Any fan of the Football Manager franchise should be chomping at the bit to get their hands on this.
"Football Manager Live is a new concept in football management. Put your managerial skills to the test in a 'real-time' environment where you compete live and online against your friends or rivals."
The Beta has been out for a few months now, both my housemates have been playing on it furiously (unfortunately I wasn't picked to particiapte....I know ghey!). It seems to be 10x more addictive than the regular game.
Basically........
- You get to create and manage your very own football club. Choose your colours and badge, design your kit and name your stadium.
- Build your own dream team from the huge Sports Interactive database of real-world players within the Football Manager database.
- Compete in Football Manager Live gameworlds 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in your quest to top the rankings table.
- Create and run your own league and cup competitions. Take on the world or simply compete for bragging rights with your friends.
- A comprehensive transfer system allowing you to buy, sell and loan players, as well as bidding for new players with the exciting auction system.
- If you invest in an expensive squad, you'll need on-field success to win tournaments and climb the rankings to balance your finances.
- Real-time SMS and e-mail alerts mean you are never far away from the action.
Apparently the monthly price (the game itself is free) will only be the same as a couple of pints 'in London' (so proably around £7).
There will be a number of 'Game worlds' each of which has (so far in the Beta) up to 1000 teams. Within the 'Game world' individuals can create 'Federations' that are tailored to each players needs (these are the Premier League's or Serie A's of FM LIVE). For instance there could be a federation that plays only in the evenings or just at the weekend.
Games are played in real-time, and there is no set fixture list. So in one day a whole league can be completed if everyone is online. Games do, though, have a set date to be played by, and if games cannot be played the AI takes over for you or your opponent.
One of the many features that makes this game so good will be the frequency of updates. SI aren't planning on releasing new versions of the game annually (like the usual FM games) so the added features, improvements etc. will be part of the service you pay for.
The release had been slated for Spring, but obviously thats not happening. The news is that it'll be around June/July.
I'll try and keep this updated as much as possible, and please let everyone know if you're planning on becoming a manager!
Here's hoping my FC Frensham do OK!
Useful links:
FM Live Homepage
FM Live FAQ
Few screenshots for you:
