GamesRadar+ Verdict
Pros
- +
Actual players instead of dots
- +
Different from other manager games
- +
Nice commentary
Cons
- -
Pointless gimmicks
- -
Unique features don't add much
- -
You pick a life partner?
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Dec 14, 2007
A dirty secret in the EA Sports pantheon, this has been slipped out with a minimum of fuss to offer a third way to budding Steve McLarens. While Football Manager and Championship Manager at least concentrate on the task in hand, FIFA Manager establishes itself as the football management game for people who don't like football. Having to select a husband/wife/sexual partner is banal enough, but when you're told playing golf will improve your relationship with the club president, you know you're in the realms of a broader approach.
Beneath the nonsense there is a moderately playable game, albeit one hobbled by a tricky interface and largely dull match engine. On paper, full 3D graphics with commentary from Motty and McCoist sounds better than watching some dots on a screen (a la FM and CM) but these things are often better left to the imagination. As a further absurd gimmick, you can even choose to manually control players on the pitch, running around demanding the ball and hoofing it aimlessly.
