Football Manager 2010 Game
- Release date: October 2010
- Platform: PC/Mac/Playstation Portable
- Our rating: 90%
The Football Manager series is one that will continue to be top of the football and PC gaming charts as long as the developers can keep finding the time to release them. In this guide, we will explore Football Manager 2010 game in a bit more detail.
Development
Football manager 2010 was the first game to be solely released under the Football Manager name throughout the world. Previous to Football Manager 2010, the game was retailed in the east and the west as Worldwide Soccer Manager.
New Features
Of course, when you have a game series that has spanned across so many years you have to judge it based on its developments from the last version and here they are:
- Development of the 3D match Engine - One of the most obvious designs was the addition of the 3D match engine. The developments included additional animations, the ability to shout orders from the touchline and pitch degradation. This development was a hit because many players believed that the match-engine lacked realism; however, now for the first time, every game could be played with a decent 3D match setup.
- Developments to the game Editor - Those that used the previous version (09) of the editor would have been more than aware that the amount of 'in game' information you could alter was already quite large. However, for the first time with the 2010 game, players could create whole new leagues. This meant that you could create up to 20 tiers per league or even create a European Super league. This development really took off in the FM10 game and currently players are still retailing their own developments to the game.
- Upgrades - The main update of any football manager game is to modernize the leagues, players, transfers and stadiums, which Football Manager 2010 game successfully preformed without any issue.
Leagues and Cups
A Football Management game is only as successful as the leagues and cups that are on offer. Fortunately, Football Manager offers the most licensed leagues from any game by far. There are over 35 worldwide tournaments that can be participated in, and over 100 leagues that you can manage across.
Success
Just like every other year, upon release, Football Manager 2010 topped the PC Gaming charts and sold millions of copies around the world.
MetaCritic scored the game 87% which is a surprisingly high score for a game on this particular website. When you take into account that FM11 only scored 85% then you can see how highly MetaCritic rated this game.
Reception
As mentioned the game was well received by fans of the series without really making any substantial updates to the way that we play the game. Many people said that the game was not a step in the series but was rather an extremely well produced and developed upgrade from FM09. When you have as many fans as the football manager series then you are obviously doing something right, and it appears that the developers took the 'if it is not broke do not fix it approach' and kept the base of the game the same.
This received a welcome reception, even though some players of the game labelled the developers as scared to make any vast improvements, doubts that would be banished when they released FM11.
Verdict
Even though football manager 2010 did not make any 'structural' developments to the way we played the game, it did make strides to ensure that fans of the series stuck around until 2011. For many, if the football manager series continued to release the game with a new background and updates to players, transfers and stadiums then they would be more than happy.
Game Rating (out of 10)
Graphics - 7/10
Many players do not even recognise anything remotely graphically advanced on the game. The majority of players will run a quick game without any replays or the need for any 3D match engine; therefore, the game does not need to focus on graphical development. On the other hand, the one major upgrade focused on a 3D match engine, which could only fall in the graphics section. This is why the game received a seven rating.
Playability - 10/10
There are plenty of players who continue to play this game even though 2011 has been out for a while. Some will continue to make all the nessessary upgrades and play this game for years to come, because, as the majority of you will know, some of the developments on Football Manager 2011 did not go down well with all the players. It may be that this was the last game of what we would now consider an old fashioned approach.
Originality - 6/10
This game brought little to the table in terms of originality; however, one thing it did was to allow the user to make more changes to the game's database, which meant that if you had the time you could make the game more original for yourself.
Game Depth - 10/10
Regardless of if you start your game as a Serie C Italian team or Chelsea you are bound to get the same amount of attention to detail and this is why the game depth scores top marks. Many people do not know, but for the development of the 2010 version, SI employed hundreds of scouts to report back to them with player details for the lesser known leagues. This has made the game a market leader for its detail.
Addictiveness - 10/10
You will not rest until you have won everything in this game. Fortunately, even though the way the game is played can get a bit repetitive every game brings something different in terms of the outcome. Playing for the league cup and the Indonesian premier league are two separate competitions, which require two diverse sets of players and tactics. This keeps the game extremely addictive.
Value for Money - 9/10
When the 2011 version of the game was released, the price of FM10 plummeted as expected...You can now obtain a copy for little over £5, which is clearly a bargain. If you shell out an additional £5 then you can get the most up to date player patch as well.
Overall Rating - 90%
Football Manager 2010 is without a doubt the finest football manager simulation of our time. If you do not like the more recent updates of FM11 then this may be the last game that you can buy without these additions. This is why FM10 receives a ninety percent rating.
If you enjoy playing the Football Manager games then we also recommend you play the free online management game - Soccer-Manager where you can play against 1000's of other real opponents and win real cash prizes.
