Football Manager Live Review

By Martin Korda Published 20 January, 2009

Massively multimanager.

After what's felt like the longest beta test in history, Sports Interactive's MMO management game finally kicks off in earnest this week. For the uninitiated, here's the deal: Football Manager Live is a simplified and more accessible online version of the Football Manager series. Much of the detailed micromanagement has been stripped out, and replaced with fun community features that aim to add momentum to the series' legendary addictive qualities. Oh, and there's a monthly subscription, which is paid in advance for three (GBP 22.99), six (GBP 43.99) or twelve (GBP 72.99) months as part of the purchase price from the Football Manager Live website.

One of the most striking differences between FM Live and the series to date is in how squads are formed and players purchased. Once you've signed up, submitted your team name and picked the kit that you think will make your players look imposing, you're given the opportunity to manually select a squad from a gargantuan pool of real-life players. As we've come to expect from Football Manager games, the selection is exhaustive, so if you're feeling a little overawed, you can have the game automatically pick a squad for you. However, there's a catch. A minuscule wage budget prevents you from stocking up on marquee superstars, meaning you'll start out with a bunch of grafters you've probably never heard of.

To bolster your squad, you're going to have to start wheeling and dealing. You do this via an auction system that's a bit like eBay. When a player is put up for sale, you and your fellow managers have a predefined time limit to lodge bids. When the deadline arrives, the highest bidder gets to stand next to the player while holding aloft the club's flag and waving vacantly at the cameras. Battling it out in the transfer market is surprisingly addictive, and you'll even find yourself logging on at 3am to check that no one has gazumped your bids. But the transfer list isn't the only way to bolster your squad. Any player not already signed to a team is subject to wage auctions: a 24-hour bidding period during which any manager can offer the player the weekly wage they deem appropriate (or necessary) to sign them.

'Football Manager Live' Screenshot 1

You can customise your home and away kits when setting up your team.

Once your squad is ready, you can use an intuitive match-finding tool to track down an opponent. Depending on how many players are online (and how anal your match requirements are), this can take anything from two seconds to ten minutes. When an opponent has been found, you're given five minutes to submit your team sheet and tactics.

Diehard Football Manager fans may want to look away now. FM Live starts out as a pretty threadbare tactical experience, as you must first learn new skills to unlock tactical options. Want to use a playmaker and target man? Then you'll have to learn both skills by selecting them in the Skills menu, and waiting until they're unlocked.

Learning a new skill can take anywhere between twenty minutes and several days. You can choose to specialise in a specific skill category (Fast Learner, Club Doctor, Blackboard Manager, Tracksuit Manager, Talent Spotter or Strictly Business) or opt to become a jack-of-all-trades. While the need to unlock new tactical options and bonuses is initially more irritating than a scrotal rash in summer, this RPG-style system does slowly make a case for itself, adding depth and longevity while allowing newcomers to slowly learn the finer points of match-day tactics.

'Football Manager Live' Screenshot 2

While there are plenty of tactical options, there aren't as many as in FM 2009.

Once you and your opponent have finished setting up your teams, you get to watch a series of match highlights. Unlike Football Manager 2009, Football Manager Live doesn't use Sports Interactive's new 3D match engine, instead sticking to the more traditional 2D view. Again, this is a minor disappointment, but the truth is that this return to 2D does nothing to hinder matches, thanks to the engine's stunningly realistic depiction of football. Match highlights often strike the perfect balance between excitement and tension while always providing you with enough information to discern where your team is struggling, and what changes need to be made.

Each match typically lasts between ten and fifteen minutes, depending on which of the three match speeds you and your opponent agree to use. This means you can play several games in a very short space of time, allowing you to dip in and out of FM Live for a quick match, rather than having to spend hours endangering your marriage to play a single, protracted game.

Substitutions and tactical tweaks can be made at any time, although with only a limited number of Time Outs per team most of your tweaks will need to be made in real time. Thankfully a mini pitch view on the tactics screen lets you keep an eye on the action. Any enforced substitutions trigger an extra one-minute hiatus. There's a genuine sense that your tactical changes make a difference to the way your team plays, which can make for some thrilling cat-and-mouse matches if you're up against a tactically savvy opponent. You're free to converse with your opposite number during a match thanks to some decent chat options, though it seems most players' idea of banter consists of 'gg', 'gl' and 'wp'. Who said conversation was dead?

The irritation of the regular and severe player injuries that blighted Football Manager 2009 on its release, and which was so prominent during FM Live's beta phase, has thankfully been dealt with. If a squad member does pick up a knock, you're informed of how long their real-time recovery will be, ranging from an hour to a couple of days. Such speedy recuperation is possible thanks to the game's impressive pace, with each season lasting four weeks, three of which are spent taking part in competitions, and one acting as a pre-season.

Along with the numerous official league and cup competitions - some of which you're automatically entered into - you can also set up your own league or cup and invite your mates, or throw down a challenge to anyone on your server. Once a competition gets under way, each match is allocated a date by which it must be played, otherwise the most active manager gets to play the game against an AI opponent. This keeps the game moving at an excellent pace and makes for some thrilling contests. And if you don't succeed in one season, there's always another one just around the corner.

'Football Manager Live' Screenshot 3

Apparently he plays for Le Havre.

Achieve success in a competition and you're rewarded with cash and ranking points. The higher your rank, the more money you earn on a daily basis. Your successes are also rewarded with achievement badges, awarded to you when your team attains certain levels of excellence. Every time you're awarded a badge you're informed of how many other managers have earned it, enabling you to compare your prowess against your rivals. The sense of reward throughout the game is first class.

One of Sports Interactive's key aims with the development of Football Manager Live was to make the game accessible to newcomers yet still engrossing for existing FM fans. It's fairly successful, although FM Live does struggle at times to reconcile two such divergent audiences. The look of the game and its navigation system is typically FM, although menus and screens lack the sheen of Football Manager 2009 and often look overly text-heavy and unwelcoming. The stripped-down managerial options - there are no media bods to contend with and no board to appease - also suggest that FM Live may struggle in the longevity department, as the quick-fire seasons can result in a whiff of repetition. However, this is offset by the game's excellent pace, superb match realism and fiendishly addictive transfer options.

'Football Manager Live' Screenshot 4

Match highlights use the 2D engine rather than Football Manager 2009's new 3D perspective.

There's also a suspicion that casual players will struggle to compete with more committed FM Live enthusiasts, with those entering a server late or simply lacking enough time to play every day likely to miss out on the best players, who are quickly snapped up. None of these problems prevent FM Live from being highly engaging and addictive, they're just worth bearing in mind before shelling out GBP 72.99 for the game and a year's subscription. I'd recommend opting for the GBP 22.99 three-month option to start off with.

Football Manager Live has been worth the prolonged wait. Sports Interactive has massive experience in creating single-player management games, but this is the developer's first stab at an MMO - and for the most part, it's a genuine success. While it never quite scales the heady heights of the single-player games, it's still an experience that every Football Manager fan should try, while budding managers intimidated by the demands of Football Manager 2009 are likely to find this a much more enjoyable and accessible entry point to the world of management.

8 / 10

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About Martin Korda

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Comments (61) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • gohda #1 3 years ago

    First yay

  • coastal #2 3 years ago

    if i had more time maybe, but FM feels a very personal relationship with a database - one i can't share.

  • dsmx #3 3 years ago

    It seems a little pricey.

  • evilkaz #4 3 years ago

    Good review.
    Just want to point out that buying the retail version of the game comes with a 4 Month subscription, and given that you can pick up a copy from Play for £18, it seems not too bad.
    I dont think i can justify paying £10 a month for it afterwards though!

  • coach_mcguirk #5 3 years ago

    I was on the beta fairly late, and to be frank I didn't know what the hell was going on. If this is simplified, it's probably a good thing I haven't played the offline game since it first changed to Football Manager.

  • aphexstwin #6 3 years ago

    yyyyyyaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnn.

    eeeeh sorry im tired.

    nah, footballs hardly the most entertaining sport in the world (fell asleep watching the mersey derby) so the management aspect is not for me.

    for those that like it, im sure its right up your street, but not mine im afraid

  • Cannibal #7 3 years ago

    The RPG style learning of tactics is MEGA annoying. I shouldn't need to spend days working on a stat just to tell my team to boot it up to the tall guy up front.

    It is a bit too pricey at the moment for what it is. I think I will wait for some improvements before committing to it.

    In built VOIP chat would be a nice addition to combat those "gg wp" folks. I could imagine VOIP ending up being very social, having a bit of banter about the premier league or whatever while you thrash each other senseless.

    If Sports Interactive are smart, they should bundle this with FM 2010 when it comes out. That way, all the regular players will have it and the temptation to fork out the subscription fee will be even higher since they physically possess it.

  • hiddenranbir #8 3 years ago

    Think it requires more attention than Eve?

    I spend enough hours on FM as it is. And that has no deadline pressures!

  • sickpuppysoftware #9 3 years ago

    I was on one of the earlier betas and whilst it was fun I just couldn't spare the time required to get the most out of it. Same as pretty much every MMO.

  • levitate #10 3 years ago

    I'm picking this up on Friday. Screw all other fantasy games, it's back to football basic for me!

  • Evil_Genius_MJC #11 3 years ago

    I played on Beta for a long time and only left when 3 servers went bump and we had no game to play for a month with very little info. fed down to us, Lost the whole team and was asked to start again, this was OK when it was a free Beta but I wouldn't be happy if it happened 6 months into a yearly subscription, the only other annoying problem was the "AI" games, It was well understood amongst the Beta testers that the AI managed your team extremely well so often managers wouldn't play their games which left you frustrated waiting to finish fixtures and then you had to play against the computer which was like going head to head with a robot Alex Ferguson.

  • DFawkes #12 3 years ago

    I'm only a casual management fan, so I don't think I could justify the expenditure when Hattrick is free and gives me everything I want from a football management game.

    Still looks nice though, but it's too much for my tastes.

  • mkreku #13 3 years ago

    Wow.. I was going to ask if this is out on Mac but then I saw the subscription price.. Not interested!

  • rhubarbandcustard #14 3 years ago

    I love football, its our national sport, etc, etc.

    But...

    fans of the game should walk away from the sport completely and let the money train derail. Our clubs will always survive but I would never pay current ticket prices to watch some of the richest people in the country swanning about on a football pitch.

    Most of them couldn't give a toss anyway.

    Also, monthly fees for a game? Piss off. Seriously. Piss off.

  • Dazimus #15 3 years ago

    I was in the beta and while it was fun, it did require a lot of time which kinda put me off. And the pricing is the final straw, just WAY too expensive.

  • skillian #16 3 years ago

    Looks like the pricing has put everyone off, myself included. I just can't justify that kind of expenditure.

  • levitate #17 3 years ago

    What a bunch of whiny buggers you are. "Can't justify" bla bla. I bet you've been paying for WoW or any other MMO for months or even years without as much as a twitch, and now you can't "justify" this? Fair enough if you don't enjoy football, but otherwise this is probably the best that has happened to the current MMO circus.

  • mr_chiquita #18 3 years ago

    I started on the beta last February... I've been playing pretty much every night since then for nearly a year.

    If that's not an endorsement I don't know what is. I don't think I've ever played a game so much.

    This review only scratches the surface.

    It's an ever evolving world, that is refreshed by the people who play and the way players are regenerated. There's no set way to play. You can go for the top of the rankings by trying to buy loads of overpaid prima donnas, you can concentrate on youth development... you can have a team of Daves.

    And the game is constantly being updated. For example, stadium building is being added (possibly this week) and each club now has fans.

    The only thing I would say is that you have to be in it for the long haul. There's no automatically taking your favourite team to back to back Champions League titles after a week... they joy is in the gradual building of a team from scratch. I found it OK I always play FM with a crappy team in the scottsih lower divisions... but some people do struggle with the lack of quick success.

    Overall I honestly couldn't recommend the game more.

    (The 'hard working' KC Milan of Clough gameworld)


  • normannormal #19 3 years ago

    People keep talking about the price, it's in line with other MMOs if you pay full whack from SEGA, but if you buy the boxed copy from Play for 17.99 for 4 months subscription, that's £4.50 per month, and a years gameplay for £54. When you compare that to a console game for 39.99 which will give you 10 hours single player and 50 hours multiplayer I think it's good value.

  • X201 #20 3 years ago

    The RPG style of learning skills IS the correct thing for the game.

    It makes you make a decision as a player. Learn coaching skills and not bother with tactics, or learn Scouting skills and not bother with coaching. I could learn Financial skills to earn more money but I really need to learn coaching to improve my players.

    Its the factor that creates the difference between players. I have spent the last 23 days Leaning Level 5 Scouting which will now give me access to Judging Potential so that I can see which players have the potential to make it big and which players aren't worth bothering with. During that 23 days other players have been learning other skills and are better than me at those.

    Soon when the existing household name players are gone and regenerated players start appearing, I think my Judging Potential skill will come into its own.

  • Ikari2001 #21 3 years ago

    i enjoyed the beta when i started on it, I took a good hour picking my first squad, enjoyed some initial success for the first 4 weeks... but then I went on holiday. when I cam back, my sqaud had been crippled by vultures picking off those players i couldnt protect (last i knew u could auto resign a set number of players at the end of their contracts) ...i really did try to put in the time to rebuild the squad, but I started spending less and less time playing... and my team slowly dropped down the rankings...

    personally, i dont have the time to play this game. it's good... but maybe not for me :p

  • X201 #22 3 years ago

    @Ikari2001
    Yeah, the losing players thing is a pain (lost my keeper, who had also scored 7 goals for me via free kicks). But it works like it does for a reason.

    You can protect 5 players in your squad, that is you give them an auto-extension to their contract and no other team can poach them. All other players are available to the team who is willing to pay them the highest wages.

    It stops teams hoarding all the best players and it also stops managers hoarding their money in order to have a big splurge and buy all the best players and in effect "buy" the league title.

    Its an attempt at keeping the playing field fairly level.



    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 10:38

  • marcduffy #23 3 years ago

    With regards to the price, as mentioned near the top the boxed version onsale this Friday comes with 4 months included so if you are concerned at our pricing strategy perhaps buying this will be a perfect starting point and the game will suck you in to carry on subscribing. There are some retailers offering the game for around £15 at the moment.

  • skillian #24 3 years ago

    What a bunch of whiny buggers you are. "Can't justify" bla bla. I bet you've been paying for WoW or any other MMO for months or even years without as much as a twitch, and now you can't "justify" this? Fair enough if you don't enjoy football, but otherwise this is probably the best that has happened to the current MMO circus.

    Kind of the opposite for me - I've never played MMOs, partly because of the monthly fee. I'm a big football fan, and play Fantasy Football and Pro Evo regularly, but even this isn't enough for me to accept getting a monthly bill for my gaming like I do with my mobile phone or electricity.

    To be honest though, I'm just a tight-arse and I don't begrudge anyone who feels this is decent value for money ;)

  • marcduffy #25 3 years ago

    X201 : We're also adding new skills all the time with our 'constant development' model. In a few weeks time we're introducing stadiums to the game and you'll be able to construct a work of art for your club to cater for your prawn sandwich brigade ... or you could satisfy the demands of the hard core fans and put in some terracing.
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 11:20

  • marcduffy #26 3 years ago

    skillian : Why not give the box copy a go and take us up on the 4 months and see if you like it then?

  • skillian #27 3 years ago

    @marcduffy

    That's a good plan, and I might well do that.

    I have a couple of friends who already have the game pre-ordered and I'll likely get their opinion on it first, as with a game like this I wouldn't rely on just this website's view (sorry EG).

    As it's available for a fair price, the game seems good value even if I only end up playing for four months.

  • marcduffy #28 3 years ago

    skillian : I think at that price it would be wrong not to give the game a try :) Good luck!

    Check out http://manual. footballmanagerlive.com for a very comprehensive look at the game.

  • X201 #29 3 years ago

    @marcduffy
    I know. I've been been playing it (badly) for the last month and a half.
    You're selling to the converted :)

    Level 5 Scouting finally finishes at 13:43 this afternoon \o/

    Edited by 2 at 20/01/09 @ 11:24

  • levitate #30 3 years ago

    Kind of the opposite for me - I've never played MMOs, partly because of the monthly fee. I'm a big football fan, and play Fantasy Football and Pro Evo regularly, but even this isn't enough for me to accept getting a monthly bill for my gaming like I do with my mobile phone or electricity.

    To be honest though, I'm just a tight-arse and I don't begrudge anyone who feels this is decent value for money ;)

    Fair enough. As marcduffy said, you can get the boxed copy of the game very cheap (play.com has a good offer) and you have four months to try it out. If you feel that you won't be resubbing it after that time then at least you've given it a go. I don't go to the pub every weekend, so I'll have enough money every month when I've switched to FML. I've already pre-ordered it. Will ditch WoW as well.
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 11:11

  • skillian #31 3 years ago

    Damn - OK, you, marcduffy and the review convinced me.

    Ordered from Play. Hope it goes better for me than Fantasy Football (Darren fricking Bent).
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 11:11

  • levitate #32 3 years ago

    Ordered from Play. Hope it goes better for me than Fantasy Football (Darren fricking Bent).

    Cool. Maybe I'll see you in game then. :)
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 11:13

  • marcduffy #33 3 years ago

    skillian : Why not try to pick Bent up in-game? We've just added Mrs Redknapp to the database, she's a bargain striker with a keen eye for goal. Heading = 20.

  • skillian #34 3 years ago

    We've just added Mrs Redknapp to the database

    Haha..oh. If I wasn't a Spurs fan that would be funny ;)

  • marilena #35 3 years ago

    One thing that isn't clear to me: do seasons restart everything? I mean, having to select a team of noobs again, having to learn skills again and so on. Otherwise I don't see how a new player can compete with the old ones.

  • marcduffy #36 3 years ago

    marilena : No, a new season (in the case of FML it's every 28 days) sees you get promoted or relegated within your chosen Football Association (you can move Associations each season to one that mirrors your playtimes).

    Your skills remain (you can only continue to learn, you'll never forget a skill), your players remain unless their contracts are expiring and you let them go to auction or you decide to sell them.

  • X201 #37 3 years ago

    @marilena
    It doesn't restart every season.
    You keep the players you have purchased (unless their contract is up or another manager offers them more money)
    You keep all the skills that you have learned.
    Your players age.

    The game is just like any other MMO, designed for the long game instead of short term victory.
    Edited by 3 at 20/01/09 @ 11:46

  • marilena #38 3 years ago

    I see. I've had a look on the website and I understand there are different Game Worlds, I guess you can join a new one so that you don't get twatted by old timers. Still, you are obviously pressured to play a lot in order to do well, which puts me off. Even Travian servers get restarted from time to time, and that's an extremely demanding game time-wise.

  • marcduffy #39 3 years ago

    Yes, new worlds spawn as soon as they become around 75% full. You can join a new GW with lots of other newbies or if you feel like a challenge you can join an existing GW and take on the more experienced players.

    There are 11 worlds available now. St John is the next to start tomorrow (http://ww w.footballmanagerlive.com/gamew...

  • levitate #40 3 years ago

    @marcduffy:

    The thing with Associations is genius. Are you able to join more than one, if you play evening/nights for example?

  • marilena #41 3 years ago

    "The game is just like any other MMO, designed for the long game instead of short term victory."

    Not really true. In most MMOs, you don't compete with the others. You can all get the top level gear and can even work together to get it. In this one, you're competing with the other players for the 'gear' i.e. players and this can be vexing if you aren't prepared to invest a lot of time in it on an indefinite term.

    As a Travian addict coming out of the addiction, this puts me off completely.

    If I find one of them cheap packs with included subscription I may give it a whirl to see it for myself, otherwise I'll just stay away.

  • X201 #42 3 years ago

    @marilena
    You can play it as much or as little as you want. And not every night. You can pop in and out, and let the AI play your games for you if you want. Various associations are available, (Social, Weekends, late night, Early evening, Xtreme) just choose the one that suits your playing time/style.


    Skills are learnt around the clock without you having to actually be online.


  • levitate #43 3 years ago

    If I find one of them cheap packs with included subscription I may give it a whirl to see it for myself, otherwise I'll just stay away.

    As I mentioned before, Play has a really good offer for the boxed copy and it includes 4 months subscription. That's mainly what got me hooked. If I lose interest and get bored after 2 months then there's no harm done. But I'm quitting WoW and WAR for this.

  • marcduffy #44 3 years ago

    levitate : You can only be assigned to one associated per season. Based on your teams ability and your performance you will be initially assigned to a division within that association (each association runs it's own pyramid system and each association has it's own internal cup competitions). After the first season which division you are in will largely be based on performance (ie top 3 might go up and bottom 3 will go down etc).

    The associations are named and have playtimes to suit a variety of scenarios however with everything in FML if you and another manager are online you can get down to business at anytime.

  • CableNut #45 3 years ago

    i've been in beta for 18 months, i must tell you its bloody addictive.
    But due to no job and modding fml 24 hours a day i had to let it go for the minute :(

  • CableNut #46 3 years ago

    Also just to let you all know i started a group for fml on eurogamer.
    if anyone wants to join and chat about the game, players, stadiums, new updates :)

    http://ga mers.eurogamer.net/groups.php?g...

  • X201 #47 3 years ago

    I've joined the group but the Mod is a right slow coach when it comes to approving new members ;)

  • CableNut #48 3 years ago

    made it public now :)

  • coastal #49 3 years ago

    I might have to give this a go if i can pick up a cheap FM09 for the pc. Marc and the other chaps (2?) at SI Games are complete gents at spending the time to contribute to forum chat not only on their own forum but places like EG. That speaks loads about them.

  • X201 #50 3 years ago

    @coastal

    FM09 is a different game.

  • hannibaldave #51 3 years ago

    @coastal

    Yes, it says they like the monies

  • coastal #52 3 years ago

    oops, thought it was bundled.

    @hannibaldave,
    Who doesn't like money? But it's still cool to be that open about your products. Pop over to the Lionhead forums and witness the lack of posts from Lionhead employees.

  • marcduffy #53 3 years ago

    Well, for many of us here making these games isn't a job, it's a way of life. If spending some time here can help some more people into our little world then it's time well spent.

    Also, I wouldn't mind playing some of you at the game and ripping you to pieces with my super squad!

  • CableNut #54 3 years ago

    In the 18 months me playing it, I never seen you with a super squad Marc :p

  • marcduffy #55 3 years ago

    I'm playing in the special worlds.

  • levitate #56 3 years ago

    @marc:

    I'm sold on this and I'll definitely pick up a copy on Friday after work. The online manual gave good answers to questions I had and the forums seem to be quite useful with information as well. I'll be sure to kick your butt in game. Cheers!

  • X201 #57 3 years ago

    My biggest problem with it so far is nothing to do with the game its to do with our Firewall or Antivirus at work.

    One of them is stopping the client from contacting the update server.
    I've tried opening ports on the Firewall and disabling the AV but all to no effect.

    If anyone has got FML working with a Juniper firewall please let me know how.

  • marcduffy #58 3 years ago

    What ports did you open?

  • X201 #59 3 years ago

    I've sent you a PM Marc

  • Sulphur_Man #60 3 years ago

    If some bright spark can transfer the spirit and quality of this game onto a 3G smartphone and keep the best (ie most addictive) features, then they will spend the rest of eternity sleeping on a mountain of money with many, many naked women (or men).

    Seriously, someone scope this onto the ever-more powerful mini computers we carry around in our pockets these days, that also happen to be telephones.

    Then we can all invest the time to play it at our convenience, instead of booting up a PC. I'll be first in the queue when they do.

  • DesperadoDaz #61 3 years ago

    SOLD - The review, the video with SI and the comments of you lovely people have sold this to me.

    I have NEVER played any type of MMO before - they haven't really appealed to me, but i have always loved FM.

    £17.99 for the game and 4 months subs from Play.com is well worth a punt. If i get bored after 4 months, then all is not lost

    I am quiet excited by this, and am looking forward to playing this on my laptop while the missus is watching Eastenders, Ice Skating, Dancing etc etc

    DAZ

    By The Way - Enjoyed the "Being Dumped at 4pm Thread" - comedy gold