The Ultimate Poll: Best version of the series.

[ChrisQ]

Hands down it's gotta be Championship Manager 01/02.

Was addicted to that game. Just had something that the current games don't have. Can't quite put my finger on it.

Just bought a copy and received it in the mail today, cant wait to play.

[Zico]

01/02 was very good but I must say I thought 8.02 was the best ever, especially if you used the corner bug to give yourself an unfair advantage. It's only a game, after all.

[gavnoble]

For me FM 2007 was the best game SI have produced. It had the addictiveness of CM 01/02 (my previous favourite in the series) but also had the depth of features that makes playing the game so much fun.

FM 2009 hasn't been out long enough yet to say it's the best game in the series, but it's certainly up there already as one of the best for me. The 3D view, despite its imperfections has brought a great deal of fun to match days.

[sparks199]

i find it very strange that fm2008 rates poorly but fm2009 rates high

it truth they are both the same game apart from the 3d view .. so are we just rateing fm2009 because of the 3d view ?

[Lyssien]

FM09 for me. The 3D is a dream come true for this series. Imperfect, yes, still a lot of fun for me who watch full matches. Also, SI did a much better job than I expected them to, on first try.

Have been playing this series since CM2, it's my favorite artificial reality, and my top 3 are:

1. FM 09

2. FM 07

3. CM 03/04

Hopefully my kids or grandkids will one day enjoy an FM world that not only will simulate the real world perfectly (an alternate "what if" reality, of course), but will also be able to predict how things will be in the future of football (new tactics that the RL managers have not tried yet).

[Nezza]

FM2009 without question.

I've been playing since the original version, and look back at most versions with fondness.

When you look at them in the cold light of day without rosy nostalgic glasses on, I think you have to say that the sheer number of features included in 09 makes it a completely different experience to CM1. Each version has added more.

e.g. The 3d match engine has people's opinions split - personally I love it as it is much easier to determine whether my tactics are working or not (and if not, where I need to improve). If nothing else, it's just more realistic to watch your players than watching just text or little circles.

It's quite funny that for years people have been crying out for this particular feature, and when it arrives it doesn't seem as popular as it should be.

Sure there are problems with FM09, bugs etc which are dealt with elsewhere, but overall I can't fault the game much and the bugs will get fixed (most are quite minor anyway although activation was a nightmare - there seem to be fewer problems than I remember with FM08).

So FM2009 for me because it's the latest and most comprehensive simulation so far.

(but I did play the original with as much enthusiasm at the time)

[Les Girondins]

97/98 for me. I long for the days of proper graphics, decent background photos and the lovely transparent skin.

I am also hertily sick of games being decided by team talks and press conferences.

[roykela]

01/02 for me. That was a lot of fun. Especially when playing with the "ARSE" command. Easy to get into the game, and everything basically (for me at least ) explained itself.

Easy to make it hard for yourself, but also easy to make it easy for yourself.

[CaptainPlanet]

Wonder if the latest patch will affect peoples views.

[Serdar]

If you ask which CM/FM is best as a game; my vote in year 2009 is FM 09.

But if I compare the excitement and amount of time I used for the game, I must go with 97 and 07. They both made me love the game for many weeks and months in their release years.

For some reason I was a bit demotivated with CM04(last CM I played before seperation) I can not say why, but I just did not enjoy it as much as I was expecting. Then had almost 2 years without FM and then bought 05 3 months before the release of 06, the price was 9,99€ here (not pirated, not used) . 05 was really good and I somehow liked the fact that SI was more independent. I had 06 on release week again with ~50€ but that year I was very busy and could not play the game as much as I wanted. Finally 07 come in right time when my evenings and weekends were free again. I actually started propery 07 after january 7.2 patch, it was not intentional but later I realised it was a good coicidence because 702 was very stable version. I played that until the release day of 08. 08 boxed version come with some obvious bugs which again take my passion away for a while. And when patches were ready, my work load peaked again and I had to break from playing. I did some more playing in summer but the moment I heard 3D feature for 09, I could not focus on 08 anymore. 09 looks good so far, I'm expecting so to spend more time on it after january due to my work load but so far it is looks promising. I hope I will have a long mighty career on 09 during spring.

[SCIAG]

09 is at best the fourth best game and third best poll option. 07, 01/02 and 00/01 are all streets ahead. Why scrap the 07 ME, why?

[Craig Fairlie]

CM03-04 For Me.The First One I Played.I bought 99-00 00-01 01-02 and i didn't like them.03-04 was just quality.My Stepdad was in the game albeit,38 Years Of Age and playing for Peterhead Reserves Still he was in it.As For FM.FM05 was the first i bought.I actually bought 05 when 06 came out because 05 was £2 in Tesco's Clearance.I installed it and didn't understand it.It was too confusing.I then learned how to play it and it was OK.It was good for the First Edition of the FM Series.The good thing about FM05 is that you could sign Soccer AM Crew on it (Sheeps,Rocket,Tubes,Tim,Paul Dalgliesh) Back in the days when Soccer AM was good.I bought FM07 Randomly and i understood it more.I then Lost the disc found it about 3 months later.I then played that for about a month on end then FM08 came out.I was hooked to it now because I played FM07 on my Stepbrother's laptop as well but as far as CM Goes 03-04 has to do it for me.Quality gaming which has given me many hours of fun!

[Craig Fairlie]

Has to be CM Italy, had an amazing run to Seria A with Pescara, and have spent the last however many games trying to replicate it...

Are You Italian Mate?

Also I've been to Pescara,It's a great place and their stadium is amazing!

[bAzTNM]

What makes CM 01-02 so great? I also love it, but wasn't it just a data update really? Thanks.

[slipknot67]

I voted for fm 09, because me getting the new game in the series happened at the same time as I really started to get into these forums and I'm loving how customisable I'm now finding the game to be. Was never aware (in all my time spent playing previous versions) of the whole skinning, facepack, logo's etc that I've descovered since getting fm 09. Also I never managed to get to 2016 in any of the previous versions, which I managed in my pre 9.2 patch save.

[blueglobefootball123]

FM06 for me was the most enjoyable, I had a near 50 season career game iirc

[Frankie 7]

CM 01/02 was the best for me. Much faster to get through a season and tactically wise could make one myself without anhy major problems i suffer now. But that was the past and FM09 is the best up to date version for me now.

[The Vet]

Can't really remember which one, as I played them all alot. The old ones were fun, because buying and selling worked, and taking a team from lower divisions and in 4 years making them the best team in the world was kind of fun.

FM 07 was nice, and FM 08 like most updates was a minor change - where you only needed to find another tactic to succeed. I have never really had a favorite, as I have always moved on when a new version came out.

In truth only FM 09 is an abomination. Its the most awful one of the lot. I am still dumbfounded that it reached the shelves, or is in the lead in this poll. Horrid really, though it has some aspects which exceeds other versions - like takeovers, better transfers in many years, scouting.

[elsgouro]

Year after year I have less time to spend playing cm/fm series (unfortunatelly). So, I have to say cm 97/98 was a game I really enjoyed playing, without a time limmit .

But in general I think fm2007 was the best release, fm2008 the worst and, judging from the demo, fm2009 is worth buying, at least. Far better than last years game, for sure.

[Mike7077]

So FM09 has the most votes so far. Still, as I type this, 78% of people preferred a different version. Not sure what to make of that.

[betterspud]

I'd have to go for 08. I'm fully aware that other versions were more playable or better releases generally, but I've given up such huge chunks of my life to 08, that it couldn't really be anything else.

09 really hasn't done anything to tear me away from it. I've bought the new game, but can't put down my current save on 08 and could still be playing in another six months or so...

[dafuge]

I've gone for FM06, but it was probably more down to the save game I had rather than the game itself. FM06 was the first year of my challenge that gave me the career of Danny Roberts in my best ever save game on CM/FM.

[Drunk Beware]

FM 07 for me.

[Oscillate Wildly]

I've been playing since 01/02 but FM2005 was the pinnacle for me.

05 had an arcade-like quality. I reckon I spent no more than 20% of my playing time on tactics and training and 80% watching the 2D matches, which were crammed with jinking wingplay and 40-yard curlers from midfield generals and creative strikers. There was one flaw in the fact that most of the play was channelled down the left wing no matter what (and an AML consequently finished every season with an 8+ average) but otherwise everything seemed balanced and fun.

07 was a far better football simulator, more technically advanced and a greater cerebral challenge, but for me it just all seemed to take itself too seriously. Suddenly it was 80% tactics and then by-the-numbers matches where everything seemed to depend on clicking on the right option in a drop-down Team Talk/Media menu instead of whether you had the better players on the pitch. Still addictive in its own way but, for me, a lot of the fun was buried.

01/02 and FM2005 were both pure pick-up-and-play enjoyment.

[CaptainPlanet]

I've actually re-installed 07 to tie me over till new 09 patch comes out.

[Peljam]

It's between 99/00, 05 and 09 for me.

Love 99/00 and still have the disc. I took my laptop back home with me for Christmas and me and my baby bro played it for hours. Always loved taking Telford up from the very bottom with a selection of super free transfers.

05 is the one I've probably had my most favourite career game on. I loved the whole game and thought it was a fantastic step up from all the previous versions. A real landmark game I think. So enjoyable. The 2D match engine really seemed to come alive for me with that. It was better than watching a real match sometimes when the carefully nutured winger beat half the opposition team and curled it past the keeper. I'm suprised it's got such a low score.

Am playing 09 at the moment though and I've not had a single problem with it. Not even issues I'd consider patch worthy. So many more features and I'm really enjoying the game. Time will tell whether it makes as much of a mark as 05 though. I don't see why it wouldn't to be fair.

[glennb28]

Cm 2001/02 for me FM 2007 2nd for me

[rougess]

In terms of hours spent, FM07 was my first, and probably the most addicted i've been.

But I voted for FM09, as i feel it's the best so far, and haven't really struggled with any of the bugs

[Marko An.]

Nice thread, kinda solved a "problem" for me... I was wondering which FM version pre-2008 to "go back to", and from this I see that 2005 and especially 2007 are most liked among FM gamers.

I know that 01-02 is the most fun, but is also too unrealistic... so now I am wondering between 2005 and 2007..? Any suggestions..?

Sorry for the off-topic post, and to be fair and on-topic I will vote for 97-98 simply because that is the start year for me into the the managing world! And I also had great career with Man Utd buying Marcello Salas, and never gotten over the missed chance to sign Dwight Yorke (as they did in real life)... no matter what Salas did, Yorke did it a bit better almost in every field of the game...

[senorcoo]

FM 2007 - gobbled up about 45 days worth of playing time. Massively addicted.

[chopper99]

Probably FM08 for me, I had some of my most enjoyable games on this one.

It would then be followed by CM03/04 and then FM2007.

FM09 is quite a way down the list for me as I just can't get into it. For the first time ever I'm considering going back to a previous version

[Les Girondins]

I'm pretty surprised by how polarized the results of this poll are ..

I know you can't take anything on the forums as truly representative but there does appear to be a clear divide between the 'new' and the 'pretty old'.

[CaptainPlanet]

It would help if people commented more on their choice, it's a bit hard to analyse otherwise.

There seems to be a mix between "i had a great save..." and "it was simpler and therefor better"

[Dicko99]

I'm pretty surprised by how polarized the results of this poll are ..

I know you can't take anything on the forums as truly representative but there does appear to be a clear divide between the 'new' and the 'pretty old'.

are we taking into account that some users didnt play the CM series because that affects the poll (and vice versa) ?

[Les Girondins]

are we taking into account that some users didnt play the CM series because that affects the poll (and vice versa) ?

Excellent point ..

Obviously those voting for the older versions would have to be older themselves. I can't imagine too many exceptions there.

Is it the case that older people will always prefer the games contemporary to their youth irrespective of the advances or improvements? Or is that unfair?

I say this because I am old and I voted for CM 97.

[ottey_swe]

CM 03/04 was addictive, easy to be successful, and good 2D. My only real long term game ever was there, with Hertha Berlin. Got to 2016 I think and had 7 straight Champions League successes.

[Les Girondins]

.. easy to be successful ...

Maybe that is what has changed .. ?

[CaptainPlanet]

Of course it's changed, it's more than well documented that the game has got harder. But that's the direction it was moved in on purpose. Some people like the challenge, others have been put off by it.

[Les Girondins]

Of course it's changed, it's more than well documented that the game has got harder. But that's the direction it was moved in on purpose. Some people like the challenge, others have been put off by it.

I'm not sure I agree that the game has got harder tbh. It has just got more tactically pedantic. The actual mechanic whereby you go from nowhere to successful is the same: you need a tactic that overachieves by 15-20% every season without major investment. Also the club rep thing seems to determine results more than ever ..

I can win games with 40% posession just because I am Real Madrid. These things haven't really changed much .. it just got more random annnoying. Which hasn't made it harder, just more random.

CM was just more straight forward and not a lot easier imho. Not if we are taking 'easy' to mean 'tactically challenging' or 'realistic'.

That is why I prefer the older versions, the tactical aspect has improved in some areas of course, but in others has become just plain fud.

[Pol86]

I never played the Cmseries, but for me 07 was the best version ever!

08 was also good, but only the first 3 seasons. This because the regens are worth nothing!

09 is also good, but my computer isn't good enough to play it on a decent way... So i can't give a decent review for this version.

So: 07>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>08>>>>09

[peter-evo]

FM07, wacked it in the other day and my god, the match engine is the best yet.

[criztano]

CM 01/02 was the classic.

[TWSOIA]

01/02 the best

[eaglealan64]

CM01/02 was brilliant but FM09 with the graphical match engine has to be the best, most I've played sime 01/02 days.

[Aquaplex]

FM2009 without question.

I've been playing since the original version, and look back at most versions with fondness.

When you look at them in the cold light of day without rosy nostalgic glasses on, I think you have to say that the sheer number of features included in 09 makes it a completely different experience to CM1. Each version has added more.

e.g. The 3d match engine has people's opinions split - personally I love it as it is much easier to determine whether my tactics are working or not (and if not, where I need to improve). If nothing else, it's just more realistic to watch your players than watching just text or little circles.

It's quite funny that for years people have been crying out for this particular feature, and when it arrives it doesn't seem as popular as it should be.

Sure there are problems with FM09, bugs etc which are dealt with elsewhere, but overall I can't fault the game much and the bugs will get fixed (most are quite minor anyway although activation was a nightmare - there seem to be fewer problems than I remember with FM08).

So FM2009 for me because it's the latest and most comprehensive simulation so far.

(but I did play the original with as much enthusiasm at the time)

Couldn't have said it any better. FM2009 all the way. Each version is just more realistic and that's what makes it the best. No doubut FM2010 will be better and so forth..

[Alurny]

01/02 ate up most of my life, but I was younger with no responsibility

[CaptainPlanet]

00/01 background pics , great sound effects!

Woo, sound effects!

[The Smudge]

imo it would go 01/02, fm 07 then 09. All good good games.

[Mar$haLL]

FM07 Defininitely! - I had amazing sucess, I started in League Two with Mansfield got them into the Premier League and then I left Mansfield and ended up being Champions of England, Europe and the world with Arsenal!

[sohail_93]

i think fm09 will be the best once patch 9.03 comes out