When games developer Sports Interactive signed a deal with publisher Eidos way back to launch a footie management game, few in the industry believed it'd be a success story due to its text based commentary and limited visual flair.
But pundits aren’t always right. The game went on to become a massive success and Eidos laughed all the way to bank.
After splitting with their publisher, Sports Interactive began work developing Football Manager with Sega, while Eidos brought in a new team to continue work on new versions of Championship Manager.
It’s now widely accepted that Football Manager is the better of the two, but Championship Manager is still a force and this PSP version is the first such title to be released on the handheld.
They say:
PSW Magazine: “Perhaps the biggest noticeable improvements are the 2D matches, which now resemble something akin to Premiership quality football.”
Boomtown: “While Gusto Games did a great job, they certainly didn’t rethink much of the core game or added features that appeal specifically to the hardcore community.”
We say:
You can’t fail to be impressed that developer Gusto Games have managed to squeeze an entire PC game as comprehensive as this into Sony’s handheld system.
It’s not a cut down version as many expected, but the full game with everything CM fans have come to know and love.
You can manage any team in the 55 leagues spread across 12 countries. A mouth watering prospect for any soccer fan, although there are some obvious absences. If you choose a squad outside main football countries such as England and Spain, you’ll discover missing teams such as the Danish league featuring 8 teams rather than 12.
Niggles aside, Gusto have done a great job in replicating the view from the dug out. You get to control almost every aspect of running a footballing side from setting up each player’s tactics in your team to telling them what feeds and runs you want.
The much applauded match engine from the PC game is also here, featuring a 2D pitch with stick figures so you can see how individual players are doing. Text commentary is still present – you’ll feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when your striker is close to firing into the back of the net with only seconds remaining on the clock.
A new Quick Result feature means you don’t have to sit through an entire game to get the score. It takes away some of the fun, but is invaluable if you’re short on seconds.
Gusto has managed to make CM every bit as playable as its PC counterpart. Loading times are near non-existent, so you will never be left waiting. And, thanks to the PSP’s crisp and clear screen, large amounts of text never raise any issues.
Football Manager is being developed for a PSP release later this year. If this proves as good as its PC brother then it will take the honours from CM. But for now, CM is a the champ for all PSP-owning soccer fanboys.
FORMATS
PSP
POSTED...
Sat 8 Apr 2006 at 11:03am
