Redesigned interface and wealth of various small improvements make Football Manager 2016 much more accessible to newcomers without sacrificing even a bit of its astounding depth. [01/2016, p.64]
Football Manager 2016 is the cornerstone of a new era. The game we already know gets many little improvements, and Create-A-Club and online Fantasy Draft modes, despite some restrictions, are a precious and welcome additions (and addictions) to the game.
Is the best FM ever? Hmm maybe. New Interface and management my team is so great! Statistics so real, 3D match engine is wonderful! And new game modes too.
Since playing all the FM from the 2007 to 2016 i have to say that this is the most complete and realistic FM to this date. I've read a lot of bad reviews saying that is unrealistic but is very realistic, if you're a big team, you will probably win, if you're a small team, you're probably lose, but with some time and learning how this game works (btw, it's very complete), you will dominate it and start seeing some changes in the way your team play and perform. The game engine is very good and the variety of statistics thanks to prozone makes the game a very unique and realistic experience. Must buy it.
Football Manager 16, although not terribly innovative, is improved in almost every aspect compared to its predecessor. Better UI, friendlier tactics menu, more realistic 3D engine and transfer negotiations are among the most important improvements. Moreover, the adaptive AI offers a new level of challenge while also the “create a new club” and “fantasy draft” bring in some fresh air, albeit the lack of solid new gameplay ideas is apparent.
There’s not much new here in terms of ground-breaking additions and improvements, but Sports Interactive’s efforts are just about enough to offer an improved experience and a more fun game compared to last year’s release.
Football Manager 2016 is back with a vengeance, thanks to the good restructuring of existing features. There is not so much new in this game, but it is definitely improved.
Football Manager is still the king on the hill of sports simulation games. Though FM16 is predictable and takes no chances with its established recipe, it delivers an infinitely repeatable game that is both very entertaining and wickedly addictive.
In my opinion this is the best Football Manager for a while and I have owned all of them to date (not the Championship Manager range)
New bits:
-Create a manager is a bit too gimmicky, not really much of a worthwhile addition
-Set Piece Creator is a massive improvement, allowing much more tactical depth
-Fantasy League is great fun with friends and if you have nay you should definitely give it a go
-Prozone analytics are extremely useful if you can put the time and effort. Usually if you are struggling, you can dig into the reasons why and make adjustments
-Create a club allows you to add a whole new level of personal attachment (although this was never a problem with FM
There are also a myriad of changes. You won't see these if you just pick up the game, of play a couple of matchers. If you are a life-long fan who has played 1000s of hours you will know the AI transfer make more sense, you will know the injuries are more realistic, you will appreciate that the game is harder now and that all round the UI is more usable and friendly.
The same old issues around the press conferences are here, the 3D match engine is a lot better but still not amazing but if you are an FM fan, this is the best iteration for a long time.
it has a slightly better gameplay than 2015, but nothing new. the same problem in score engine. I tried somethings i saw on internet and a team from 3 division win from the leader of the 1 division in 3 games out of 10 its ridiculous.
In some ways this game is better than its' predecessors but with some reservations. The graphics on match day are, in my opinion, nowhere near as good as previous versions, but the main criticism is the way in which in-match tactics are amended which is now a slow and laborious process especially as some instructions are not in a logical place. This makes such adjustments, although deemed necessary, a bit of a pain.
BUY FM15 WITH UPDATED DATABASE!!! I love football manager I really do but like most yearly releases you struggle to see the value of purchasing the what is 90% the same game year after year after year. And I am afraid it is even harder this year, The much boasted create a manager feature to put it gently is garbage not many options and when I tried to put myself in the game well I looked like a very dodgy regen with a creepy smile to be honest I preferred it when I could put my own picture in. A lot of things have been tweaked apparently but after 20 hours of playing can't say I have noticed any. Glaring problems such as the match engine players being badly animated with players seeming to float across the pitch with out moving there legs and goal players doing stupid things, yes I know we get the odd howler in football but it is not this bad.
Yes I am being harsh with this review and score but I love FM and want it to do better and hold it to a high standard all the way back to when I was playing when I was 13 signing Freddy Adu. To sum up I do not see any value in this installment and my big gripe about general laziness and minimal effort being put in remains from last year e.g same questions in interviews where we they have not even bothered to change the wording is dam lazy where such minimal effort has gone in every where else.
Final thoughts: A lazy effort and I am dissapointed if you are a fool like me you will buy it every year then moan then buy it next year but if you are sensible buy FM15 and download a custom database for the latest transfers.
Even though I enjoyed most of the 2016's features, the cheating a.i is getting worse. If it is a cup game, I dont even play it. I know I'll lose. In matches I'm strong favourite! After defending a set piece, ALL MY PLAYERS simply RUSH FOWARD to midfield, but one stays behind, so the opposition can have 4 entirely free players staring at my keeper... While my team has 78462 ccc's, all blocked, missed or fantastically saved by their keeper. And if the opposition is slightly stronger than me, it's 4-0 by half time. Defenders simply dont run when chasing long balls, and the opposition strikers gets it and goes for a easy one-on-one with my keeper... Of course, none of those happen with the opposition... And only in cup games, league games are clear.
SummaryTaking control of any squad from more than 50 countries across the world, you decide who plays and who sits on the bench, deal with the media and solve player problems.