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It’s been a pretty decent year for Beautiful Game Studios, the team now behind the Championship Manager series. Previous years have been made difficult due to the impossible job of creating, from scratch, a football management game to compete with the more mature offerings of Sports Interactive. Critical consensus did, however, suggest that CM 2007 marked a corner turned for the series. A Football Manager beater it wasn’t, but there were definitely signs of new life and perhaps for the first time it represented a viable alternative for those looking for something slightly different. While BGS are no doubt busy working on next year’s game, Gusto Games have been given the task of bringing CM 2007 to consoles, with the Xbox 360 version taking centre stage.
From the start it’s clear some work has been put into the visual aspect of the game. Despite being a significant step forward CM 2007 was still a fairly dour looking game, and the addition of a metallic looking footer bar and menu tabs down the left and right make for a rather less crowded and smarter interface for the 360 version. These tabs are part of the inevitable interface re-jig required to bring the game to a console using a controller. The tabs are context sensitive, changing according to what screen you are on, and you cycle through screens using the two shoulder buttons in a system reminiscent of that used in LMA Manager.
In an effort to make the game even more console friendly, Gusto have added extensive in-game help for novice managers who need to learn how the game works without whipping out the manual. Training has been simplified too, with the addition of attitude sliders to allow automatic changes to the training schedule without adjusting everything by hand. If you prefer to manage everything, you can still take direct control of every detail, so hardcore wannabe managers needn’t worry.
Cosmetic changes aside, the 360 version will see quite a few exclusive new features. Naturally, there are a multitude of Achievements to try and obtain in the 360 game. What would life be like without them? More unusual, however, is the inclusion of a multiplayer Battle Mode that’ll allow you to pit your team against others in one-off matches. This also throws open the tantalising opportunity for online tournaments should fans ever desire it.
Another welcome addition is the new Set Piece Editor. It’s not the first time such a thing has been included in a management game, but it’s certainly about time it made a return. One only needs to see how many goals the likes of Chelsea and Bolton score from corners and free-kicks to understand why making your own routines is important. The system allows you to direct players’ runs in the box, to give instructions to obstruct the keeper or simply to tell players to lurk outside the box, all by using a map of the pitch to plot their movements. It’s one of those features you could spend a lot of time fiddling with, and it’ll be interesting to see how the game’s AI will react to user created routines. Moreover, the Pro Zone analysis tool that debuted on the PC this year is still present and should prove the perfect tool for studying the success of your creations.
There’s been a fair amount added to the interactive nature of the game too, with expanded media interaction, more options for team talks and the ability to set your own expectations for the season. Where previously the board would tell you what they expected, now you can tell the media and fans what you think the club should be aiming for. Should it be mid-table security or do you want to win a cup? All the options you’d expect are available, and once you’ve made your thoughts known there’s no going back. Aim too low and people will think you’re unmotivated, aim too high and you risk upsetting the fans and board alike, whilst putting pressure on your players.
The console versions will also see the introduction of rudimentary coaching badges and management interviews. When you first start the game you’ll be asked a few rudimentary questions, and how you answer these questions will determine what level of coaching badge you receive. If you start unemployed, the level of your coaching badge will affect the kind of job you can enter into and equally the amount of money you’ll have available to you. When you take a job you’ll also be interviewed by the chairman, and again your answers will affect the amount of money available to you for transfers and wages.
It’s pleasing to see new features making it into the Xbox 360 release of CM 2007 instead of a simple cut and paste job. Championship Manager 2007 for PC was a significant step in the right direction for the series and the console edition shares everything with that game, whilst adding a few new tricks of its own. Whether these are throwaway extras or significant improvements is a question we’ll be able to answer when the game is released early next year.
