FIFA Manager 09 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

FIFA Manager 09 is the 2009 successor to the FIFA Manager series from EA's sports brand, EA Sports

EA Sports

EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...

. It is a follow up on FIFA Manager 08
FIFA Manager 08
FIFA Manager 08 is the 2008 successor to the now annual FIFA Manager series from EA's sports brand, EA Sports. It is the follow-up to FIFA Manager 07. FIFA Manager 08 has been created by Bright Future and published by EA. currently offers a Windows demo....

. FIFA Manager 09 was developed by Bright Future and published by EA Sports. It was released on the 30 October 2008. On the 29 October 2008, the first database update was released, including the first division of Cyprus and the necessary adjustments. The game gives players the chance to control a wide range of features from discussing tactics with individual players to creating monster stadiums to house fans.

Featured Leagues

As a mainstay of the series from the Total Club Manager years, FIFA Manager 09 has a massive and comprehensive database of teams and players (not all of them licensed, however). Although information on teams and players from all over the world can be seen, players must choose their team from those available in 65 leagues in 39 countries across the world:

UEFA Leagues

Austrian Football Bundesliga and Erste Liga

Austrian Football First League

The Austrian Football First League is the second highest professional division in Austrian football. It contains 10 teams and is run in the same fashion as the Austrian Bundesliga...

Jupiler Pro League and EXQI League

Belgian Second Division

The Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...

Gambrinus liga

Gambrinus Liga

The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...

SAS Ligaen

Danish Superliga

The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...

and Viasat Divisionen

Danish 1st Division

The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...

Barclays Premier League, Coca-Cola Championship

Football League Championship

The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

, Coca-Cola League 1

Football League One

Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

, Coca-Cola League 2

Football League Two

Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....

, Blue Square Conference

Football Conference

The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...

Veikkausliiga

Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...

Ligue 1

Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

and Ligue 2

Ligue 2

Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

, 2. Fußball-Bundesliga

2. Fußball-Bundesliga

- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

, 3. Liga

3rd Liga

The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...

and the Regionalligen Nord

Regionalliga Nord

The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...

, West

Regionalliga West

The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga...

and Süd

Regionalliga Süd

The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...

Super League Greece

The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...

Soproni Liga League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

Ligat Toto and Liga Leumit

Liga Leumit

Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...

Lega Calcio Serie A

Serie A

Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

and Lega Calcio Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

Eredivisie

The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....

and Eerste Divisie

Eerste Divisie

The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...

Tippeligaen

Norwegian Premier League

Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...

Ekstraklasa and Orange Liga

Polish First League

I Liga is the second level of the Polish association football league, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II Liga. Run by the Polish Football Association since its inception in 1948, all teams from 2002 onwards must have professional status and a licence, issued by the Association...

Liga Sagres

Portuguese Liga

The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...

Frutti Fresh Liga I

Liga I

Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...

Rosgosstrakh Championship

Russian Premier League

The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...

and Russian First Division Clydesdale Bank Premier League

Scottish Premier League

The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

, Irn-Bru Scottish Football League

Scottish Football League First Division

The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

and Scottish Football League Second Division

Scottish Football League Second Division

The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....

PrvaLiga Telekom Slovenije Liga BBVA

La Liga

The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

, Liga Adelante

Segunda División

The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

and all four groups of Segunda División B

Segunda División B

Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...

Allsvenskan

Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

Axpo Super League

Swiss Super League

The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...

and Dosenbach Challenge League Turkcell Süper Lig Ukrainian Premier League

Ukrainian Premier League

The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...

Cypriot First Division

The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...

AFC/OFC Leagues

New Zealand A-League

A-League

The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...

(New Zealand has 1 team in the A-League, the Wellington Phoenix) New Zealand Football Championship

New Zealand Football Championship

The New Zealand Football Championship is the national association football league in New Zealand. It is a professional/semi-professional status Association football sports Franchise league that is operated by New Zealand Football...

K-League

The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...

CONMEBOL Leagues

Primera División Argentina

The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...

and Série B

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B

The Série B is the second division of Brazilian football. It is played by 20 teams. However, the competition format has changed almost every year since it first occurred, in 1971. In some years, it was not played altogether...

Primera División de Chile Copa Mustang Primera Categoría Serie A Primera División de Paraguay Copa Cable Mágico

Primera División Peruana

The Peruvian Primera División is the top professional division of Peruvian football. It is known today as Torneo Descentralizado de Fútbol Profesional Peruano...

Primera División Uruguaya

The Liga Profesional de Primera División , also known as the Primera División Uruguaya or Primera División de Uruguay , is a professional football league in Uruguay at the top of the country's football league system. It is organized by the Uruguayan Football Association and is contested by 16 teams...

Match Engine

The match engine features more sounds, new pitch textures and new player faces, most of these taken from FIFA 09. It also sports a new interface during the match.

The game has a new improved text mode, with new commentary with internet ticker style scores of other games taking place. A text mode editor is planned but no release date has been given.

Tactics

This edition treats tactics a little differently, in that it replaces the 5x5 grid (which had on/off ball movement), with available tactical options like:

Attacking mentality
Tackling hardness
Running frequency
Time wasting
Passing (risky or cautious)
Passing Style (long or short)
Cross height
Crossing frequency

Merchandising

The merchandising section of the game has been re-written from scratch, and rather than selling items, a player sells by category. This version also acknowledges holidays with new categories. In adiition, signings from abroad provide players with the opportunity to sell scarves of that player's nation. To further capitalise on this, it is possible to open up shops in different countries to boost sales. It is also possible to market merchandising through an agency, which will lead to increased sales.

Staff Categories

Staff have categories they fit into the recruitment screen to reduce the amount of items in the dropdown lists. For example, there is a "management" category with the likes of assistant manager. There are new staff positions such as fitness coach, lawyer and psychologist.

Scouting

The scouting is very similar to the previous year's installment: it has a few new tweaks with filters and such, but the game now has a scouting difficulty option when creating a new game, the exact effect of this is still not known.

Dressing Room Chemistry

This option provides new conversation options with players, a gamer can tell players to "be stronger" and try to improve quickly, they can be told which areas of the game they need to improve in, and the option to advise a player to look after a new signing as long as they speak the same language. Manager trust now plays a part in player morale–if a player has no trust in his manager he may get unhappy and request to leave.

Transfer System

The transfer system has been improved quite a lot since the previous edition, the main issue people had was with swap deals being too easy, and this has become a lot harder. When negotiating a new contract there are new options, for example, a release clause if the team doesn't qualify for European competitions. The strengths/weaknesses section has also been expanded with new items. This can help choose the best player in a more advanced search. There is also the option to pick players that one is interested in, but leaving the assistant manager in charge of all negotiations.

Youth Players

It is now possible to offer other team's youth players contracts, as long as they're 16 years old or over.

Talent System

In previous installments, a 5-star system has been used with a 6-star added for legendary players. In this edition, it has been turned into a 10-star system, although when 5-stars are shown, the number is dictated by colours; an empty star counts as one, a gold star counts as two. For example, four gold stars and one empty star would equal a talent rating of nine.

The game only features four 10-star players in the default database. According to the official website, 11-star players are possible.

Story of the Season

The newest feature is the story of the season, after certain events a "cutscene" will show. This will happen after getting a job, winning a competition, and after transfer windows. But this particular feature tends to give players a frustrating experience due to its rather repetitive nature.

There were too many bugs in the unpatched release of the game that made it almost unplayable. But updates that followed fixed some of the bugs that were in the unpatched version, so it is playable if one has the original version.

Reception

FIFA Manager 09 received mixed reviews from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, with an average of 69%. Scores ranged from a dire 30% (Total PC Gaming) up to a more than respectable 85% (GameStar). Most reviews commented on the level of depth and realism involved in the game, while noting that it might well be too much for some. Play.tm called it "more a lifestyle than a game", observing that "a season, if played thoroughly, will take as long as most full games these days". IT Reviews commented that, "it may still feel like you're awash with a tsunami of statistics but FIFA manager 09 has injected a number of new features to appeal to micromanagement fans".

Update 1

The first update was already planned after a few game-breaking bugs were found. The main bug involved a complete crash when creating a player's own club. Update 1 included 200 new player pictures, the option to be unsackable when managing a national team, and a new data update. Update 1 was deemed to be unsuccessful as many bugs continued to exist and resulted in Update 2.

Update 4

Update 4 has been made available through many download servers around the internet, and Update 3 was released as well. In Update 3, the most important feature is that one can now go to many other training camps that were not in the original, unpatched game, and that it contains all the winter transfers that were completed.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.