Ok. So I wanted a soccer management sim. I saw 442 advertised for around U.S.$ 10 and bought it. I've had it since February. I cannot begin to list the ways in which this game sucks. Let me preface my rant by pointing out that this is not a case of me hating the game cuz i'm bad at it, in fact like the EA FIFA series, the fact thats its easy to beat is a mark against it along with the fact that its filled with glitches/ the computer cheats to make up for lack of intelligence/missing features/ poorly executed ideas/ and a terrible manual. My first season with Southhampton I won the premiership with weeks to go. Second season has me hovering between 2-5. Its only 10 weeks in so Leeds (first place) is only about 9-12 points ahead of me. not insurmountable. then come the saints and ManUre and blackburn is right behind them. we switch positions every couple of weeks. arsenal is in last and probably will get relegated. i don't so much mind that i'm getting beaten by portsmouth (also in relegation zone) and pounding man u. i don't so much mind that i lose in easy FA cup ties with my subs/reserves/one or two 1st team players on the field, and then tie Inter, Galatasaray, and Valencia in the Champs. League. i love that i can add my own mp3s to the game... but you can do that in GTA3 vice city, you can do that on the xbox. or... you can turn on your stereo and play w/o the sound on. this is not enough to save the game. i like the crisp, clean graphics. i dislike that there are at least 1/2 dozen things in said interface that are not explained anywhere. i very much like the number of players/teams in the game/transfer market, but its nowhere near CM. but the one thing i dislike the MOST, is the actual gameday. 1. i dislike the way defenders run to the sidelines when the attacker is cutting in. 2. i dislike the way the defenders all retreat inwards when the attack is on the flanks. 3. i dislike the way MY forwards always trap the ball and then run BACK towards my goal 5 steps before turning and then stumbling into some defender when they decide to actually attack, while the OPPOSING forwards have no problem receiving the ball and right away sprinting half the way downfield with NO defenders challenging them (see #1 + 2) 4. i hate how my forwards always run TO the defenders while my defenders always run FROM their forwards 5. i hate the horrible graphics 6. i hate the fact that the only way to steal the ball is to have the opposing team stumble into your defender and vice versa, all these idiots heading RIGHT for a defender and then stumbling over them looks like an U8 girls game with all the players blindfolded and on coke (actually thats an insult to blindfolded coke-fiend U8 girls teams). 7. i hate the way the "MOVEMENT EDITOR" doesn't actually do jack ************. i was a little curious after i noticed that no matter what i did my players always ended up deciding to huddle around the center circle and pass the ball till they lost it... so i opened the "MOVEMENT EDITOR" and made sure that no matter where the ball was ALL PLAYERS WERE AS WIDE AS POSSIBLE... i mean on the out of bounds line... still they huddled around the center circle playing keep away till one of them decided to break for goal (into a defender) 8. i hate that it then becomes a matter of just 'rolling the dice' to see who wins (kind of like the ref seems to roll the dice to see who gets carded) because you're sure as hell not going to develop any recognizeable style (tried both counter attack and possession games... wingbacks... flat back four... same thing always happened... the center circle pass around followed by the break for goal) 9. i hate that the game has NO IDEA WHAT OFFSIDES IS... BUT YOU CAN STILL GET CALLED FOR IT. i've had players so far offside they were practically in the goal with no defender in site and not get called offside. i've had players called offside with the whole ************ing opposing team in front of them. 10. i hate that if you use a sweeper (did once because nobody else was playing defense) he sits like an idiot right next to your goalie.... ALL THE TIME. REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE BALL IS. which isn't so terrible in light of the games inability to recognize offsides... but is still damned frustrating. 11. my number one gameplay petpeeve... the way the goalie RUNS TO THE ************ING SIDELINE when someone is rushing him. like his 1st instinct is to flee. the last game i watched the last goal i scored.. on valencia.. they returned the favor twice within the span of a minute.. canizares RAN BEHIND THE GOAL as my striker advanced into the top of the penalty box... he was at about 2 feet from my fan as the ball went in and still running towards them. my goalies.. casillas (got him for WAY to cheap.. 2 million i think though for the most part the transfers are reasonably priced) or niemi both prefer to run to the sideline though. safer there. 12. saddest of all is that even with these terrible glitches i still win. the game can't even cheat/suck its way to victory. my coked out ray charles impersonating U8 girls were able to crush the premiership and aren't doing so bad in season two. i'm sure there are at least a hundred things i'm forgetting. this game is an embaressment. i'd have trouble living with myself if i'd produced and sold this ************. if anyone wants my copy its $10 and shipping and handling.
I hate people who buy 10 dollar games and actually complain about it being a load of crap PS. If the game's good I'll buy it.
Retail was full price $45-50. Ebay was $10. the game sucks worse than the TampaBay Mutiny hungover. still want it?
I always remember Gary Neville scoring with a scorpion kick in Premier Manager. What's worse is that he then repeated the trick.
james beattie loves to score off of bicycle kicks in this game. he could have clear header at the goal with no keeper in sight (he's behind the corner flag) and beattie will always bicycle those crosses into the back of the net.
I unfortunately bought this game too, but I paid full price. I only played it a few times. I hated the the way the games were played and the players went about like headless chickens. All in all a very disapointing $60 mistake.