User friendly
Not surprisingly, after the introductory part of the review we go to recall the in-depth analysis published on our pages about a month ago. In fact, one of the biggest innovations of FM2007 lies in the redesign of the interface by the developers, who intend to offer the best tools for a gaming experience that is as rewarding as possible: on the other hand, this need arises from the number of elements present in the internal FM, destined to increase every year following the innovations introduced by SIGames.
In this sense, the first novelty is encountered in the game creation phase, where a wizard has been introduced that allows you to select championships and add new coaches through a few simple clicks, after which you can launch into the new adventure. managerial. A small parenthesis, given that we are discussing the start of the game, concerns the possibility of choosing for each new coach added a sort of background, on the basis of which to select his fame in a nutshell: unlike in the past it therefore becomes possible to start the game already as a more or less established coach without necessarily having to earn a reputation on the pitch. This addition is particularly interesting for players who intend to lead big teams, as they will be able to gain a little more confidence from the management and, above all, from the fans. Concluding the parenthesis, the generation times of a new game turned out to be pleasantly reduced even compared to those of the last edition, already excellent in themselves, thus almost completely solving the age-old problem of the long wait for the creation of the game. [C]
[/ C] Returning to the main topic of this paragraph, immediately after sitting on the bench of the chosen team you notice some of the novelties of this year: the most important is certainly the new bar at the bottom of the screen, where we find not only the news button, but a set of buttons through which to call up the main sections of management, (coach homepage, news, squad, tactics, competition, selected list, training, observers and finances) thus significantly reducing also the navigation time in the menus. It is also interesting to note that now, after pressing "continue", the game will automatically recall the last page displayed (especially useful for online players) and, in the event of longer uploads, it will allow you to view the latest news as it progresses. of the bar along with some game tips, very often more than useful even for experienced players.
A further step forward for playability, which we have already had the opportunity to appreciate during our hands on, is identified in the possibility of making multiple selections of players within our squad, thus carrying out collective actions that will no longer require the hassle. of having to select the players one by one in any case while having to select the same menu item.
The coach and the media
Whether Ancelotti and Seedorf like it or not, the media have now become an integral part of the football show and obviously FM has had to adapt to this over the years. We will therefore find ourselves interviewed earlier in a match, following a particularly dubious referee decision, we will have to respond to speculations regarding our interest in a player as well as to questions from journalists on the state of form of the members of our squad: in each of these cases it will be essential to pay attention to what will be said, as the impact of our words on the team often ends up influencing their progress. In the event that you want to hire a player, it will therefore be good to try to close the deal soon, otherwise much more than in the past the other teams will find out about our interest through the media trying to snatch our goal.
Interaction with players
Another new aspect concerns the interaction with the players: in addition to the possibility of publicly criticizing or praising the state of form of our team members, in a way that is in any case improved compared to the past and with more options, we have the possibility to ask the players of the squad any advice in terms of staff or other players to be hired. Even in this case, however, it will be necessary to be careful, as we could have good advice but also bad, in case for example a player recommends another one for personal interest only. The possibility of praising the members of the other teams after the matches has also been added, as well as the always present comments relating to the other coaches.
The older players of our squad will also be able to be assigned to the younger ones, making them their hen and thus teaching the art of the ball. The players of the spring therefore have the opportunity to learn from the most experienced, but it will not be all roses: like everything in FM2007 it is in fact necessary to use a minimum of criteria, as our choices could have counterproductive effects. It will therefore be necessary to identify a minimum of similarity between the style of play of the spring and the player of the first team, paying attention to what kind of player you want to make the boy look like: to give an example, if we want an elegant defender it will be avoided that Materazzi will act as hen for him, just as it will always be good to assign this role to highly professional players.
Last but not least, the system of speaking to the team during the match has been improved, also adding the possibility to say something to charge the players before the match. Our second, if consulted, will also provide us with the reactions of the locker room to our words, thus offering a valid tool to understand if, with your own words, you have managed to positively charge the environment or, vice versa, to fill it with tension.
Discover talents
The scouting system of the previous FMs was quite marginal, as it offered very few possibilities other than to send the observer on duty to a nation or a competition. As for the training in the previous edition (this year remained unchanged, except for the complete division between first team and young people), this year it was therefore up to the observers to undergo some changes: first of all, each staff member will have their own level of knowledge of the various nations, thus directing us to assign each observer within a very specific football reality. However, it will also be possible to allow the scouts to increase their knowledge of an area, thus obtaining in all respects a growth system for observers as well; the latter can also be assigned for a number of games (between 1 and 3) to a player, or it will be possible to simply ask for the compilation of a short report, in addition to the old possibility of spending time following a particular competition. Scout reports are also much more useful than in the past, with a full page of our scout ratings related to the player's character, strengths and weaknesses, current and potential ability, as well as any information on the player's character, strengths and weaknesses. contract and the possibility of transfer.
The market
To completely overturn the FM2007 transfer system is the introduction of affiliated clubs: the great team has in fact the possibility to choose one or more affiliates where to grow their champions, paying the salary for the time of the loan but having the possibility to call them back if you wish. Minor teams can obviously benefit from this situation, but accepting that the team they become affiliated with has the option on their squad, i.e. the ability to buy players before any other team, even if an agreement were to be reached. with other teams given the opportunity to interrupt the transfer. System of affiliated clubs aside, the entire market phase now appears much more active than in the past, perhaps even a little too much especially as regards the great teams that often do not hesitate to deprive themselves of their champions, even if faced with a mountain of millions of euros, while it is also possible to notice some erroneous valuations. By taking advantage of the opportunity to publicly declare one's "love" for a player, it has become possible to give rise to psychological games to induce the player to come to his team, increasing his discontent towards the formation in which he plays, which once resasi account of the player's will may be willing to sell it.
in fact, from this year the presidents have the opportunity to sell their teams to other bidders
The market
If by market in FM2007 you thought that only the transfers of players were meant, you are wrong, as from this year in fact the presidents have the possibility to sell their teams to other bidders, with all that follows: periods of particularly difficult transition, possible economic blockages or recapitalizations and, unfortunately, the possibility that the new president of our team wants to bring a man of his trust to the command, taking the current manager, that is us, to kick in the ass. You can therefore run the risk of being exonerated while not giving up the bench you are on, even if it must be said that this situation has rarely been encountered during the games played in order to write this review.
The technical sector
FM has never excelled in sound and graphics, as it should be. While the first is also reduced on this occasion to the public during the game, as regards the graphics we can still make some considerations: within the 2D the display of the players in the warm-up phase has been added and the AI has been improved once again. , which should guarantee the absence, at least partially, of some surreal errors present also in the last edition.
It's always amazing how SIGames are able to surprise their fans every year with exciting news
Multiplatform
The Xbox 360 version has all the elements of the PC counterpart, with the addition of an interface designed specifically for the gaming experience via joypad. FM Handeld on PSP will instead be a game similar to the one covered in this review, but for obvious reasons rather reduced in content.
Final comment
It's always amazing how SIGames is able to surprise their fans every year with exciting news. While not exempt from some minor defects and bugs, which in any case do not affect the proper conduct of the matches as unfortunately happened on the occasion of FM2006, the new edition of the football manager par excellence will not fail to satisfy all the players, as long as it is completely lowered. in the football world reproduced almost to perfection by the game, complete with statistics and tactics to the delight of football fans all over the world. The appointment with FM is also for this year absolutely not to be missed for any reason in the world, especially for those who every Sunday end up hopelessly with inveighing against the coach of their favorite team for the choices made on the pitch.
For
- New management of observers
- Reduced loads
- Improved interface
- Dozens of news
- Usual bugs, but of a minor kind
- Study and work should come before video games!
The return of the king
The release of Football Manager is a real ritual that is repeated every year, more or less these days: in fact, crowds of football-obsessed gamers begin to await its appearance on the shelves more or less towards the month of August, when most of the news regarding the upcoming title leaks, which makes the wait as spasmodic as possible. Some lucky ones participate in the beta, others wait for the demo version in religious silence, while still others continue to play with the previous version of FM thus exorcising the wait for the release of the new edition. To everyone's delight, after the initial predictions that FM2007 were out for no less than next Christmas, Sports Interactive Games and Sega have announced the release for October 20th. The king of managerial is therefore back to reclaim his throne, in direct competition with the Championship Manager of Eidos, after the partnership between the latter and SIGames which was interrupted a few years ago.
