For years now, Football Manager has simply been the only choice for fans of the football management genre. Nothing else has come close to rivalling the sophistication and depth offered by the series, and so its yearly versions - adding new features, cosmetic tweaks and extra layers of complexity each time - have generally been welcomed by the legions of bedroom managers that buy it every year.
Over the last ten years - and particularly the last five - there have been voices of dissent, however. The game, felt by many to have been at its best around the turn of the century, has lost something as it's become progressively more detailed and time-consuming. Whereas half a season could once be completed on a rainy afternoon, now it can take that long just to get through a few weeks in the game. For most, particularly those who played the game as teenagers in the nineties, real-life commitments mean the stress and time it can take up simply isn't worth it.
What Makes A Classic?
In response to that, Football Manager 2013 marks something of a turning point for the series, with two distinct gaming modes offered for the first time. The full game carries on in the same vein as its predecessors, albeit with a considerable aesthetic overhaul and a new training system. It's the new game included with it, however, that's the real point of interest. Football Manager Classic, a streamlined and less demanding version of the game, could result in legions of those fans put off over the last 10 years finally returning to the fold.
All of the most fiddly aspects of football management have been stripped out here, and the simplicity of the old games is back. If all you're interested in is buying a couple of players, setting the tactics and seeing what happens, Classic allows you to do this quickly and with minimal effort. A few clicks and you can whizz through weeks of a season - yet you can still enjoy some of the better features the last 10 years have brought, such as media interaction and the 3D match engine. It really does feel like the glory days of playing Championship Manager in a way that the full game can no longer offer.
Four Games In One
As well these two playing modes FM 2013 offers some much-improved multiplayer options, meaning not only are there more ways to play with your friends, but games are also much simpler to join and create thanks to its use of the Steam network. 'Versus' mode allows you to play your existing team in custom-made tournaments with friends, while the online leagues now work much better. They also offer points-based leaderboards for the first time, allowing you to judge your managerial career against the best in the world.
Finally there's 'Challenge' mode, a simple but fun set of scenarios to choose from. Take over a team struggling in the relegation zone and save them with only 10 games to play, for example. Or try to maintain an unbeaten run until the end of the season. These are short, fun experiences, the likes of which Football Manager hasn't offered in a very long time.
Something For Everyone
All of this means that Football Manager 2013 will offer a huge amount for gamers, and no matter how they want to play, there's a style to suit everybody. Fans of last year's version who are happy to spend hours pouring over training routines and scouting networks will be satisfied, but for the first time in perhaps 10 years, so will those looking for something more relaxed and undemanding.