Football Manager 2010 is a highly realistic soccer management sim that proves to be very addictive.
One of the areas that's most improved in Football Manager 2010 is the match engine. The 3D view has been polished up considerably, with 100 new player animations, and more realistic player behaviors.
Touches in Football Manager 2010, such as the fact that the pitch cuts up and degrades over the course of a game, and the fact that the weather conditions can change during matches, means you have even more to think about while a match is in progress. For instance, players may get tired quicker or become injured due to adverse conditions. Thankfully, the number of in-game touchline instructions has been ramped up, with 22 different commands now available.
Football Manager 2010 improves upon its already fantastic tactics functions. The tactics creation module, known as the Tactics Creator, lets you tweak the strategy, the team philosophy, and the individual role of players with incredible precision. Analysis of matches in Football Manager 2010 is more in-depth too, with the ability to assess shots, passes, crosses, headers, tackles, fouls and interceptions in every game.
As per usual, Football Manager 2010 includes a database of leagues, teams and players that the CIA would be proud of. The game is fully licensed and allows you to play in the major leagues from around the World, with access to a dizzying array of facts and figures on all the players. If you're still not satisfied and want to play in a different league then take advantage of the powerful new data editor within Football Manager 2010.
Sports Interactive has also ramped up the off-field features within Football Manager 2010, giving you a host of new features such as RSS feeds with latest news, realistic press conferences, and the chance to converse with other players on forums.
Best of all, Football Manager 2010 is easier to play the the previous version, ditching the side bar navigation of old in favor of a more intuitive, tab-based system. What's more, you can choose from either a black or a white skin.
There's no doubt that Football Manager 2010 is the most comprehensive, fully-featured version of this legendary sim. The trouble with this is, it often feels like a full-time job with so many things to take into consideration. Install this demo and wave goodbye to your social life!
Note, that the latest version, Football Manager 2011 is now available. Check out our review, here.
Pros
Excellent 3D match engine
Tactics creator
Data editor
Helpful user interface
Stats, stats, and more stats
Cons
Becomes a bit overwhelming
