have for any football fan!