FML ICARUS FC

http://www.football-manager-live.co.uk/

Four hours. Four bloody hours! That's how long it took to bloody download! I seriously hope it was worth it. Having given it a little run out, here are my first impressions...
The very first change you notice is the brand new skin. When i first saw the screenshots, i thought it looked quite snazzy. Almost like a young Britney Spears. (admit it, before the head-shave, you would!) Having played it for a couple of days now, it actually seems like an older version of Anne Widdecombe. For those of you still thinking 'I would', ewww!!! The new skin wasn't too bad at first, but I've slowly grown to hate it. It's just far too bright for my liking. Staring at all the white on the screen for more than ten minutes makes me want to turn the damn screen off, so how am i meant to play an enjoyable game of FM? Then there is the change of colour for player attributes. What was wrong with the red, orange and yellow? All these blues are just annoying. Too much change and the problems soon mount up. That is the case here for me. I think they should have released it with the new skin, and a Flexion 08 skin. I know a lot of people who dislike this new skin, so it's not just me! If we're being balanced, I'll admit there are people who like the new skin. But these are the same people who found Anne Widdecombe attractive, so their opinion becomes void!
Whilst we're discussing graphics, what the hell is with the new default kits? I loved the default style on Football Manager 2007, but they've taken a huge step back with these new ones. I'd rather be seen in the dreaded jumper my nan gets me for Christmas each year! I'm thinking SI should get some of The Scene's wonderful GFX'ers to help out on future releases. I'm sure people would love to help. They wouldn't need paying, just seeing their work being officially included on the game they love would be more than enough recognition.
Those two niggling bad points aside, I'm actually quite impressed. With Football Manager 2007, it took me months to get hooked like i was with the previous versions. With Football Manager 2008, i already want to play it all the time, and this is only the demo version! When the new features were announced for 07, i was genuinely excited. I couldn't wait to get to grips with additions such as feeder clubs and the new player interaction facilities. Needless to say, i was disappointed. The new features just didn't seem to 'feature' that much in the game. I'm more than pleased to say that this is not the case with Football Manager 2008. Almost everywhere you go, you can't help but notice a new feature here or a nice little addition there. Be it the nifty little 'landmark' feature when you play each match, or the great addition of the 'create a shortlist from this player' feature. The new additions on 08 actually come looking for you, not the other way around. This enables you to enjoy these features more. You know you are playing Football Manager, yet it seems as if you are playing a whole new game. You feel yourself getting hooked all over again. And it's a good hook as well. Luckily, SI don't use the same hand doctor as Abu Al-Hamza!
This 'mini-review' is obviously based on my own experience with the demo. If the full game is as good as initial impressions suggest, I'll be more than happy. If there are still new things to find out on the full version, I'll be happier than the man with the longest tongue in the world's wife!

COPYRIGHT KIERAN TURNER / HASTINGS TOWN