Football Manager 2014

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Oct 30, 2013
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. IncGamers
    Nov 6, 2013
    60
    The Football Manager formula is as complex and addictive as ever, but a compulsion to keep playing shouldn’t be mistaken for revelatory advances. 2014 is a marginal improvement for the series, but retains several of its shortcomings.

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best PC Game of 2013
81
#81 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
65
#65 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 297 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 133 out of 297
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 297
  3. Negative: 109 out of 297
  1. Shahzaky
    Dec 11, 2013
    3
    Ive changed my mind once again, this game, despite the latest patch is an absolute trainwreck. FM13 is more polished than this. The mostIve changed my mind once again, this game, despite the latest patch is an absolute trainwreck. FM13 is more polished than this. The most stupidest occurs. Right now I cant give my players new contracts cause my board thinks we have spent enough, not realizing that this is not a new signing but 20 existing players which contracts ending in 3 months.... Our economy is fine and the salary cap has not been reached. f***ing horror.

    Here comes my earlier (second) review.
    "Despite my earlier review, I have played FM14 for a number of hours now. I've decided to raise my score to a 5, but unfortunately, I don't think FM14 will reach any higher. Its not because its a bad game by any means, its because its the same game as 2013. Some things are better, like match engine (offensive) and the loading speeds but others are actually worse, like simple language translations, defending, removal of sliders and fancy animations that doesn't make any sense. Sadly, most things behind the scenes remain unchanged. No money for assistants, reputation doesn't scale properly with team success and of course the graphics and sounds (worse) that stays relatively unchanged year after year.

    Is it a good game? I guess it is. Is it worth the price tag? definitely not. This looks and feels more like a $15 DLC package than a full priced game. Can you imagine a team spent a whole year on this?! I cant, all I see is a handful of people pressing a few buttons every year and then laugh all the way to the bank. Its gone 2 weeks and they haven't even released an update fixing some of the obvious bugs that people are having (they are to busy sipping tequilas I guess). Don't buy this game, teach sigames a lesson. If you want updated player transfers, go to sortitoutsi and get it for FM13 instead."    … Full Review »
  2. bernaedo
    Oct 31, 2013
    0
    Im still trying to understand all this people and magazines with a good review about this fm 2014. They clearly didnt see the beta version ofIm still trying to understand all this people and magazines with a good review about this fm 2014. They clearly didnt see the beta version of this year or played fm 2013. Was the huggest c**p I ever see of the series, the match eng is even worse(I dont know how they did this), is unbeliveble. Congrats SI Games for another bad year, need to be blind or complete stupid to give a good review about this game… Full Review »
  3. kosciuszko
    Nov 22, 2013
    4
    To begin, I have been playing this series since the Championship manager days back in the 90’s, and have to admit, won’t be playing them forTo begin, I have been playing this series since the Championship manager days back in the 90’s, and have to admit, won’t be playing them for much longer, and have even uninstalled this one.
    The game is sleek and polished, with greater match day graphics, but unfortunately it ends there.
    Firstly, I am sick and tired of watching another game end up with me having far more shots on goal than the opposition, just to see another drawn/lost game result.
    Granted, this happens from time to time in reality, but here, the regularity of its occurrence is plain ridiculous. I clocked it happening in over 100 hours of play occurring over 40% of the time, even with the new patch installed too.
    Especially when I know that my players have greater finishing/composure than the opposition, it leaves you feeling like why bother trying to get that striker with 17 finishing and 15 composure, when the opposition player with finishing of 11 and composure of 10 scores more throughout a season anyway?

    And this leads me on to my biggest gripe with the series, and that is the unlinked stats. What I mean by that is this; Doncaster in the Championship had a player (Salvatore Foti, aged 27) valued at £275,000 at the beginning of the season, with finished rating of 10, composure of 11 (Who needs Suarez?). At the end of the season, he had scored 32 goals, with an average of 7.34. By and large then he was a roaring success, but how much did his value increase? And how many teams were queuing up to buy him? Well, his value increased to a whopping £425,000, with NO-ONE interested. Not a single club. Also, his finishing/composure rating hadn’t moved either.
    This happens time and time and time again in the FM world too. I noted another player who I had been eyeing up finish the season with a dribbles per game score of 8.48, yet his value barely moved at all, and his dribbling stat didn’t increase either. Again, no other manager thought it prudent to take a look at him either.
    This just makes the game feel devoid of any true realism.
    Added to this lack of realism is the appalling transfer system, which lets the game down terribly. There is just no sense of holding onto your best player in the face of prolonged scouting, snooping and/or newspaper speculation, neither do you feel like you have just pinched a certain player from under the noses of one of your bidding rivals either.
    The free transfer list is comical too, with yourself the one who buys up these players. Imagine you are the aforementioned Doncaster (again!), and are bottom of the championship, with a tight wage budget, and a team that cannot create chances. You find a certain 33 year old David Dunn on the free transfer list, with a creativity rating of 18, and passing of 15. Granted he’s old with poor stamina, but would you not take a gamble, and risk him on a short term contract?
    I was able to get the former Ballon d’or winner Kaka, aged 32, at Wolves in the championship on £17,500 a week for Pete’s sake, with not a single team interested. Why not, especially on that wage?
    There is just no feel of competing for players at all, players you know would have at least half a dozen teams clamouring for their signature, if not more.
    And the free list is chock a block with players like this, whether it be an aging but solid defender, a midfielder with teamwork and work rate stats above 18, or a nippy winger with impressive speed stats.

    And talking of stats, why has ‘experience’ never been included? It would make buying those aging stars more appropriate, especially if you managed to get someone who had over 10 years of champion’s league experience for instance, at your lowly Championship club.

    And I have never, in all the years of playing this game, EVER come across a transfer that made me think WOW!! And this game continues that trend.
    You know the type, Man City attempting to buy Messi or Ronaldo for £90+ million, Man U trying to bring Bale back home, or Chelsea attempting to buy Rooney. Here, in this world, this just does not happen. And in all of the years playing it, it never has.
    As I mentioned, it leaves the whole transfer system feeling sterile and cold, with no realism whatsoever attached to it.
    And to finish, the match engine is plain pathetic.
    I have lost count of the amount of times I have asked my defenders to close/man mark the opposition, only to see another lofted cross end up in the net from a striker who had been left alone in the box, with my defenders not even challenging. Or midfielders who I have asked to harry and close down the opposition, yet allow a player to waft past them like they were swans on a lake, unopposed.

    This game may be great for newbs, who will love becoming lost in the world of stats, but if you have played it for more than a few years, then the glaring inadequacies will surface very quickly here.

    Poor effort, yet maximum frustration    … Full Review »
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