Score: By: Andrew Castenmiller Date: Saturday, 24 December, 2005
Football Manager 2006
Game Type: Management
Developer: Sports Interactive
Publisher: SEGA
Platform: PC
Football Manager 2006 isn’t ground breaking. But Football Manager 2005 was. When you consider Football Manager 2006 has improved over its predecessor, you know you’ve got one very good football management game.
Match Engine
Football Manager 2006 retains the 2D match engine that has been a success since it was introduced in CM4. The ball physics are realistic and the players act and move as they do in real life. It’s also played over a full 90 minutes (you have the option of highlights or a full match) so as a football simulation it is as realistic as it gets.
Graphically, it’s had a bit of an overhaul as well. While 2D games aren’t as spectacular as what 3D can churn out, it is very sharp and runs smoothly. You can also now clearly see when a player is injured, as an icon will clearly show this, saving some guesswork and switching screens.
Match Engine Summary: 9/10 ?although unspectacular, it remains the best simulation of a football match you’ll see.
Tactics
Sports Interactive have always been the masters of football management tactics. Every tactical option on offer has a reason, and can be used successfully or in many cases can be counter-productive. This means that there’s a fine line with balancing tactics, just as it is in real life. Sticking with a tried and trusted tactic, such as 4-4-2, is generally a safe option but the tactical genius can revolutionise the way we see tactics, as there is so much to customise.
Sports Interactive know they’re on a winner with the tactics, so modifications each year are generally just small additions. “Target Man Supply?is one of these introductions to FM 2006, so you can adjust your supply to suit your target man - should you choose to use one. Also introduced is the ability to adjust how much time wasting you want your team to do. And my favourite addition is the ability to instruct players to “swap positions? For example, to confuse the opposition make your left-winger swap positions with your right-winger. These additions just continue to help evolve the wonderful tactics available in FM 2006.
Tactics Summary: 10/10 ?what more could you want? Sports Interactive will probably throw in a few more gems next year.
Player Database
The player database in the CM, and now Football Manager series, has been a stalwart in why it is such a popular game. The players are rated in many different mental, physical and technical areas. Introduced in this year’s version is the addition of player height and weight attributes. The player (and staff) ratings are extremely accurate, and like many other aspects of the series, it just continues to evolve in a good way. Even lower leagues are well represented, and are not just an afterthought. It’s also nice to see the Referee Stats return, which we haven’t seen since the CM3 series.
For the first time we see player position indicators. This graphically represents where the player prefers to play the most. So unlike the previous Football Manager, a player now may prefer to play in a fullback and central midfield role but may not be comfortable playing on the wing or in central defence.
Player Database: 10/10 ?without a doubt the best database of any sports game going around.
Transfers
No stone is left un-turned in regards to player transfers in FM 2006. Mastering the transfer market is a very difficult art. Get a decent player at a decent price and you’re doing well. The transfers that do take place are very realistic. Chelsea will be linked to every big name player going around, while you the best players in the lower divisions are often courted by the mid-to-lower teams in the top divisions.
Dealing with the clubs is hard enough, but dealing with the players is even harder. When you think you’ve finally found a player who can improve your club, it often happens that he doesn’t want to play for your club. Then if there’s a player wanted by a number of clubs, how much you offer him could be the deciding factor. If you do actually succeed in signing him, it will have an effect on the rest of your squad. The new signing may encourage some players, while others may feel threatened. Signing and selling players on a regular basis will cause your team to be unstable, so a lot of aspects have to be considered when entering FM 2006’s realistic transfer market.
Transfers Summary: 10/10 ?very difficult to master. You could find bargains?but the chances are you’ll get ripped off.
News/Media
The media are more involved in this year’s version than ever. You’ll get lots of stories about potential transfer targets, players who are in-form or out-of-form and updates on the important matches. On occasions you’ll be asked to confirm or deny rumours, or have media battles with your fellow managers.
If anything, I would like the media to be even more involved. Managers have to deal with hundreds of questions week-in, week-out, so I think the media in FM 2006 should quiz the managers more on all sorts of issues.
News/Media Summary: 8/10 ?it has been done perfectly, but I just wish the media involved the managers more.
Staff Interaction
Physio reports on injured players are far more detailed this year. The physios explain in length the full extent of the injury and offer a recommendation. You can then decide on what sort of treatment you think will be best. Apart from that, most of the staff interaction remains the same. However, coach reports have now been integrated as a part of the training schedule. So if you want your coaches opinion on a player, you don’t have to ask for a specific report.
Staff Interaction Summary: 8/10 ?pretty much the same as last year.
Player Interaction
Sports Interactive made a head-turning decision this year, by introducing team and player talks. While not new in the genre, the Football Manager series has generally steered clear of this sort of interaction. The team and player talks occur at half time, and then after a match. So if you’re infuriated with your team after a poor loss, you can let your team know it. If you thought one of your players wasn’t pulling his weight, you can single him out. On the other hand, if you were pleased with your team’s performance, you can praise the players.
Away from the matches, the player interaction remains mostly the same. You can fine players for ill discipline, or interact with them via the media. It would be nice to see more general interaction, such as having a private talk to a player about his poor performances without actually fining him.
Player Interaction Summary: 9/10 ?team/player talks during the game are a great addition. Would be nice to see this available in non-match scenarios as well.
Training
The training system in FM 2006 has had a complete overhaul. Now it is much simpler to set training routines. Instead of mapping out an entire day-by-day schedule, you now just adjust slider bars. So setting up a training schedule takes no longer than 5 minutes. However, it’s difficult to get the balance right. If you want to make one area a focus, it means that another area of the schedule will have to be neglected.
Also, tracking a player’s progress is easily done via a training summary screen within the player profile. This tells you how well the player is adjusting to the schedule and if his skills are improving or deteriorating.
Training Summary: 9/10 ?setting up training is much simpler this year. Whether you prefer that is up to you.
Interface
The interface remains largely the same as seen in Football Manager 2005. This interface is quite easy to get around, although some sections are harder to find than others. The colours are better defined this year and if you have a keen eye you’ll noticed the improvement in the contrast, so it looks less dull. There are also a couple of new skins to choose from, including having the menu bar on the right (which I prefer) or a couple of user-made ones for variety.
A great new feature is the in-game tutorial. The tutorial is only a click away and explains in some detail pretty much every feature in the game. Veterans won’t pay much attention to this, but the new users will definitely find this convenient.
Interface Summary: 9/10 ?more options and a new tutorial helps improve the interface.
Overall
As we’ve come to expect, Sports Interactive have delivered the best football management simulation available at the moment. No other game in the football management genre comes close to it in terms of depth and realism.
9/10
Pros
Ultra-Realistic in all areas. Tactics, transfers, training etc.
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