Category: Reviews

My thoughts on Football Manager 2022

Published on by Chris Fuller

After a quiet few weeks, Fuller FM has returned for another season! I took some time off from blogging after finishing my journeyman series, partly to recharge my batteries, and partly because of a family crisis, but now I’m ready to get going again!

Football Manager 2022 has been officially out for just over a week now. Unlike last year, I decided to forego the beta and not pre-order the game straight away. The demo came out alongside the full game on 9 November, so I waited for that so I could try before I buy.

I’ve now spent the past week or so playing through half a season with Millwall, seeing for myself how FM22 has changed – for better or worse. These are my initial thoughts on the new game… Continue reading “My thoughts on Football Manager 2022” →

Retro Review: Total Club Manager 2005

Published on by Chris Fuller

It’s time for another ‘retro review’, where I find a vintage football management video game and see if it’s still as good (or bad) as I remember it.

This is the third part of my ‘EA MAY’ mini-series. Throughout this month, I am picking out a number of titles from EA Sports’ opinion-splitting FIFA Manager series to see how they developed – for better or worse.

This series ran from 1997 to 2013, and for today’s review, I’ve plucked out a game from the middle of this run. Let’s find out if Total Club Manager 2005 really was as special as the man on its cover… Continue reading “Retro Review: Total Club Manager 2005” →

Retro Review: FA Premier League Football Manager 2000

Published on by Chris Fuller

Hello there, folks, and I’m glad you could join me for another ‘retro review’, in which I take a retrospective look at a football management game from years gone by.

This is the second part of my ‘EA MAY’ mini-series. Throughout this month, I will be reviewing a number of titles from EA Sports’ FIFA Manager series, which was a major player in the genre from 1997 to 2013.

I’ve already looked at the original release, but now it’s time to fast-forward a couple of years, to 1999. Here is the game that dragged this series kicking and screaming into the new millennium – FA Premier League Football Manager 2000. Continue reading “Retro Review: FA Premier League Football Manager 2000” →

Retro Review: FIFA Soccer Manager

Published on by Chris Fuller

Welcome to a new Fuller FM ‘retro review’, where I pluck a classic football management game from the mists of time and ask whether it still stands up today.

This is actually the first review in a mini-series that I will be running throughout this month. This is ‘EA MAY’, where I will look at four different games from the FIFA Manager series – Electronic Arts’ long-running, polarising challenger to Sports Interactive’s monopoly on the genre.

To kick things off, I’m looking at the game that started it all for EA back in the mid-1990s – FIFA Soccer Manager. Continue reading “Retro Review: FIFA Soccer Manager” →

Review: Soccer Manager 2021

Published on by Chris Fuller

As great as the Football Manager series is, it’s sometimes worth having a look at the other football management games on the market. That’s why I’m back today with another of my occasional reviews.

My first game review on Fuller FM was two years ago this week, when I had a look at Soccer Manager 2019. I didn’t think much of that game, and neither was I too keen on Soccer Manager 2020 when I reviewed that last year.

Now, though, I think it’s time to find out whether the latest title in this free-to-play series is a major improvement, or another underwhelming experience. This is my honest review of Soccer Manager 2021… Continue reading “Review: Soccer Manager 2021” →

My thoughts on Football Manager 2021

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

It’s been a while, hasn’t it, folks?

There hasn’t been much blog content on Fuller FM lately, mainly because I’ve had a little break from writing… but also because I’ve been playing Football Manager 2021 almost non-stop since the beta came out in November.

For me, two months is plenty of time to get stuck into the most in-depth football management simulator on the market, and see how it compares to previous versions. Releasing a new game in the middle of a global pandemic was always going to be a real challenge, but how have Sports Interactive fared in these unprecedented times?

Have they romped ahead of their rivals like Rangers, or have they had an unmitigated disaster like Sheffield United? The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but here’s what I think about FM21…
Continue reading “My thoughts on Football Manager 2021” →

Retro Review: Giant Killers

Published on by Chris Fuller

If you’ve followed Fuller FM for a while, you’ll know that every once in a while, I like to look at some football management games from outside of Sports Interactive’s catalogue. The quality doesn’t always compare well to Football Manager, but every now and then, a decent bargain comes along.

Today’s review is going to be a bit different from my previous ones. For starters, instead of reviewing a free-to-play or cheap alternative to FM, I’m going back over 20 years for my first ever Retro Review.

So what am I reviewing today? Ultimate Soccer Manager? Premier Manager? Unfortunately not, but once I can get my hands on one of those games, I’ll be sure to review them for you lot right here.

Instead, I’ve been playing a title that is rather less glamorous – and far more obscure – than its late-1990s adversaries. It’s time to look at Giant Killers. Continue reading “Retro Review: Giant Killers” →

Review: Premier Manager 10

Published on by Chris Fuller

It’s time for another of my occasional football computer game reviews. This is the oldest game I’ve reviewed so far, having come out back in 2009 – when the world was gripped by a pandemic (and an ongoing financial crisis), and Manchester was home to the Premier League champions. How times change.

Despite being a decade out of date, this game dropped on Steam in April, offering some retro football gaming action for only a couple of quid. At such a low price, surely it’s worth a shot… isn’t it?

The name may inspire nostalgia in gamers of a certain age, but does this game live up to its reputation? Let’s look at Premier Manager 10.

Continue reading “Review: Premier Manager 10” →

Review: Soccer Manager 2020

Published on by Chris Fuller

Last spring, I started an occasional series here on Fuller FM where I review football management computer games from outside the Sports Interactive catalogue.

The very first game I reviewed was Soccer Manager 2019. I was pretty scathing of that game, particularly singling out its ‘ice-skating’ players and its obsession with microtransactions, and gave it only 2 stars out of 5. (That review also happened to be one of my most-viewed blog posts of 2019.)

The sequel has been on Steam for a while now, so I thought I’d see for myself if things have changed for the better over the past year. Here is my honest review of Soccer Manager 2020…

Continue reading “Review: Soccer Manager 2020” →

Review: New Star Manager

Published on by Chris Fuller

Hello there, folks. This is Chris from Fuller FM, back once again with another of my occasional soccer management game reviews.

I bought a couple of Football Manager alternatives during Steam’s winter sale right at the end of last year. I reviewed Club Soccer Director PRO 2020 a few weeks ago and wasn’t exactly gushing with praise… but maybe this next title will be more to my liking? Seeing as it comes from a developer with over 15 years of developing quality football games, the signs look promising.

New Star Manager, this is your time to shine. Don’t let me down.

Continue reading “Review: New Star Manager” →