Football Manager 2007
Encyclopedia
Football Manager 2007 is the third game in the Football Manager
series of football
management simulation games by Sports Interactive
, published by SEGA
. It was released for the PC
, Mac, Apple–Intel on 18 October 2006 with Xbox 360
and PSP
versions following in December 2006.
The game's developers claim that the new version includes over 100 new features as well as small adjustments and bug fixes but it is, essentially, the second seasonal update of Football Manager 2005
, following on from the successful Football Manager 2006
.
The PSP version of the game also included wireless multiplayer for the first time, and was named Football Manager Handheld.
A significant new addition is the ability to create a feeder club affiliation. This allows larger clubs to set up a relationships with a smaller club and vice versa. This can be used by users managing larger clubs to 'farm' out players to their feeder club to gain the first team experience that they are unable to get at higher levels. They both work together for mutual benefit, Smaller clubs can benefit from the ability of these players on loan deals, and can also receive financial help. The larger club may also profit from merchandising in the smaller club's country.
The smaller club may also benefit from lucrative friendly matches against their parent side, as well as getting "first option" on signing players that are to be released by the larger team. American and Chinese teams used as feeder clubs are generally known to be extremely lucrative to a parent club's income through merchandising.
Many fans had requested of SI the inclusion of feeder clubs in recent years, both on the official message boards and elsewhere. Fans of SI claim that the uncommonly close relationship between the design team and the players leads to the inclusion of such desired features.
The Vanilla demo is basic and only includes English language, and the English
league, with no kits, player photos, sound, graphics etc.
The Strawberry demo includes playable leagues for Brazil
, Denmark
, England, Finland
, France
, Italy
, Norway
, Portugal
, Scotland
, Spain
and Sweden
, many kits and player photos, and language support for many other regions.
On the other end, many fans have complained about the lack of options available in the data editor. Features like changing the colours of a kit, changing the amount of kits of one club, creating a club or a competition were removed. Also, an option to edit the feeder clubs is not available. In defense, the editor was created from scratch and there was not enough time to implement all of the features from the data editor in FM 2006. A patch has been released that deals with these editing problems and much more. Also, Football Manager 2007 lacks the "huge" database that was popular with a portion of fans, although it can be restored with an easy hack. The developers have stated that the removal of this size database was due to long-term games becoming unbalanced in numbers. The developers have told people who wish to have a "huge" database to utilize DDT retain player files or to select more leagues from different continents when starting a new game. There has also been an issue with the way club finances are calculated for example leaving teams with crippling debt despite making a profit.
Despite these qualms, however, the game received almost universal critical acclaim on release, with an average score of 88 on Metacritic. Gamespot described Football Manager 2007 as a "truly immersive football experience", while PC Gamer suggested that "no other game comes close.". Football Manager 2007 was also nominated for a Golden Joystick and won "The Gamers
Award at the BAFTA'S http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/10/24/bioshock-crackdown-win-big-at-bafta/.
for the game - 7.0.1 - was released on 30 November 2006. The patch is save game-compatible and fixes a wide range of issues. Due to quickly-discovered bugs, an updated version of the same patch was released seven days later.
for the game - 7.0.2 - was released on 21 February 2007. The patch is save game-compatible and fixes a wide range of issues. It also updates the database to include January 2007 transfers.
Football Manager
Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...
series of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
management simulation games by Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
, published by SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. It was released for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Mac, Apple–Intel on 18 October 2006 with Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
versions following in December 2006.
The game's developers claim that the new version includes over 100 new features as well as small adjustments and bug fixes but it is, essentially, the second seasonal update of Football Manager 2005
Football Manager 2005
Football Manager 2005 is a game in the Football Manager computer game series. It was developed by Sports Interactive and released on November 5, 2004, published by Sega....
, following on from the successful Football Manager 2006
Football Manager 2006
Football Manager 2006 is a game in the Football Manager series of football management simulation games. It is available for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and PSP platforms, and was released in the UK on October 21, 2005...
.
New Features
As a result of user feedback and continued evolution of the game in general, Sports Interactive has introduced over 100 new and revised features to Football Manager 2007. These include:- A new default GUIGraphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, created with the input of user feedback. The new interface is said by SI to be more user-friendly. - A revamped scouting engine, allowing for more realistic scouting of potential stars. including the ability for scouts to 'learn' from their experience. A "scout report card" is also included, in order to provide easier access to important, detailed information about scouting targets.
- Enhanced media interaction, including the ability to make comments on any player in the game world. In previous versions featuring media commentary, managers could only comment on other managers.
- An improved youth team system. The method for generating new players is completely revamped, with the older "regen" system - using recycled statistics from retired players - no longer in use.
- Pre-match team talks. Previously, only half-time and full-time team talks could be given. SI has also increased the half-time team talk functionality: managers can now target individual opposition players for special attention, such as instructing players to close them down or always to tackle them with force.
- A hints and tips screen appears when the game is being saved or loading is taking place.
- An option to ask your own team's players what staff (e.g. coaches, physios) or players they would like you to bring to the club has been added.
- Interactions with the board are improved. The board can authorise the building of new stadia. Clubs can be taken over by a group of investors, who may opt to fire the manager (a player may get sacked in the process).
- The manager, as well as NPCsNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
, can comment on referees' decisions, which are not always correct.
The PSP version of the game also included wireless multiplayer for the first time, and was named Football Manager Handheld.
Feeder Clubs
The smaller club may also benefit from lucrative friendly matches against their parent side, as well as getting "first option" on signing players that are to be released by the larger team. American and Chinese teams used as feeder clubs are generally known to be extremely lucrative to a parent club's income through merchandising.
Many fans had requested of SI the inclusion of feeder clubs in recent years, both on the official message boards and elsewhere. Fans of SI claim that the uncommonly close relationship between the design team and the players leads to the inclusion of such desired features.
Demo
On Saturday, September 30, 2006 a demo of the game was released in four different versions: Strawberry and Vanilla for both Mac and Windows.The Vanilla demo is basic and only includes English language, and the English
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
league, with no kits, player photos, sound, graphics etc.
The Strawberry demo includes playable leagues for Brazil
Football in Brazil
Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament a record 5 times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only team to succeed in qualifying for every World Cup competition ever held. It is among the favourites to win...
, Denmark
Football in Denmark
Association football is the national sport of Denmark, with 342,955 players and 1,647 clubs registered under the Danish FA.- League system :The top 4 levels in Denmark are governed by the Danish Football Association...
, England, Finland
Football in Finland
Football in Finland, unlike in most European countries, is not the most popular spectator sport, as it falls behind ice hockey, which enjoys a huge amount of popularity in the country. Football tops ice hockey in the number of registered players and as a popular hobby...
, France
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...
, Italy
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
, Norway
Football in Norway
Football is the most popular sport in Norway in terms of active membership . The Football Association of Norway was founded in 1902 and the first international match was played in 1908. There are 1,822 registered football clubs and about 25,000 teams...
, Portugal
Football in Portugal
- History :Football started to gain popularity in Portugal in the late 19th century, brought by Portuguese students who returned from England.right|250px|thumb...
, Scotland
Football in Scotland
Association football is the national sport in Scotland and highly popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite...
, Spain
Football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the national governing body and it organizes La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spain national football team, current champion of the FIFA World Cup...
and Sweden
Football in Sweden
In Sweden, the most popular sport is association football, with over 240,000 licensed players—of which 56,000 are women—plus another 240,000 youth players. There are around 3,200 active clubs fielding over 8,500 teams, which are playing on the 7,900 pitches available in the country...
, many kits and player photos, and language support for many other regions.
Reaction
The game has been met with mixed reaction at release. Many fans are delighted with the faster gameplay, smoother graphics and scrolling, a cleaner data editor, accurate squads, realistic scouting, and generally, the more immersive world.On the other end, many fans have complained about the lack of options available in the data editor. Features like changing the colours of a kit, changing the amount of kits of one club, creating a club or a competition were removed. Also, an option to edit the feeder clubs is not available. In defense, the editor was created from scratch and there was not enough time to implement all of the features from the data editor in FM 2006. A patch has been released that deals with these editing problems and much more. Also, Football Manager 2007 lacks the "huge" database that was popular with a portion of fans, although it can be restored with an easy hack. The developers have stated that the removal of this size database was due to long-term games becoming unbalanced in numbers. The developers have told people who wish to have a "huge" database to utilize DDT retain player files or to select more leagues from different continents when starting a new game. There has also been an issue with the way club finances are calculated for example leaving teams with crippling debt despite making a profit.
Despite these qualms, however, the game received almost universal critical acclaim on release, with an average score of 88 on Metacritic. Gamespot described Football Manager 2007 as a "truly immersive football experience", while PC Gamer suggested that "no other game comes close.". Football Manager 2007 was also nominated for a Golden Joystick and won "The Gamers
Award at the BAFTA'S http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/10/24/bioshock-crackdown-win-big-at-bafta/.
Patch 7.0.1
The first patchPatch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
for the game - 7.0.1 - was released on 30 November 2006. The patch is save game-compatible and fixes a wide range of issues. Due to quickly-discovered bugs, an updated version of the same patch was released seven days later.
Patch 7.0.2
The second patchPatch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
for the game - 7.0.2 - was released on 21 February 2007. The patch is save game-compatible and fixes a wide range of issues. It also updates the database to include January 2007 transfers.
External links
Below is a list of several external resources which contain various features relating to the Football Manager scene (both official and unofficial) such as patches, articles and downloads.Official
- FootballManager.net - Official game website from SEGA and Sports Interactive
- Sega Europe - Sega's site showing a brief summary of the game.
- SIGames.com - Official Sports Interactive website
- Myspace - Official Sports Interactive Myspace Page