Football Manager iPhone!

[Note: I wrote this a few days ago but have been too ridiculously busy to post....lazy, I know]

I find it interesting how the pricing scheme for Apps/Games on the iTunes store has totally changed my perception of value. Now a $2.99 iPhone game better be damn good because I can get a dozen fantastic games for just $0.99! So, at $9.99 Football Manger Handheld better be phenomenal. Fortunately, despite a few niggles and missing features, it pretty much is!

I have an interesting relationship with the Football (previously Championship) Manager series. I love it to death but I am also terrified of the game. Why terrified? Because I’m weak willed and have a very addictive personality. Back in the late 90s I almost failed out of undergrad because I was so utterly addicted to Championship Manager 3. I played that game to death, bleary eyed until 4am, sometimes until, very literally, the sun came up. In fact, I’ve stayed away from the most recent versions of the game because I know I don’t have the time to dedicate to them.

You’re probably wondering why, with such a weakness for all things Champ/Football Manager I bothered to get the iPhone version of the game. The answer – I’m an idiot and I just couldn’t resist the appeal/novelty of being able to carry around a version of Football Manager on my phone! It’s something I couldn’t have fathomed 10 years ago, it’s like carrying crack in your pocket....wait, that’s a bad analogy, but you know what I mean.

Football Manager Handheld is definitely a stripped down version of the PC/Mac title with only one active nation at any one time and no 3D game engine (though the 2D engines of the previous games is available). There are also numerous features/options missing. Just off the top of my head I can recall that you can’t make custom formations, you can’t assign player specific roles/tactics, you can’t assign team captains, you can’t fine players, assistant managers/coaches/scouts don’t have stats and so on. However, while I could sit here and perhaps come up with a dozen features that aren’t present, there are hundreds of things that are and most importantly, the fundamental gameplay and sense of immersion is definitely there.

I’m finding myself just as addicted to this game as I was to previous games in the series. Managing your squad, wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, the thrill of promotion, the agony of relegation, it’s all here. Sure there’s only one active nation but there are 11 different nations available, 34 different leagues and tens of thousands of players. Players have a full compliment of stats and different personalities. The financial and transfer model is sound with lots of depth. While the tactics don`t have the same depth of the PC title you still feel like your tactical changes make a difference. The biggest compliment I can give the game is that it’s the first iPhone game that I’ve played when I haven’t been commuting, sitting in a waiting room or sat on the toilet! I’ve actually sat down on the couch next to my wife and played the game while she’s watched TV and I’ve already played 5 seasons in just a few weeks! It’s important to note that I can’t say that would still be the case if I had Football Manager on the PC installed as well but it does give an indication of the quality of the game.

The game does have a few bugs, notable of which is the fact that the game doesn’t resume after you take a phone call! There’s an auto-save after each match but if you get a call in the middle of a cup final you’re screwed (unless you ignore your wife’s call....but you wouldn’t do that....would you.....ahem). Since there`s only one active league you can`t be a Mourinho and jump from league to league. Also, several years into the game I`m finding that far too many young players turn out to be absolute studs – it seems even mediocre teams have three or four world class players.

There are a few other minor bugs but one look at the official SIGames forum reveals that Sports Interactive are paying attention to the complaints and unlike the FIFA series I fully expect these problems to be fixed in a future patch. One aspect of the game that won`t/can’t be fixed is the somewhat clumsy nature of the controls – the small size of the iPhone screen makes shifting and switching around players using your finger a bit fiddly and slow but I don’t think it’s a game breaker.

If you`re someone who plays a lot of iPhone games and is into soccer I`d wholeheartedly recommend Football Manager Handheld. Sure it`s $9.99 but in this case I think it`s worth it.

Lavan