The current game is not saved.Do you want to save the game before you load another game?>

No.

… [visit site to read more]

Football Manager is an odd cultural duckling. Its nerdy, number-heavy presentation holds it back from the ooh-it’s-like-a-film mainstream acceptance of Call of Duty, et al. Meanwhile, its being about football stops it from being embraced with the same open arms as, say, EVE Online, despite it inspiring similar levels of passionate brain-crazy among its far larger audience. Its far less talked about than its vast success would suggest it should be.

This news seems a good thing, then. An Alternative Reality: The Football Manager Documentary is a Football Manager documentary being released in select cinemas in the UK come October 7th.

… [visit site to read more]

Oldboy is a pretty great film. No spoilers, but I like the scene in which the main character, after years of private practice, first confronts a group of street toughs. “Can 10 years’ worth of imaginary training… be put to use?”

Apparently it can. Hopeful players of Football Manager have been wondering for a long time whether their expertise would convert to the real world, and as reported by The Guardian, it seems at least their scouting data would. FM’s famously vast and detailed database is now going to be included as part of Prozone Recruiter, a software tool that many real clubs use to help with finding players to buy.

… [visit site to read more]

RPS used to be a bunch of foot-to-ball fearties, but times change, and Adam and Graham are on a mission to make sure there’s no one left at the site who doesn’t understand the offside trap. Adam wrote the WIT. Graham made us into regens. They compared notes.

Now the pair have gathered again to discuss their thoughts after a further six months of intensive training. How does the match engine hold up? Has the new tactics system ever felt limiting? How has the mid-season update changed play? All this and more awaits below.>

… [visit site to read more]

One of the world’s most popular RPGs just added Gibraltar for free! Wow, a whole new landmass to explore. I wonder if it’ll be set during the War of Spanish Succession, allowing keen commanders to invade and cede the territory to the British Empire in perpetuity.

Oh wait it’s the Gibraltarian football league added as part of Football Manager‘s mid-season update… Even better! The patch also contains a “potential fix for odd throw ins”, and a hundred other small tweaks, improvements, and thousands of database updates. … [visit site to read more]

Look at this man. Look into his dead eyes and feel your soul begin to curdle. He’s hideous. He has no pores. He’s a person suit. He’s a stocking full of yoghurt. After matches, Football Manager 2014‘s coaches let the air out of him, fold him up and put him back in the cupboard. He’s Emperor Septim’s son, here to tell you that Jauffre’s gone off on another one of his benders.

He cost me 5.5 million.

Come. Let me tell you about the off season. (more…)

As we enter the second part of a marathon conversation with Sports Interactive’s Miles Jacobson, I begin by checking that the half time oranges have done the trick. Once we’re both warmed up and ready to go, talk turns to Football Manager’s place in the wider world of games and Miles’ background in the world of music. When we’re not discussing Jesus Jones and Blur, we’re pondering whether comparing Football Manager to open world games is instructive. Part one is here.>

(more…)

We always approach piracy figures with a healthy skepticism, but this is interesting. Sports Interactive says that Football Manager 2013, the previous iteration of the game, was pirated 10.1 million times. The report they’ve just sent out goes on to break down those figures by country, and estimates the likely lost revenue as a result of illegal downloads.

The best part is that Sports Interactive and Sega are being totally reasonable about it. Speaking at the London Games Conference as reported by MCV, FM producer Miles Jacobsen said that it’s “ridiculous” to equate these numbers with lost sales. (more…)

Adam already told you Wot He Thunk about Football Manager 2014, but foot-to-ball is a team sport. For the second half, he’s drafted fellow ball fancier Graham onto the pitch to discuss Sports Interactive’s latest old-guy-in-a-warm-coat simulator. Spoilers: it ends a draw.

Football puns out the way? Read on for the John Barnes rap, the ethics of pigeons, and the Speedball management mod for which we all hunger.>

Graham: Finally a place where we can talk about football without being judged by the others.

Adam: They will be judging us from afar. (more…)

Football never stops. At this very moment, as you’re reading these words, people are playing football all over the world and every kick of the ball massively matters to someone. Presumably. Perhaps the football is happening too far away for you to see though, or perhaps you’d like to have more control over the actions of the men playing with the football. If that is the case, be thankful that Football Manager 2014 is out this week because it is the best game about managing a football team. Here’s wot I think.>

(more…)