This is a great game!

So there I am, for a full few days after getting my new computer, unable to play Football Manager as I had lost my product key. I have since stumbled... Well, slipped on it whilst looking for something else. Since getting it up and running again I remember why I missed it... For a few days.

Sure, the tactical system would probably be more "friendly" to new users if they added a function where it shot molden tungsten into your face, and whilst this is something they need to look at in the future somebody who has experience in previous versions should be more than capable of working it.

Then there's the ME, which people are using as their poster issue. In truth there isn't really all that much wrong with it, in fact it's mainly apparent issues. It's the mistakes by your side that make it into the highlight reel and hence as most people only watch key highlights they only see them. If you've ever watched real football at any level many of these "bugs" do happen. Sure, there could be some slight improvements, especially the mainly cosmetic one of fixing the midfielder rating, but apart from that it's fairly solid all round, definitely more solid than last years.

The transfer system is also a lot better, though there are a couple of bugs, which whilst there are people jumping up and down declaring that they are causing the sky to fall in, aren't really game breaking. The "Bojan Bug" isn't anywhere near as big as the critisism that follows it, and whilst it should be resolved, it's not really that bad. Good young players are sometimes released from their clubs for a number of reasons, but that's a debate for a different day. Then there's the one issue that really needs looking into, which is the one with 19-21 year olds retiring because they won't drop their standards of who they play for.

Then the regens. Some people are actually complaining they are too good, I think they're about right, apart from the footedness (they ****ed that up!). Though there is a couple of small issue that I've found with finding top class young keepers...

I think though that it testament to how well the media has worked this year that people are complaining that it's "too repetative". Now I could just say that: "You think Sir Alex doesn't think that about the real media!" But I think that they could do something to spice it up slightly, though this would make the press conferences more annoying in truth as I couple knock them over in 10 seconds flat anymore.

Overall, despite some bugs, like in all games, FM 2009 is a very solid version of the season that with the winter patch will hopefully be the best version in years and is already the best I've played in some time. Hope everyone else is enjoying it!

If you're not, and you think this game has problems, look at Brian Lara International Cricket 2007... They didn't even bother with a patch!

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=74878

Interesting poll results here:

27.66% of people think that this is the best version of FM ever. In fact more people think this game is the best than people who think that FM 07 of Championship Manager 3... Interesting, but I heard that everybody hated it.

In terms of all of these negative threads, I think the issue floating around is just a normal human one. People generally are drawn to negative reports rather than praise. In the news nobody really cares if some little kid won a spelling be, but a car accident where the driver ended up 40 yards away because he didn't have a seatbelt on, that's headline stuff right there.

There's another issue where most of the people who are enjoying the game don't come on here and praise it and hence creates an issue where more people are posting negative reports about the game than positive ones as most of the time only those who are not satisfied are going to come on and complain.

People don't come on the forums to praise because they're paying for a working game so if it works they're happy and spend their time playing the game rather than posting on the forums how much they love it whereas if it is a load of rubbish people want to complain because they spent money on something that doesn't live up to its expectations. As they say in business a happy customer tells one person whereas an unhappy customer tells seven. However i'm with you i believe this game is amazing and as far as regens go i'd rather have an excess of good regens then a lack of good regens.

People don't come on the forums to praise because they're paying for a working game so if it works they're happy and spend their time playing the game rather than posting on the forums how much they love it whereas if it is a load of rubbish people want to complain because they spent money on something that doesn't live up to its expectations. As they say in business a happy customer tells one person whereas an unhappy customer tells seven. However i'm with you i believe this game is amazing and as far as regens go i'd rather have an excess of good regens then a lack of good regens.

They still need to sometimes be two footed or at least have a second foot. Though Maradona never needed one!

It isn't a great game Some Guy.

The ME is full of faults (including unrealistic player behaviour, a lack of decent passing moves, a ridiculous number of one on ones and an equally ridiculous conversion rate for them to mention but a few), the tactical system is unintuitive and obscure, various leagues are so full of bugs as to be almost unplayable, the sound and graphics are uninspiring, press conferences are ill thought out and repetitive and team talks are the same, AI clubs keep players till well into their 40s and don't use signings sensibly....... One could go on. How can a game rate as 'great' with this number of problems?

It isn't a great game Some Guy.

The ME is full of faults (including unrealistic player behaviour, a lack of decent passing moves, a ridiculous number of one on ones and an equally ridiculous conversion rate for them to mention but a few), the tactical system is unintuitive and obscure, various leagues are so full of bugs as to be almost unplayable, the sound and graphics are uninspiring, press conferences are ill thought out and repetitive and team talks are the same, AI clubs keep players till well into their 40s and don't use signings sensibly....... One could go on. How can a game rate as 'great' with this number of problems?

Let's start with:

"The ME is full of faults ": Bollocks! Has faults, yes! Everything does. Full of faults, no, you're probably a terrible loser, never watch the full match and when you see one of your players getting beaten all ends up probably break something due to your severe lack of self control. The number of one on ones is no where near the level that people claim it is either. There are slightly too many, but in truth it's not really that bad.

"a lack of decent passing moves": My side can sure knock it about and normally go on to knock it into the back of the net. I'm not sure what you're doing, but you're obviously doing it wrong. Try mixing tactics with the kinds of players on your side.

"the tactical system is unintuitive and obscure": It is, but it's the same damn system that we've been using for years now. Yes it needs an overhaul, but that's a complain about the series in general, not this particular version. If you have a problem with the whole version you should probably look elsewhere. Also, might I add this is already mentioned in the original post, though I guess you must find reading hard.

"various leagues are so full of bugs as to be almost unplayable": True! I heard the Brazilian League is buggered and if SI are not fixing this in the next patch, they are shooting themselves in the foot. I doesn't change anything for me though.

"the sound and graphics are uninspiring": Another complain with the series as a whole, and they will improve them as time goes on, but with a game so complicated it could be hard on people's computers to use better graphics and such.

" press conferences are ill thought out and repetitive and team talks are the same": I love them both to bits. Press conferences and Team talks are perfect, they aren't over complicated, and they do exactly what they're meant to do. Are you saying that you want to ruin my fun because you're having a bitch? They are quick and easy, and they work! Changes would just make the game take longer and make it more complicated!

"AI clubs keep players till well into their 40s and don't use signings sensibly": Some teams do keep their stars for too long, but in real life some sides do this. Look at AC Milan! I find that overall there's a decent balence of teams signings young up and comers and teams keeping their golden oldies. I've seen teams rise and fall due to it. Arsenal in my game recruit well every season, Chelsea have stuck with golden oldies and Liverpool have signed expensive crap to no avail! Looks like real life to me! Though there may be slightly too many players playing until their mid 30s. I've yet to see a 40 year old in the premier league yet though, apart from Jens Lehman, but then again I signed him up... AND HE WAS FANTASTIC!

"How can a game rate as 'great' with this number of problems?": Because I love every second I'm playing this game, whether I be at the bottom of the A-league watching my new signings for Queensland have their legs broken by dirty Sydney scum or atop of the World with my amazing Derby side. Yes, I mentioned in the original post there are problems, but most of the them aren't game breakers and much of what people complain about are wild exagerations and sometimes complete bollocks. Just enjoy the experience and don't bitch about it all the time.

No offence, but like every other thread like this, this is going to end in an argument.

Which, I think we can all do without...

Cheers

Matt