So, the new Championship Manager has arrived on the shelves, this being “Championship Manager 2001-02”, the latest offering from the guys at “Eidos Interactive”.
I have actually been playing Championship Manager from the very first version, back in the days when my ... Read review
Detailed profiles and histories for over 100,000 players, managers, and coaches within ... more
twenty-six concurrent leagues Full implementation of the new EU regulated transfer system Choose to play in Attribute Masking mode - only the statistics and player...
Postage & Packaging: £1.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Detailed profiles and histories for over 100,000 players, managers, and coaches within ... more
twenty-six concurrent leagues Full implementation of the new EU regulated transfer system Choose to play in Attribute Masking mode - only the statistics and player...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Superbly addictive Disadvantages: The values of the players could be slightly more accurate
So, the new Championship Manager has arrived on the shelves, this being “Championship Manager 2001-02”, the latest offering from the guys at “Eidos Interactive”.
I have actually been playing Championship Manager from the very first version, back in the days when my Amiga 500 was a powerful machine (those were the days), the game has gone through hundreds of changes, as the newer versions got more and more detailed ... ...remember which leagues were in Championship Manager 2000-01, as I stopped playing it due to my Ciao addiction, but there sure seems to be a lot more now.
There are also added media messages, these include more local media speculation and rumour reports, but as far as I can see, there doesn’t seem to be that many changes on this front, but I have only been playing for a couple of days and not got into the full swing of things. more
So, the new Championship Manager has arrived on the shelves, this being “Championship Manager 2001-02”, the latest offering from the guys at “Eidos Interactive”.
I have actually been playing Championship Manager from the very first version, back in the days when my Amiga 500 was a powerful machine (those were the days), the game has gone through hundreds of changes, as the newer versions got more and more detailed and the actual involvement in the game has multiplied.
In the early days the game was pretty basic (well compared to this latest offering it was), actually the very early versions never had the real players names but was still just as addictive and often had me playing to the very early hours.
So, what does the newest version bring us?
Well, firstly and probably the most important is, the teams themselves are updated to pretty much the squads that stand at this moment (although it is near impossible to get them totally updated, unless you get the regular updates available or use the editor). But once you start a season, these updates are not really that important, as before you know it, half the players have been transferred to other clubs.
Then there are the things like, more countries and leagues to choice from; this is now up to 26 various countries, the full list is: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United States and Wales, so there it is, you can actually become a manager of any club team, in any of these leagues, I can’t actually remember which leagues were in Championship Manager 2000-01, as I stopped playing it due to my Ciao addiction, but there sure seems to be a lot more now.
There are also added media messages, these include more local media speculation and rumour reports, but as far as I can see, there doesn’t seem to be that many changes on this front, but I have only been playing for a couple of days and not got into the full swing of things.
Some other enhanced features that I have noticed are, the ability to compare two different players, and see who fairs better on various things like acceleration, finishing, etc, so I suppose this is an excellent addition, as it will enable you to find players that suit your needs.
There is also the ability to keep a track of any players on your shortlist and to leave notes to check on them at a future date, and also the ability to scout your next opponents, this includes targeting their danger-men and spying on their tactics, to give you an idea on how to play against them.
Another added bonus, but one I have not yet seen is, the ability to actually manage a countries Under 21’s or B team’s, as in the past, you actually got these job’s with the full England managers job, but were unable to change tactics, etc, and it was just a matter of picking the squads, now you can get more involved.
These are just a few of the added enhancements that Eidos have included to improve the game even more and yes I suppose they have, improved the game, but the overall feel of the game has not changed too much and I’m happy with that, the menu system is exactly the same and there are no extra game setting to choose from, which once again is a plus point, as sometimes these games can become just a little bit too clever for themselves and the real enjoyment disappears.
On the negative side of things, I think the player values are not very realistic, I mean I started a game up as Liverpool manager (no surprises there) and when I took a look at my players values, I noticed the likes of Steven Gerrard was valued at just £5 Million, now come on, this is ridiculous, the lad is priceless, he must be worth closer to £50 Million, I also noticed that Man Uniteds squad had about 6 or 7 players worth at least £10 Million, yet Liverpool had just the one (Michael Owen at £15 Million), doesn’t seem to be very accurate in my eyes and in this day and age, when transfers are reaching the ridiculous £50 Million mark, the most valuable player in Championship Manager 2001-02 is Christian Vieri, at a modest £21 Million, so I guess this part of the game could be improved.
So, what are my overall thoughts on the new game?
Well, it hasn’t changed too much, which I appreciate, as I can’t stand games going too overboard with added graphics, sounds, etc, but the enhancements I have noticed up to now, seem to have added that bit more involvement in the management game. The speed of the game is about the same as the last version, which once again is a plus point and yes, it is still just as addictive as ever.
Admittedly, I don’t actually spend as much time playing the game, but I still enjoy testing my football management skills against the best in the world, and I have to say, Championship Manager still rules the roost in these type of games, and I guess will for many years to come, so I am thoroughly recommending the game.
Advantages: Amazingly addictive, realistic and vast player power Disadvantages: May cause social alienation or problems with your love life
...to answer for haven't they? Championship Manager in all of its versions and guises has probably been responsible for the break-up of couples and arguments of friends and brothers alike all over the world. One would imagine that if the girlfriends of brother's Paul and Mark Collyer (the designers of CM) had danced naked in front of them, clutching carnations in their cleavages and promising to be "Your slave for the day", they would hardly have raised ... ...tweaks until the release of Championship Manager 3. You would think by now that they had done everything that it is possible to do to a football management sim - apart from allowing you to nip out for some half time coffee and a slice of orange, but when CM3 hit the shelves, it must have surpassed the expectations of even the Collyer twins themselves. Never before had us footie fans seen such a comprehensive and well, totally awesome football management ...
craiggy_boy 09.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Championship Manager 01/02 (PC)
Advantages: Great game, full of data and so much depth it is just like real life! Disadvantages: A little too addictive! No nice graphics of the games
Championship Manager is back with the latest addition with season 01-02 edition released earlier this month. The success of this title has become huge, changing from a small game by two brothers, to worldwide success and a big Internet base of fans. Why is it just a bigger success anyway though?
Championship Manager is a football management sim. In it you can take control of any team from a selection of 26 countries, and contains an active database ... ...top un official sites.
Championship Manager is about as close as I will ever come to football management. The fact is, it comes pretty dam close to real life. To lost all the features would be too long, and boring. In truth I probably could not do it, there is so much detail. Hundreds of voluntary researchers do work all year to get the stats right for their clubs, while programmers have added all the features a real life manager would have at his ...
Chris_Padden 25.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Championship Manager 01/02 (PC)
Advantages: Teams are very up to date. New features deepen the complexity. Disadvantages: None of the new stuff is particularly outstanding. As, always this game will damage all relationships and kill social lives.
I have to say that like a fan of The Beatles who saw them in Hamburg in 1961 I can claim to have been ahead of the crowd when it came to this game. I bought the original in 1993. It was a very different game then, a season took about an hour instead of the days it can take now. Transfers were very simple and it was relatively easy to take Cambridge United through the divisions to eventual European Cup glory. Oh yes, the future at The Abbey could ... ...gamble on a 15 year old schoolboy instead of appointing Gary Johnson! And so an addiction began, that has seen me through the gradual evolution of the game and see me look with an increasing amount of smugness at those for whom the 97-98 version is their first experience. The game has become unbelievably big. The 2000-1 version still features in the best sellers over a year after its release. The 2001-2 version came out on the 12th October and will ...
litebite 14.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Championship Manager 01/02 (PC)
Advantages: Great game, only £20 in shops Disadvantages: takes a LONG chunk of your day up
...the game of all games CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER.
It is not a beautiful graphical game, in fact many of its followers would go as far to say its an ugly game, but it is the simplicity of the layout, the abundance of statistics and overall male passion for the game that is known as Football. Now of course this is the newer release that requires extra processing power and memory so for all those budding to move a bit quicker you can have a go at the older ... ...they could do better. Championship manager 1 was created, Oh! If only they knew what they had started. It contained a text-based system in which you took over your favourite team in a bid for victory. The game was a new concept and was received well by local games magazines. The game (and games of that time) was built in BASIC so it was easy to edit and therefore hack.
In 1990 they were looking to find a publisher for their concept. Many were not ...
BadBoy 04.03.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Championship Manager 01/02 (PC)
Advantages: Unrivalled Football Management Simulation Disadvantages: Too Long-Winded for the Average Joe
...those who has stuck by Championship Manager from it's very beginning released by Domark, the very first version released some 15 years ago on the Amiga 500 which was a set of four 720 floppy disks.
In fact I still have the original version of this game on my Amiga 1200 which my father still plays to this very day - well, if that is not lasting power then someone please tell me what is!
The original game was based on the four english leagues 1st ... ...had crude attributes and statistics assigned to them. In fact the game only had 6 attributes per player.
This latest version of the game has extended the player information to roughly 40 attributes (visible). There are also hidden attributes such as current ability and potential. This is perfect for the serious football manager such as myself! If you are the type of person who just wants to play match after match based purely on a team of players ...
Wolfie1974 14.07.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Championship Manager 01/02 (PC)
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Advantages: The most realistic management sim available Disadvantages: The loading time can be unbearable at times
I brought this game wth high expectations. I wasnt disappointed because the actual game is everything you would expect and hope for. Improved interface, more features, updated player stats and lots more. The most notable improvement is the introduction of a 2D match engine.
All these new features keep the game miles ahead of its competitors (no other football management comes close) but the loading times are a nightmare (think that Southgate penalty and then some!) At times it hurts!
However that is likely to be because of the spped of my computer, its not exactly state of the art! (450mhz processor speed). If you know the speed of your computer I suggest you check the box for system requirements. If your system is slower than my 450mhz then I would suggest your try the championshipmanager01/02 version which includes a data editor ...
could be improved as I dont think it is a realistic as championshipmanager due to the vast detail and hardness of the game (eg I was sacked with Man Utd for finishing 2nd in the league)
and also due to the amount of time it can take reading your daily ea messages.
If you have championshipmanager then I would leave this game on the shel as that is without doubt the best management game available on the PC and shall be for some time - roll out ChampionshipManager 3 01-02 ...
Advantages: Realistic football simulation game ~ The best PC football game on the market. Disadvantages: Addictive ~ Lack of sleep ~ You can become an ANORAK
~ ChampionshipManager is the most complete football simulation game out there ~ No other football managerial game has been able to produce one success after another ~ ChampionshipManager still remains the top selling PC game in managerial football.
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ChampionshipManager 3
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Apart from the latest edition of ChampionshipManager01/02(will be buying it soon) I own all the others & so I have decided to write about ChampionshipManager 3, seeing that is the latest version that I have played. The objective of the game is to take control of any club from one of the 26 major leagues and attempt to guide your team to success by winning trophies. Once you embark upon your managerial career you control all aspects of the football club, such as;
? ~ Buying/selling players
? ~ Player contracts ...
