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LMA Manager 2006 (PS2)

LMA Manager 2006

Information
Reviewer: James Collins
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Platform: PS2/Xbox
Genre: Simulation
UK Release: 18th Nov 2005
Article Date: 21st Nov 2005
Difficulty: Hard
Price: £29.99
Score Breakdown
Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:


Overall Score: 70%
Discuss this review in the Forums
Pros
  • Great Console Management
  • Fantasy Mode
  • Nice 3D engine
    Cons
  • Hard to Navigate with speed
  • At times dull
    Screenshots

    15 of 19
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    Anyone who is into football management in any capacity already knows that Football Manager is the franchise that gets most football fans hot under the collar. What happens though if you can’t stand the series, haven’t got a PC capable of running the game, or hell just want a console experience?

    Well to be honest, all three would have to apply if you really had to turn to the consoles for the answer. Even then you are not entirely safe, most of these are just console versions of the already established PC best sellers, Football Manager, Championship Manager, and Premier League Manager have all jumped on the console bandwagon, and to be honest are just dumbed down, scaled down versions. One series that has been doing well exclusively on the consoles though is the recently released Codemasters LMA Manager, now in its ‘2006’ incarnation.

    Controlling your way around the daily management tasks using a game-pad will initially be a frustrating experience to anyone - including no doubt even console junkies. Even though Codemasters have designed the game with the PS2 controller in mind you’ll still need to throw away usual practices of using the X button to confirm or the triangle button to back up from a menu. The shoulder buttons (as in previous versions) navigates between the nine main areas of interest which consist of the squad screens, training, emails, league information, transfer markets, the finances, ground information, managers ratings and the calendar.

    This is a very graphical management game. There are two menu bars at the foot of the screen which, controlled by the shoulder keys, are your link to your club. Menu navigation, the core of any simulation game, has never been easier; it’s just a matter of being able to remember top and bottom. It’s a really great user-friendly system and belies how much information they have managed to pack in to the running of the club. LMA has always been more than just player management – they provide you with details of the sponsors, ground, staffing, etc which I personally have never warmed to as more of a purist, but I understand why some people love the completeness and you can simply leave all that to automatic decision making if you don’t want to get involved.

    Match day is of course the highlight of any week and with the latest edition of LMA manager, things are looking even better. You can always opt to skip watching the match but for some reason, you’ll need to wait just as long for the console to work out the score. The better option then is to take your seat as manager and bark out the orders on the 3D pitch. It’s here that you can watch the match, make substitutions or alter formations. Thanks to the clever use of the PS2 controller you are also able to shout out specific orders in real time in hope that your team will take notice. Although the orders “Long ball, Attack, Defend and Keep it simple” are pretty basic it is nice that you can alter the team’s mentality in real time. You can also shout out changes to the formation, but you’ll have to pick these specifically before the match starts or the default ones may be useless to your plans.

    With two game settings - you can remove these ability bars under ‘expert’ difficulty – you can also play two ways; control of an existing team, and all the players as correct at release, or create a fantasy team – you design it from the ground up. I think this latter aspect is a superb innovation (it was there in 2005), and gives you a real sandbox to play in. There’s added provision this year to download the latest transfers, to maintain your database and authenticity – till LMA 2007 I presume. It’s debatable whether anyone not currently possessing the kit to do so would bother spending the additional cash – after all nothing can happen between now and January for the Premiership playing squads at least – but it’s familiar in PC sims and removes one potential grumble if buying the game later on in the year.

    LMA manager could still do with a little more work graphically. A large proportion of the squads are without their official strips and the majority of the players are nothing like their real life counterparts. Statistically things fare a little better, especially with the promises of downloadable stats. You’ll still need a network connection and broadband to download these extras but that should be a given for most people thinking of picking this one up.

    LMA Manager is without doubt the best football management game for the consoles but that really doesn’t say much these days. If you do not have access to a PC, or Football Manager is a little bit too statistical for your liking then LMA manager is really your only other option - however the prudent amongst us would rent first and then ask the questions later.


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