Football Manager is the series of video games based on managing football teams. Football Manager 2009 had many improvements to its predecessors including a 3D match engine. Now we have word from Sports Interactive and Sega Europe that Football Manager 2010 for the PC and Mac, and Football Manager Handheld 2010 for the PSP will release in late October.
FM09 has been the most successful title in the series to date, having spent 22 weeks at the Number 1 position on the UK PC charts. The game sold over a million copies worldwide. Football Manager 2010 comes with new tools and other enhancements increasing the “ease of use” among other things. Also introduced is an all new match tactics system.
“We have worked very hard with the Football Manager community to target not only the areas of the game that needed re-working but also what we could add to improve what’s already there. We’ve also conducted extensive usability studies which has led us to overhaul the whole presentation of the game, which we’re really excited about,” stated Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive. “There has been a lot of polish to existing areas of the game but it’s also driven us to introduce changes to answer some of the feedback. We’re extremely confident that having done that we will deliver the very best Football Manager to date in October.”
There is a Tactics Creator feature added, which makes it easier to command the team to play exactly as the manager wishes. The touchline “shouts” bring an added level of realism into the game. Gamers can now set a player’s exact role in the team, such as a “ball winning midfielder”. The ‘slider’ control options still remain. Prospective managers will receive feedback telling them in which aspect their team is making mistakes, so that they can rectify the error. The Match Analysis tool lets gamers see where the shots, headers, passes, crosses, tackles and fouls are being made on the field. This enables them to change tactics accordingly.
Two skins, light and dark, are available to choose from in the game and the User Interface has undergone a “complete navigational overhaul”. This makes the game more accessible to new players. There is also a brand new Data Editor, which allows the addition of new divisions to the existing leagues. Users can even add entirely new leagues. The 3D match view has also undergone some major changes, with over a hundred new animations, improved game AI, as well as new stadiums, crowds, realistic pitch degradation and enhanced lighting.
FM10 is developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. Football Manager 2010 for the PC and Mac, and Football Manager Handheld 2010 for the PSP are expected to release on October 30, 2009, while prices haven’t been announced.