Fans of Sports Interactive’s (SI) highly acclaimed Football Manager Series beware! The latest season of the franchise, Football Manager 2008 (FM 2008) is back with a vengeance and we at UrbanWire guarantee that it’ll leave you glued to the computer screens for hours on end.

Proclaimed by its developers as “the most realistic football management simulation ever”, the game basically follows this sequence.

Step 1: You control the football club of your choice.

Step 2: You manage it just like a real-life manager would, with the same financial implications.

Step 3: Hopefully you can bring glory to the club or avoid getting the sack.

Nonetheless, FM 2008 isn’t just a spruced-up update, although it does continue where the 2006/07 season left off, with an updated list of the who’s who in the world of football.

Yes, they’ve even managed to install Avram Grant as Chelsea’s new manager, although we’ll leave you to judge whether the former Portsmouth technical director is really as good as his stats imply.

Managerial Overhaul

The most notable change about FM 2008 is definitely its look and feel, stemming from the developers’ decision to depart from the game’s traditional green skin to a stylish white and its improved navigational functionality.

In short, the game looks more appealing and is much easier to play.

Best Five of the New Features

Besides the skins, the game has over 100 new features this time. And while it’d be great to list every one of them; FM 2009 will probably be released by the time we’re through.

With that in mind, UrbanWire has decided to list just five of FM 2008’s most prominent new and improved features.

1. Financial Meltdown Averted

In FM 2008, the financial aspect of the game has been improved to meet the ever-changing needs of the football world.

According to Miles Jacobson on the game’s official website, Studio Director at SI, “More information is available to the manager too, including, but not limited to, corporate match-day income, season ticket news, investment funds, improved sponsorships, collective win bonuses and the ability to move around funds from the wage budget and transfer budget (and vice versa) at any point to help you in your quest for the ideal squad.”

Now there’s no longer a valid excuse to blame the accountant if you’ve caused a mini financial crisis with your dealings.

2. Transfer Centre

Basically it’s the one-stop centre for all your transfer needs. Now you’ll be kept updated about the ongoings of all your transfer dealings, allowing you to make decisions about transfers easily.

So don’t worry if you can’t figure out where you’ve sent all your budding stars on loan to! The Transfer Centre keeps track of everything!

3. You Really love me…

You can now measure exactly how confident your board of directors or fans are of your performance as manager of their beloved football club, and their views aren’t just confined to the pitch.

Their opinions extend to areas such as transfers and financial handling of the club as well. If only David O’Leary had such a tool he’d probably have thought twice before spending ?8 million ($24 million) on a dud like Seth Johnson back when he was manager of then Premier League giants Leeds United.

4. The Media has landed

The Football Manager Series has always factored in the media. But in FM 2008, they’ve up the ante.

Expect the media to constantly pepper you with questions regarding key incidents that happen during the course of the match, such as controversial penalties. It’s up to you to answer them in the manner you see fit, but be careful. Too much criticism of the referees can lead to a touchline ban from the Football Association and a reprimand from the board of directors.

5. Your team grows on you

In FM 2008, you can create the faces of your young players who’ve made it through the youth team and watch them grow over time. Okay, it’s not really a useful tool but you’ve got to admit, it’s relatively fun to see how the younglings turn out.

Kick Off

Sure there are still the usual pre-match team talks that players can use to inspire their team. However this time, the game’s pre-match sequence also involves a pre-match (and later post-match) media analysis to look through as well as a chance to make any last minute tactical changes.

The gameplay during a match still retains the game’s signature 2D match engine which shows how the game is progressing.

However, with FM 2008, you won’t be able pause the game to make the necessary changes to your team like before. Instead, every decision will be made in real-time, with the clock continuing to race as sweat beads down your forehead while you contemplate your next move.

If you’re thinking you can’t see how your team’s doing while you’re busy making match-winning decisions, don’t worry! There’s a mini-match engine that’ll keep you updated.

Meeting the Transfer Requirements

While its rudimentary sound and lack of jaw-dropping graphics counts against it, it’s ultimately the sense of realism and attention to detail that matter most in FM 2008. And in this case, it delivers superbly, coupled with the stylistic enhancements as well. It’s fair to say that many football fans will most definitely be spending hours addicted to the game, trying to become the next virtual Jose Mourinho AKA The Special One.

Platform: PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sports Interactive
Genre: Sports Simulation

Score:

Graphics: 5/10
Sound: 5/10
Plot: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Addictive Rating: 10/10
Overall Rating: 9/10