Game Review Data
 


Game Title

Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2002
Publisher
Ubi Soft
Features
1 - 2 Players. Battery Save.
Format
Soccer Management
Reviewer
Andrew Blanchard


RATING

Excellent!


Ratings Scale:

Excellent!

Good!

Playable!

Ho-Hum!

Yuck!


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Introduction

With the World Cup currently in full swing it seems fitting that we should review a soccer related title. Exient, who recently released the excellent Steven Gerrard's Total Soccer also on the GBA, brings Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2002 to us. Playing and managing are worlds apart though and as this is co-produced by veterans of this type of game, ANCO, we're naturally hoping for something a little special. Less chat then and on with the game...

Screen Shots

GamePlay

Before you get into anything resembling gameplay you need to choose which path you're going to take and exactly how in depth you want your management simulation to be. There are two choices here - Full Manager and Player Manager. I'd strongly advise the latter as this not only allows you to manage your team but also play the actual matches. I could explain in detail about the football games but as it uses the same engine as Steven Gerrard's Total Soccer simply swing over to the Reviews section and you'll be up to speed in no time.

In addition to playing the games there's obviously a whole host of management responsibilities too and you'll be amazed by just how much you can alter in this title. First and foremost there's your team and how you use them. This ranges from simple training to positioning, game tactics and even buying and selling players. All of which leads neatly to finance, another equally important aspect, as raising funds to improve your prospects is in some respects more difficult than the football itself. Again your leadership is far reaching so while raising ticket prices may bring in more revenue you don't want to risk annoying the fans. The same thought needs to be applied to merchandise and food, which you also have power over.

Football fans will be pleased to find that you can choose your team from the top two divisions from ix European countries. This gives the game a great sense of realism and you'll spend hours with your management responsibilities entering various tournaments to win as many trophies as possible. Saving is fortunately one of the simpler aspects of the game as everything is sorted out courtesy of a battery backup and not one of those terrible ten digit password systems.

Controls

Your interface here mostly deals with menu systems and everything is clear and easy to navigate with 'A' being select and 'B' backwards. This is mostly due to the well-implemented design where good use of both text and icons navigates the player with ease through what could be a reasonably tricky process. The actual soccer game is a little more complicated but everything's very responsive so you should never lose a match through bad control more likely because you're not actually very good.

Graphics

Titles of this nature rely on the clarity of the overall visual presentation and fortunately even on the GBA's tiny screen everything is clear and legible. Anyone who's already played Steven Gerrard's Total Soccer will know exactly what to expect and a lot of the interface and even the matches are very similar. Overall the graphics are more functional than anything but fine for a title of this genre.

Sound & Music

If you can forgive the 80's style techno music that accompanies the intro then you'll find everything else in the audio department works very well. It's by no means outstanding but it does its job and overall is perfectly suited to this type of the title. You do have the roar of the crowd when you're playing a match but remember this is a management title and as a result the most common sound you'll hear is a simple beep indicating you've actually chosen an option.

Final Comments

There are so many features in this title that this review could have easily been twice the length but if you get around to actually buying this game you'll no doubt discover all this for yourself. This is not a quick pick up and play game though so anyone looking for a quick soccer fix really should look elsewhere. If however, you've ever wondered what it's like to run a football team here you have a fully featured, not to mention, detailed and engrossing management simulator. This is an incredibly competent and complex title and Exient should be applauded for taking such a risk and, what's more, producing a real winner.

@ EAGB Advance 2002. All rights reserved.