Sports Interactive is using Football Manager 24 as a wave goodbye to its current style of simulation football games. The next chapter for the series will start under FM25, also known as project ‘Dragonfly,’ which will utilize the Unity engine, ushering in a new look for the series.
However, before we make our leap into the future, Sports Interactive’s newest game, Football Manager 24, is here with some minor features that make a big impact.
Here is our SGO review of Football Manager 24.
Football Manager 24 Review
Presentation
Over the years, Football Manager has strived to bring better animations and graphics to the action on the pitch. Once again, SI has succeeded in doing so.
This new simulation game looks better than ever, and the full UEFA presentation looks amazing. It makes me look forward to matches against Sevilla in the Europa League or Bayer Munich in the Champions League.
Jocking for position
In addition to the overall look of the game, FM24 brings loads of new animations to the virtual pitch. Players like Kevin De Bruyne and Casemiro constantly jocky and have their heads on a swivel to indicate that players are scanning and looking for the next pass.
Shifty wings like Garnacho and Antony use hesitations, dip their shoulders, and speed burst to catch their opponents off guard. These are subtle changes but do reflect players’ actions in real modern football.
If you are looking for a challenge outside of the top European leagues, then you’re in luck. Sports Interactive has struck a deal with the J-League, so now you can live out your dreams of managing Gamba Osaka to the top of Japanese footy.
Gameplay
The overall gameplay of Football Manager 24 is all about handling the day-to-day responsibilities of a head coach. You can take on as many responsibilities as you would like or delegate unwanted roles to other staff members.
If you’re an avid football fan like me, you will get a kick out of tactics, scouting players, and watching your team score goals regularly. It’s such a fun and satisfying experience that continues to bring old players back and new players in.
However, although not much has changed from the last couple of iterations of FM, Sports Interactive continues to introduce new tactics and fan-requested features. The new features in this year’s game are minor, but they add value to the overall experience.
New Features
Inverted full-backs are a new way to bolster your attack in FM24. Turning your defensive wings into inverted full-backs will cause them to move into midfield areas and help in the build-up. Players like Luke Shaw, Kyle Walker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are perfect for this role, and I encourage players to try out this new way of playing.
In addition, Sports Interactive has added a set-piece creator. So, now players can set up how their footballers behave during set pieces and corners. Coaches can choose to man or zonal mark during corners, which truly makes a difference. Ultimately, this feature adds a new layer of tactics for players to dip into and play around with.
Lastly, if you’re new to the series or not interested in dealing with the ongoings of transfers, there is now the addition of Intermideres in FM24.
Intermideres third-party brokers that help you sell players you don’t want anymore. In addition, the game offers a new service called TransferRoom, which allows players to promote the sale of a footballer and keeps track of incoming offers.
These features don’t change the experience drastically, but they ease the frustration of selling players, and they are easy to use for new players to the series.
Game Modes
Football Manager 24 offers the same modes that previous iterations had. However, upon starting a new career play-through, players will be asked to pick from three settings: Original, ‘Real World’ or ‘Your World.’
Real World replicates real summer transfers, budgets, and rules. However, in Your World, the summer transfers that haven’t happened before the player’s start date won’t occur. So, you will be able to have a chance of snagging Jude Bellingham before he goes to Real Madrid.
Verdict
Football Manager continues to be a fun experience for the avid football fanatic. While the new additions to Football Manager 24 are minor, they do improve the overall experience of the game. With so many new features implemented into the series over the years, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for one of the best football games on the market.
SIDE NOTE: Sports Gamers Online was given a review code from Sports Interactive for Football Manager 24 PC version.