Rating: 8/10
Like them or loath them, the FIFA series of games from EA Sports are without a doubt the best-known games based on the beautiful game. Personally, I have always been more of a Pro Evolution Soccer man myself (wise choice - DepEd), though this title belongs to the sister FIFA Manager series. As you have probably guessed, in this game you take on the role of manager at the football team of your choice, and make decisions about tactics, signings, contracts and so on. Players of the famous Championship Manager series will feel instantly at home, though the presentation of FIFA Manager is typical of EA at their best, and makes even Sky Sports look slapdash.
There are more teams and players in FIFA manager than you could ever possibly need and, as you would expect, they are all officially licensed. The level to which you control the destiny of your club is very customisable, with you being able to delegate more mundane tasks such as finances, reserve teams and advertising contracts to other staff. If you really wanted to, you could actually hand control of everything over to your minions and just be a spectator, though this doesn't strike me as particularly productive or entertaining.
As usual, I took control of my favourite team, Queens Park Rangers, and embarked on the long gruelling task to take them back to the premiership where they belong, and ultimately to European glory. As with most football management titles, the game consists mostly of menus, with hundreds of different parameters to change, all of which really seem to make a real difference to the outcome. For example, when signing players, you can change everything from their salary to relegation clauses and fees should another club approach them. Regardless of what I offered them, however, Raul, Ronaldo and Thierry Henry all seemed reluctant to join Loftus Road!
Watching the matches can either be done via a text-based interface, reminiscent of the Championship Manager series, or you can use the swanky spinny-rotatey FIFA Soccer inspired 3D engine. I highly recommend the latter, since you get to enjoy watching your new signings in action, follow the progress with commentary and take control of tactics, formations and so on when required. The speed can be adjusted from near real-time, to greatly speeded up (more useful), depending on your preference.
The more you play FIFA Manager, the more you appreciate the efforts EA has gone to in an effort to produce a slick, fun management title that still has enough depth to keep the hardcore fans happy. Whilst most of it is predominantly good, there are a few minor niggles. Occasionally results are slightly different to the outcome shown in the 3D display - for example a goal can be scored but never seen. Also, the defence borders on the ridiculous at times, and seeing your £8,000,000 goalkeeper kick balls into his own net does get a little trying. Nevertheless, FIFA Manager 06 is a VERY good stab at the management genre by EA, and if you are a management game fan, this should be at the top of your shopping list.
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