Category: Reviews

My thoughts on Football Manager 26

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

After the longest wait, Football Manager 26 is finally here… but is it any good?

That’s a question many people have already answered with an emphatic “no”. FM26 came out on 4 November to unprecedentedly negative reviews on Steam, with a 27% approval rating as I write this. Even the professional gaming critics who consistently heap praise on FM have been much more divided this time around.

So it was with some trepidation – and a little excitement – that I installed the FM26 demo to try out the new game for the first time. I’ve spent half a season managing Walsall in EFL League Two, while also dabbling around with Arsenal in the Women’s Super League.

Is FM26 a massive step forward that will bring the game to a wider audience? Is it a raging dumpster fire that risks the entire future of the Football Manager franchise? Or is the answer somewhere in between? Here are my thoughts… Continue reading “My thoughts on Football Manager 26” →

Review: Soccer Manager 2026

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

It’s the game everyone has been talking about in recent weeks… and, oh boy, hasn’t it been divisive?

An experienced team of British developers have been working on their latest football management simulation for years – and the reception has been quite mixed. Some people think the new graphics engine is a huge step forward. Others think the devs have completely sold out to the mobile market, and that they only want to grab your money instead of giving you the full managerial experience.

Well, folks. I’m sure you’ve been waiting to read my opinions on this… so here they are.

This is my review for Soccer Manager 2026. Continue reading “Review: Soccer Manager 2026” →

Retro Review: Premier Manager Ninety Nine

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

I moved into my new home one year ago today… and what better way to celebrate my first anniversary at New Fuller FM HQ, than with another of my Retro Reviews?

As a computer nerd with a particular fondness for the 90s, I enjoy revisiting old football management games and seeing if they can still hold up today. The game I’ll be looking at today has been on my shortlist of a very long time, so I’m excited to finally tick it off.

I’ll tell you, honestly, I will LOVE IT if we play Premier Manager: Ninety Nine… LOVE IT. Continue reading “Retro Review: Premier Manager Ninety Nine” →

Retro Review: Simsoc 6

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

It’s time for another retro review of a football management game from years gone by. This one’s a bit obscure… but if you know it, you KNOW it.

The late 1990s was a golden age for independent shareware or freeware games – titles often made by nerdy (and usually amateur) programmers in their homes rather than by big studios. They might not have had as much substance or polish as those expensive major releases, but they could still be enjoyed by early online gamers for little or no cost.

Today, I’m looking at a freeware Windows game that I would describe as “an entry-level Championship Manager”. If you want a less intense experience than CM or Football Manager, with a healthy dose of nostalgia, this might be just what you’re after.

So, without further ado, let’s check out Simsoc 6. Continue reading “Retro Review: Simsoc 6” →

Review: FIFA Manager 2025

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

It’s March 2025, and after months of eager anticipation, FM25 has finally been released to the public! Well… kind of.

Of course, Football Manager 25 is dead and buried, leaving a huge gap in the market for this season. Could that gap be filled by one of Sports Interactive’s old rivals?

Although EA Sports’ FIFA Manager series was officially cancelled in 2013, the franchise has been kept alive by a devoted community of fans and creators who have been making their own updated databases for the past decade. So today, I will be checking out the 2024/2025 “season update” to see if it’s a worthy replacement for FM25.

This is my review of FIFA Manager 2025. Continue reading “Review: FIFA Manager 2025” →

Retro Review: Lords of Football

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

We might have to wait until next season for a new Football Manager, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of football games on the Steam storefront.

A few weeks ago, I looked at a bare-bones Championship Manager clone that didn’t stray too far from the standard formula. The game I’ll be reviewing today is… well, let’s just say it’s VERY different.

For this Retro Review, I’m going back to the year 2013 (i.e. the last time Manchester United were any good) to find out what happened when some Italians decided to make their own FM… with blackjack, and hookers. Literally.

This is Lords of Football. Continue reading “Retro Review: Lords of Football” →

Retro Review: Sven-Göran Eriksson’s World Manager

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

It’s time for another of my Fuller FM retro reviews… and today’s review is particularly poignant.

Sven-Göran Eriksson passed away in August last year at the age of 76, after an illustrious managerial career with the likes of Benfica, Sampdoria, Lazio and (ahem) Leicester City. He was also the first – and, to date, best – foreign-born manager of the England men’s national team, leading the Three Lions to three consecutive tournament Quarter Finals.

I’m publishing this post on what would have been the ice-cool Swede’s 77th birthday. To mark the occasion, I’ll be playing a somewhat obscure football management game from 2002 which bears his name.

This is Sven-Göran Eriksson’s World Manager. Continue reading “Retro Review: Sven-Göran Eriksson’s World Manager” →

Review: Global Soccer 2018

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

2025 is now in full swing, and we potentially have TWO Football Manager games to look forward to this year!

But while we are waiting for FM25, I’ve been looking at some other football management simulators from years gone by. In today’s review, I’ll be looking at an independently-made Championship Manager clone that was released in 2018, and which is now free to play on Steam!

So here is my review of… [hang on, let me make sure I get this title right…] Global Soccer: A Management Game 2018. That just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Continue reading “Review: Global Soccer 2018” →

Retro Review: FIFA Manager 13

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

I’m reviewing another retro football management game today on Fuller FM… and it’s time to wrap up a ‘mini-series’ that has been three years in the making!

Back in May 2021, I reviewed a bunch of games in the FIFA Manager series that was published and developed by Electronic Arts. I continued the retrospective with another review a year later. Since then, I’ve been looking to finish it off by playing one of the final games in the series.

And now that time has come. We’re going back to the 2012/2013 season – when Robin van Persie was about to deliver one more Premier League title for a retiring Sir Alex Ferguson, and when Liverpool were in the full throes of their ‘banter years’.

So here it is. It’s the final chapter of ‘EA MAY’ – my retro review of FIFA Manager 13. Continue reading “Retro Review: FIFA Manager 13” →

Review: We Are Football 2024

Published on by Chris Fuller

Some people in the Football Manager community like to lament that FM “has no competition”. But while it has indeed been a long time since Sports Interactive have had a serious rival to their crown, perhaps that might be about to change?

Having recently become disillusioned with FM, I’m now hoping that this title from Germany will win me over with its slim-lined, strategic and less serious approach to football management. Three years after making a promising debut, is it now ready for the first-team?

We Are Football 2024, this will be your day. Continue reading “Review: We Are Football 2024” →