![]() Training has been completely overhauled – an area that's remained relatively unchanged over the past few years of updates. The match engine is so sophisticated that hours and hours can be spent studying it – and thankfully Football Manager 13's fully-featured incarnation has had more than enough attention given to it to satisfy these hardcore fans as well.Īs ever, layers of complexity have been added which mean more time can be spent away from the pitch than ever before. For every 90s Championship Manager fan that bemoans how complex his once beloved game has become, there's another for whom the series is like a religion. Obviously, Classic mode isn't for everybody. But if you don't have the time or patience to play the full version any more, then who cares? Sure, it's less rewarding than the full version. In-game unlockables allow you to purchase, with real money, "cheat" options to help you with the game, and while I worry what ramifications this may have for the series – I'd be surprised if we didn't one day have to pay extra for things we once expected to be included – it justs adds to the sense that this is a game, not a hobby, and it's there to be enjoyed in whatever way you want. It's been a long time since that could be said about a Football Manager game. Win or lose, your time investment is small – you're playing for the sheer fun of it. ![]() If you've got a spare afternoon, why not take on the challenge of saving a small Dutch team from relegation? Challenge mode will put you into the hotseat in the January transfer window, and in two to three hours you can make your way to the end of the season. This is best illustrated by the Challenge feature offered within Classic mode – essentially a variety of custom-made save games for you to load up and take on different scenarios It's the speed with which you can make your way through the game, and the lack of time-commitment and stress that comes from this that makes Classic mode so refreshing. Buy some players, pick a formation, and then zip your way through a season in a day. Miles Jacobson referred to it as a "tactics and transfers" in an early development video and this is probably the best way to describe it. In terms of gameplay, what you'll find is similar to ChampMans of old: most of the fat of the last 10 years has been trimmed out to the point where you can get from match to match with only a few clicks. Classic has a much more attractive, glossy feel than the nuts and bolts of its bigger brother – but still retains the all-important player database and match engine which made Football Manager a genre-defining franchise in the first place.Īpologies for showing the Czech screen … but look! There's the Classic mode option and all the back-to-basics fun you can shake a linesman’s flag at. Strangely, it feels almost like an EA management sim, such is the change in tone and presentation. Classic mode is fun in a way the full game hasn't been for some time now, and far from just tempting back those who had given up, I think many who have remained loyal will find their allegiances tested this year. Whatever the reason, it was certainly worth the wait. ![]() ![]() Or perhaps it took this long for SI to realise that realism at all costs was not necessarily what people want. Perhaps it took this long to give Classic mode the right balance. To abandon that now is somewhat surprising – after all fans have been moaning about how complex and time-consuming the game has become for a long time. It's a pretty radical departure for Sports Interactive, what with their unerring focus on adding complexity and depth to the series over the past 10 years. ![]()
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