Championship Manager: Season 99/00

Summary

Genre: Simulation
Number of players: 1-2

Review

In the past there have been many football games which include a management section - Sensible World of Soccer, some FIFA games and so on - which involved buying and selling players, and so on. Championship Manager takes this idea to new depths, by not only allowing you to buy and sell players, but also to work out contracts, scout players, give out fines, and so on. Basically, you do everything a real manager would do. Not to everyone's tastes, I would agree, especially if you have little or no knowledge of the game, or sports in general. So steer clear, Mav.


Gameplay: CM S99/00 allows you to take control of literally hundreds of clubs with all their players. Or at least, the players who were there in season 99/00. But they're all there. There are thousands of players in the game, meaning that in order to succeed and find the best value for money you'll need to surround yourself with a decent staff, in particular, scouts.

The role of the scout is simple - to find and bring to your attention the best players around, and the best players for the future. In order to succeed at the game, you'll need to fill your squad with both. And it's not as easy as it sounds.

You don't actually have much control during games, other than to change tactics, formation, players and so on. While this can be frustrating if it's all one way play against your team, it does mean that good, tactical management is often required to come out on top - as well as shrewd purchases of players. The games are played by commentary being relayed back to you as the game goes on. Although this doesn't sound very interesting, it's surprisingly effective, and is very much edge-of-your-seat stuff.

Fining is a method of punishing your players (obviously) which can be used if a player has been sent off, had a bad game been unprofessional in some way, been violent in previous games, and so on. It's up to you, but fining a player without just cause can cause unrest in your team, which could result in poor performances and poor results.

And that's not all either. During a game, you can implement literally hundreds of tactics to bring about the opponents downfall - man marking, pressing, offside trap, counter attacks, and all the rest. It's always best, of course to ensure you have the right sorts of players to be able to carry out these tactics - for instance the counter attack generally requires players with good acceleration and pace.

There are so many things to consider, meaning that if you have a severe lack of patience then this is not the game for you.


Challenge: Very difficult indeed. To be able to formulate a winning strategy and build a team for both the future and the present will take you some time, but it's worth it. And to be able to take it to the best teams around the world, in Europe is a whole other kettle of fish than simply winning your home league.


Graphics: Well there's none to speak of. There are hundreds of photos from real games thoughout which form the background. Other than that, it's just writing.


Sounds: Now, to be honest, I haven't heard them. Sorry, but the speakers I have seem to be somewhat damaged for one reason or another. But playing with no sound doesn't detract from the game. If you believe the box, there are crowd noises such as cheering when goals are scored and booing fouls.


Multiplayer: Over the internet (obviously) but I personally haven't yet tried it. From what I've heard, it's certainly worth a look though.


Summing up: A very good football/soccer management game. There's no doubt whatsoever that this won't be everyone's choice of game, but for those of you who like this kind of thing, it's a worthwhile investment.


Gamesmark: 80%


Reviewer: Tangycheese



Maverik's opinion: I haven't played this game, nor even watched Tangy doing so, which is just as well, since I tend to mock. However, while soccer simulations aren't my cup of tea at all - in fact, I can't stand organised-sports games in any guise - no doubt this one does its job perfectly well, particularly if Tangy "Unfairly Harsh Reviewer" Cheese gives it 80%.