Football Manager 2006

Those expecting next-generation graphics will be sorely disappointed.  Football manager is all about substance, rather than style as there’s not a 3D image in site.  Most of the game is pure text, although some players have a photograph in their profile.  While some management titles have delved into fully 3D matches, Football Manager sticks with the tried and tested 2D birds-eye view circular players.  Some may resent the lack of ambition here to develop a 3D system that actually works, but I can safely say it never detracts from the realism or enjoyment of the game.  A 3D system would simply drag out games unnecessarily, after all we don’t play it to watch games.  Sound is not present apart from crowd noises during games.

Final Word

With Football Manager 06 essentially being a port of a 6 month old PC game, with worse controls and double the price, it’s hard to give a top mark and really probably should’ve been made available at a budget price.  However, it really is a top game.  It may not be truly next-generation, it’s controls may not be the best and may not have flash graphics (if any!), but it is far and away the best management game available.  There is little here to tempt those who already own the PC version, apart from the achievements and the ability to play Xbox Live owning friends, but for those to whom the PC version is unavailable and that are fans of such a genre (and have a HDD), it is a must-buy and they should add at least 10% to the score.  Football Manager 06 will eat up days and weeks of your life and is the perfect way to spend the close season, and next season you really will know if you could do better than those top managers.  I am pleased to inform you that Sports Interactive’s shot at the console goal has satisfyingly rippled the net as the fans go ballistic.