8.5
Football Manager 2013: It’s Back & Promises to Be Better Than Ever
It’s a known fact that I am somewhat obsessed with Football Manager; I literally cannot get enough of the game that simulates the management of the biggest sport in the world so fantastically. So, like many others like me, on hearing the announcement of Football Manager 2013 with sneak previews on new and improved features I thought it’s about time I bought a new suit (or at least new underwear) ready for release that, as Sports Interactive always say, will be ‘sometime before Christmas.’
The announcement came in typical Football Manager style with Miles Jacobson – Studio Director at Sports Interactive being interviewed in a press-conference-like manner. Here he spoke of the inevitable upcoming release of Football Manager 2013, along with a host of new features and improvements to whet our appetites:
Classic & Challenge Modes
This year Football Manager will introduce a classic mode known as FMC. This is a less time-consuming way to enjoy Football Manager with the game playing in exactly the same way only some of the responsibilities will be taken on by your staff or have disappeared completely. Many people have said in the past that they just don’t have the time to dedicate themselves to endless hours stuck in a dark room, scouting the depths of South America for the next wonderkid so classic mode offers a route for more casual fans of the series to enjoy the game.
Challenge modes have been a great success on the Football Manager Handheld series so it’s no surprise that they make an appearance in the next full title. These will pit you in a particularly tricky situation, testing your management skills to the full; a few examples being can you win a trophy with a team of kids? Or prevent your team from relegation when they are bottom of the table at Christmas?
The game comes with 4 free-to-play challenges… yes that does mean that FM13 is the first in the series to feature paid for features and micro transactions. This may mean that challenges will be made available after release for a small fee – not something I think I’d be spending my money on. However it does seem that the micro transactions will only be available in FMC mode – allowing gamers to speed up or enhance their progress through buying ‘perks’ whereas more hard-core gamers who will stay mainly away from FMC can unlock these in-game perks through sheer management skill and dedication.
Network Play
FM13 also sees a brand new way to network play. Network games have become more and more popular between FM players and so with FM13 it’ll be a lot easier to connect with your peers, as the game will take advantage of the Steam servers. This also means there will be global leader boards and tables so you can see just how good you are in comparison to your fellow gaffers. You’ll now be able to set up special one-off leagues and cups between friends or strangers, players will also be able to import their team no matter what stage in their management career they are at and see how it faces up against their friends – so now many of us will finally be able to show our friends that our team is better than theirs instead of bragging about it down the pub.
As well as huge revamps to the 3D match engine, manager roles with the implementation of a Director of Football and more in-depth training interface, FM13 will bring over 900 new features to the table with many of these being delved into further by Miles, in a series of videos over the coming weeks.
No release date has been set it stone – but Sports Interactive have always been tight lipped about this. I’d be confident in saying it’ll be released around late October – early November, with rumours of an innovative early-access system being introduced for those who’re no doubt willing to pay for it.
Once again it seems that Sports Interactive continue to churn out the goods and appease their followers when it comes to the Football Manager series. The game is already hotting up to be one of the best PC games of the year as it hopes to bring old managers out of retirement, whilst also inspiring the next generation.
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