Oh well, thought I'd pop by to see how all you folks are doing :)
Kate is now 9 months old and is...
Oh well, thought I'd pop by to see how all you folks are doing :)
Kate is now 9 months old and is a little darling :)
Member since:08.11.2000
Reviews:285
Members who trust:348
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.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
:o Steven Gerrard £50 million??!!!! He's a fantastic player Brian but he isn't Figo ;):P. Seriously though, as usual a cracking op, have only just got this version of CM as was still hooked on 00/01, but it's a worthy upgrade - the manager notes tool in particular is very handy. Nice one, and Happy New Year!
AlexanderTheGreat 03.11.2001 14:31
I've been playing CM for the last 5-6 years and I eagerly waited for the new version. I don't think it's much better than the previous one and I realized that the database for other leagues has many errors. However, your opinion was very informative. Well done!
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: £1.94 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: 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.
Advantages: Realistic football simulation game ~ The best PC football game on the market. Disadvantages: Addictive ~ Lack of sleep ~ You can become an ANORAK
very helpful by (100%):
