Football Manager 2011 Review

Our friends from FMGreece have just published a review on Football Manager 2011. Sports Interactive provided their gold affiliates with the reviewcode, which is like having the retail version of the game.

Since I do agree with this review by Tsak (in Greek), I'm going to translate the most important points explained there.

The previews you have read before were based on the previewcode, which was an unfinished product. So what's different now? Let's see...

What's the difference between Football Manager 2011 Demo and the retail?

• Obviously when playing the retail version, there is life after December 2010.
• Some of the bugs that appeared on the demo have been fixed. Hopefully this year we won't be seeing annoying bugs, such as the crash dump.
• As a side note, I would add the other obvious fact; you can start a new game properly with large/custom database of players.

What is it that we like about Football Manager 2011?

• Improved match engine; you can now see a player celebrating a goal (more and better celebrations this year), while other players have already taken their place behind the midfield line.
• Match preparation, which helps us set a plan b and even a plan c, in case something goes wrong with our main plan.
• Agents, who apart from their commission, they can actually recommend you a bunch of players and some of them can turn out to be rising stars.
• Quick tactics during the match, because when you are in a hurry to make a sub, you limit the time wasted on going to the full tactics screen.
• Tactics familiarity level, because it's great to know when your players have finally got used in playing 4-1-2-2-1 to some success.
• Individual training focus, because you can be sure you have exceeded any possibility to improve a defender's heading, or a defensive midfielder's marking, or a striker's finishing.
• Dynamic League Reputation, because in case we pick a lower league team and manage to lead the team to glory, it would be possible for high profile players to become interested in joining the team.
• YouTube upload, because it's quite different to describe a goal and to upload it as a video file. Well, YouTube will be crowded with them, but at least we will have something fun to tease each other about.
• The new way that regens appear in the game; they no longer appear totally random, but the plan is to replace the players who retire.
• Match analysis, because you really want to know who does the pinpoint pass to your target man, and who falls into the offside trap... also who tried one on one in success and who failed to get past the opposition keeper.

What is it that we don't like about Football Manager 2011?

• The skin's color. Thankfully, we will get a dark skin on the first patch.
• The occasional bugs, because we are demanding fans and want the perfect game. Well, at least this year there are less than previous years.
• The addiction that builds up match after match.
• There is no "cheat" tactic, that will give you 3 points in almost every match... at least not yet.

Conclusion:

Dear friends, the winter is expected to be tough and quite heavy. From 5 November onwards, there is going to emerge the "football manager syndrome".

• Soon you will be wishing to have the ability to "send your assistant" to handle any kind of work off your house, so you can get it done without having to leave your computer.
• When you need to change clothes, you'd wish to have the "make quick sub" choice, so you can just raise your hands, and your shirt would change itself, while you'd say "I have faith in your abilities not to make me sweat so fast".
• When you hear that someone among your real life friends managed to date a hot girl, you'd pray "I wish for Dynamic League Reputation to apply here, so we can get more hot girls".

FM 2011 is coming, the day is getting ridiculously smaller.

Just a week left, by next Friday we shall all have Football Manager 2011 installed and ready to play!