Series FMHVibe reviews Football Manager Classic 2015

[Dec]

 

Recently Sports Interactive released Football Manager Classic on high end tablets. This news sent much debate and concern amongst the Handheld community as the PC game mode and formerly PS Vita game offers something FMH doesn't - depth. Yet as SI strive for a perfect mobile companion to their best selling PC game users of the "lighter" version crave speed akin to the older games and were worried by this move by the London-based game developers. We at FMHVibe recently got a hold of the new game running on an iPad Air so decided to put it to the test.

 

The game is very similar to the PC version from the User Interface to the features. If you have played FM Classic on the PC then it will all be very familiar to you. Of course some things will have changed to cope with the tablets and there are features not seen in the game that some may miss, yet unless you look deeply they are forgotten about fairly quickly. Compared to FM Handheld it is a totally different game. The game advances from barebones management to a more statistical based game where even the news items gives an abundance of numbers and charts for analysis. With all the extra inclusions over Handheld this poses the aforementioned speed issues but with just the right trim and tweaks by the player a season can fly by with a season taking around 10-20 hours dependent on how involved you choose to get and the time spent tweaking. Factor in the amount of leagues playable with the MLS, Swiss League, Turkish League and more and every FM Handheld will be left drooling at the managerial goldmine of over 100 playable leagues.

 

A 3D Match Engine provides an immersive game far beyond the 2D pitch. The animations are smooth and make you jump out of your seat when that 30 yard strike rifles in the top corner to win an important game. As well as this the speed can easily be tailored to go as quick as you like with sliders for highlights as well as determining how much of a match you want to see - extended highlights, key or none at all.

 

In Football Manager Classic 2015 there are a wealth of tactical options within the game. For FMH players this means no more just setting player roles and a few team instructions as in a game or out you feel like you have control over every aspect of the team's play. Whether that is instructing a player to pass short or saying that if a certain player plays then his role varies from your tactic; in Chelsea you may want Ramires as a Box to Box Midfielder but everyone else as a Central Midfielder, and that applies automatically when you play him without tinkering and wasting time on every substitution. A simple but effective technique to save time and personalise every role if you so wish so that it fits key players. This layer of modification is shown throughout the game, little bits that save time and make it a mobile game designed for speed. Training for instance is totally different to that of Football Manager Handheld as the manager can set certain drills such as defensive training dependent on the week making the game more about the past and future fixtures/performances rather than player attributes. However by default the assistant controls this as the game takes away from the slow progress of FM and likens itself to FMH. Other options such as allowing assistants to take control of games with a pre-determined game plan and automatic cup draws keep the game speed fast for those who don't want to spend hours and hours on a season of Football Manager and are just hoping to play the big games and do the transfers.

 

While some die-hard fans of Football Manager will notice the lack of detailed team meetings, press conferences and team talks many will argue that these are the most disliked features of the game and can become repetitive quickly without much purpose. With this in mind it is fair to say that the absence of these features make very little difference on the gameplay and only when you look for what is missing will you realise they aren't there. The game is very enjoyable without these and with additions over Handheld such as transfer negotiation that is handled with different clauses and with a negotiation process that isn't just submitting offers and waiting but instead negotiations can take place over a day of offering and counter offers.

Unfortunately there are no rules such as Financial Fair Play or Player Restrictions in which is similar to Football Manager Handheld and helps the game be more casual than serious. While some may thrive under this realism and an option would be desirable to add an extra layer of challenge that isn't available in the Handheld game and means that transfers have to be fully thought of. Many of the community have already noted how the lack of a data editor limits the game's options and the lack of graphics; in which are vastly popular in the community, is a letdown for the game. While they are both minor to the game the lasting appeal of the game can depend on a database update, even more so when transfers are out of date only a few months after release. This is disappointing as the game extension from an editor and the fun possibilities FM Classic could have would be brilliant, especially if the editor was more like Football Manager than Football Manager Handheld's where users of the game create some quirky and interesting challenges as well as adding more playable leagues to get around licensing like graphics!

 

Overall Football Manager Classic is a fantastic addition to the Football Manager series. While if you crave speed and not much depth Handheld is still the game for you the game is a mixture of both beloved games. The balance of the game is fantastic and immersive making you feel like every decision you make is important and every click is a step forward and not sideways as Football Manager may feel like. The iPad renders the engine perfectly and provides a dimension to the game that the Handheld version sorely misses and makes every match a spectacle and with the choice additions and options the version suits the tablet market and is a time-waster that is beyond anything else on the App Stores at present. £15 may seem expensive but this app is a PC game and has the complexity beyond anything available where hours seem like minutes. A fantastic game with limitless potential and if you have loved FMH and want something more than the "pick up and play" game then FM Classic is what you desire.

 

[UKFootballScore]

Interesting to hear your views on FMC Dec I'd love to get it but don't have a compatible tablet

[Eliseo10]

Still not supporting this. Unless, I get a good tablet the I might jaja.

[JustM1kePlays]

Great write up! I wish my table supported it to be honest. I would definitely give it a go. I do like some features in it an really enjoyed it on the Vita (although it was a bit fiddly) I think something in the middle of these 2 would be great.

Basically FMH with more leagues,3d replays and more control on your tactics.

[leecutler]

Great write up! I wish my table supported it to be honest. I would definitely give it a go. I do like some features in it an really enjoyed it on the Vita (although it was a bit fiddly) I think something in the middle of these 2 would be great.

Basically FMH with more leagues,3d replays and more control on your tactics.

No its not like FMH but with more leagues etc,it is a total different game with far more detail

[JustM1kePlays]

I agree it is a total different game. I was putting what I wish that would just do something with a mix on these two games.

[galantlau]

can you put edit or photos of players into this game, develop pls

[Dec]

can you put edit or photos of players into this game, develop pls

No you can't.

[dirtboy]

I recently played a bit of this, the speed surprised me! Pressing the instant result button can get through a season very quickly! I was attempting the Financial crisis challenge with Chelsea and unfortunately went bankrupt and deducted 9 points. But I'm pushing for a CL spot now