FIFA Manager 08

Play as a football team manager, trading players, dealing with finances and handling the drama of a glamorous lifestyle

Fifa Manager of 2008 is the entry of that year in a franchise that's been going on for a few years now and they've learned enough from past entries to make an excellent game. Fifa Manager 2008 really excels at giving the player the entire scope of what a manager has to deal with, with the financial, social and player aspects of the job being simulated in a very neat package. Like any other sports game, the roster of teams, players and leagues is realistic and up to date for the 2008 season and fans of football will be able to manage their favorite teams and attempt to recruit their favorite players. All in all, for this type of game, Fifa Manager 2008 is a very good package.

Game Play

Fifa Manager 2008 excels in details and letting you play as the manager that you want to be. When starting, select your appearance, size of family and what hobbies you're interested in. All of this has some in game impact, as personality and interests may effect your social standing and contacts. There are a ton of details to worry about, but not to worry, the game gives you assistants to do the things that you're not interested in handling. Opening up some of the more advanced options, however, the presentation tends to get a little confusing. Still, over the 2007 title, advances have been made to scouting, recruiting and training. A new feature as well is the ability to watch and even participate in a 3D match with your team. This isn't a football simulator however, and the playable match is not the game's forte.

Presentation

This game looks great, most of the time. Some of the advanced menus when dealing with statistics and finances can get confusing as the data is only presented in spreadsheets and all the info you need can't necessarily be shown in one screen. Otherwise the game looks and plays great, for a 2008 title, and the the entire package is extremely polished and complete. The ability to watch a full 3D match is a great improvement over the 2D and text based matches of previous titles. All the licensed content is a huge draw for football fans.

Pros

• Great selection licensed teams, players and leagues
• Granular selection of what aspects of management you want to focus on
• Full 3d watchable matches

Cons

• Confusing and messy screens to manage some aspects of the game