Football Manager is more than a game; it’s a way of life. Just ask the authors of Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession. That’s right. This is a game that takes over your life, just like your love of the beautiful game.
It’s certainly an immersive experience, one that gets better year after year. Football Manager 2014 is an absolute gem, offering something for casual, and as you might expect, hardcore fans. The developer claims that FM 14 is “the most realistic simulation of football management ever released.” And we have to agree with the statement wholeheartedly. It’s hard to believe it got better from 2013, but it did indeed do better in a whole lot of areas.
From a technical perspective, we have over 1,000 “improvements and enhancements” from last year’s edition. From a cloud save option to Linux expansion, the SI team got the job done on paper. But we know that gameplay is paramount and that experience is still second to none.
Tactics are better. The transfers are more realistic. Interaction with the board and scouts was also improved. Even the match engine got a tune up.
The sheer number of teams and leagues in the game is still absolutely mind-boggling. You can play in an emerging league like MLS or go to battle with the big boys in the EPL. They literally have everything in between as well. It’s your choice and you honestly can’t go wrong.
The one thing I love about FM 14 is the options. You can spend an hour with the game or the whole day. There’s an option for both and it is fun either way.
Football Manager allows us to step away from the doldrums of everyday life and become a real manager for a moment, allowing us to live a dream that might be out of reach.
It can’t possible get better than Football Manager 2014. But wait. Didn’t we see that last year? Let’s not make that mistake again and just wait to see what Sports Interactive has in store for next year. And maybe your mother (or your significant other) was wrong when they said playing games won’t pay off. Just ask the guy that used Football Manager on his resume. That must have been some interview.
