
Up to 12 players can be supported, but sometimes the less players there are, the better the overall experience tends to be. This mode is an online feature in which players create a team and take it in turns to select real-life players within a limited budget. Also, the popular Draft has returned in this year’s game. The concept of the online multiplayer is brilliant, and with little or no shortcomings in the gameplay, it’s conducive to spending a lazy day on Football Manager. You can now subscribe to managers and teams within the social feed, so you can keep a close eye on your mate’s transfer dealings to swoop in with an eleventh hour bid of your own. The online career mode is as good as ever. As if that wasn’t enough, your created manager appears on the home screen of the game, which really adds a sense of authenticity and realism to Football Manager 2017. Once your face is uploaded, you can choose from different hairstyles, body sizes and hair colour - as well as a multitude of different attires to really make your manager stand out from the rest. However, in Football Manager 2017 you can now generate a 3D manager model by uploading your own photo - and the results are hugely impressive. It was a good idea in theory, but it lacked realism and you couldn’t really recognise your manager from the touchline.

In last year’s game we saw the introduction of creating a manager’s face model. In Football Manager 2016, there were instances where the pre-match preparations took ages to load, but I have encountered no such issues this year. One noteworthy change within the main hub is the size of the writing in your inbox, and another noteworthy point is how fast the game loads up and runs smoother and it is 64bit compatible this year - which it was not in Football Manager 2016. The UI is as accessible as ever, with minimal changes to a working formula.

In terms of presentation, Football Manager 2017 isn’t too dissimilar from its predecessor.

The Football Manager series has always done a stellar job of replicating the most unforgiving job in football, but this year, FM17 excels in thrusting players into the true demands of being a football manager. The way we immerse ourselves in the game has intensified as media influence grows, fans’ scrutiny is plastered all over social media, and the demands on our managers become ever greater. Reviews // 1st Nov 2016 - 5 years ago // By Nathan Hunter Football Manager 2017 Reviewīizarrely, there are people out there that can’t stand football (I know!) and find it confusing just how much us football fans get so worked up ‘over a game’.
