Football Manager 2017

Football Manager 2017 isn’t just a simulation game, but something that will permeate your life.

For me, Football Manager 2017 is undoubtedly the best game in the series, and even when results aren’t going my way, I’m desperate to come back and go again. The changes to the match day experience are superb, and the social feed is a touch of genius.

Football Manager 2017 links depth and accessibility: the result is pure perfection.

Football Manager 2017 is no revolution, but it doesn’t claim to be. The franchise is, instead, built upon careful revisions and tweaks to its successful formula, bringing new feature sets on top of the base game loved by millions. It’s these millions who purchase it every year, and continue to support a developer who continues to push themselves with every release, improving their formula and giving fans the best possible experience — whether managing a world powerhouse or a lower level team just trying to balance the books, the decisions made are never easy, and genuine pressure exists. Football Manager continues to capture the essence of what it is like to truly love, fear, hate and live football, like no other ever has.

There’s little to fault here and that's because SI Games takes the iterative approach. Whilst there hasn’t been a big shift on the game's workings since tactical sliders were removed in FM 2014 each version is a step forward.

If there ever was a time where new, as well as veteran, players to the series could jump right in and get a deep football experience, that would be right about now.

Football Manager 2017 managed to do better than last year by improving its playing style while keeping its DNA. Richer, more beautiful and more deep, it continues to be the benchmark of sports management games.

FM16 was close to the complete game, and FM17 is a very definite leap forward. It's not easy to improve on a near-perfect product but through smart and intuitive tweaks, this feels like the best iteration yet.

After a few seasons focusing on other aspects of the game, Football Manager 2017 adds a new layer of depth to the match day and its AI. And it’s brilliant.

Football Manager 2017 is the best soccer manager simulator ever, but its new features are not good enough to forget its predecessor.

The way Football Manager has changed means a better game for everyone. You are able to do everything you need to do to run your team successfully much quicker than you’ve been able to before. The improvements to the match engine make actually watching the games fairly entertaining. Clunky elements like the conversation and press conference systems remain, but fans of the series have learned to accept these for what they are now. There are certainly more improvements to be made to Football Manager, but what we have got right now is rather good indeed.

In the latest edition of The Best Game in History: Don’t Even Argue the developers continue to lower the barrier to entry, so less experienced players can grasp His Majesty’s vastness more easily. That’s great, but as a veteran player I expected some more substantial changes (e.g. revamped tactical system or a new take on press conferences). [01/2017, p.54]

Football Manager 2017 is an excellent soccer management simulation game for the bigger soccer fans, but causal fans or those who only watch a game here or there might find things a bit complex. That’s not a bad thing as the game is pretty deep in what you can do and manage at any point, but it can be a bit intimidating you don’t usually play any other soccer video games where you have to do just the basic management functions for your team.

Football Manager 2017 isn't a revolutionary update to the series, but it's the best in a good number of years. The new match engine is such a huge improvement and the AI enhancements add to the overall feeling that this is the most realized football management game yet, feeling more realistic than ever before.

This still is the same time consuming monster that it always was. Depth, authenticity, atmosphere: everything is there, while there are some comfort functions and a superficial “Social Feed” was added. If you are new to the series, this is the one to go to, but veterans can stay with last years’ version.

Football Manager 2017 hasn’t evolved as much as the previous entry, and some aspects need an urgent renovation. Still, it’s built on such a solid foundation that it still is a great choice for fans of football management.

It’s far from revolutionary, but it is a very well refined version of Football Manager that empowers the player by putting all the information you need at your fingertips.

Football Manager 2017 builds upon its predecessor, providing all the wannabe Mourinhos a solid way to sit on the bench. Still, the new features are not groundbreaking, so you may want to think twice before buying it at full price.

Football Manager 2017 does not include revolutionary features, but it shows a massive amount of data at the disposal of managers who can create deep tactics and game plans. However, the introduction of social networks is not a big deal, and there are some wrong evaluations in the wages of players. All in all, this is still Football Manager, and if you are a soccer enthusiast, this is your game: if you missed the last two, three editions of the game, you should grab this one. If you played the iteration of last year, maybe you may have some doubts, but in the end, you should buy it as well.

Football Manager 2017 isn’t a revolution, but still the same addictive simulation we love to play every year.

Even if the changes outside player AI and the social feed feel more like tiny improvements than anything substantial. it's still a remarkable simulation and the best on the market.

The new entry in the series that is even used by professional coaches, Football Manager, lets us get one step closer to world of football.

Football Manager 2017 is an excellent football management experience, with tons of information and an incredible depth in every field of management. The engine is solid, running smoothly, but it needs a complete upgrade in the future.

The newest version of Sports Interactive’s management game inches the series forward but isn’t the radical evolution some fans would hope for.

A deep, rewarding and addictive experience. [Issue#181, p.81]

The FM17 is kind of an obligatory purchase for fans, and thanks to the changes it offers probably the easiest access to the entire series for newcomers. [Issue #269]

Football Manager 2017 is by far the most complete simulation game that every football fan will enjoy. New features will bring the game another step closer to reality. Though apart from the match engine and transfers it feels a little limited.

Football Manager 2017 offers improvements on all fronts, but mostly scores with better controls, clearer interface and overall better gaming experience.

Football Manager 2017 is my favourite in the series so far. Aesthetically it can't hold up to games like FIFA that make the visual presentation a priority, but there are plenty of nice touches for the ever-evolving engine that help to sell the experience as you observe and coach it.

Latest Football Manager is still a great game, easily the best in genre. There's a few interesting innovations and fixes, but they're not necessarily important enough to warrant a purchase if you still have a save going in FM16.

Simply because it builds on an already fantastic game, Football Manager 2017 is in itself a winner. But a lot of the new features feel a little rough around the edges. The social aspects are repetitive, the improved graphical engine disappointing and there isn't much to tempt those who don't want to sign the next 12-months away to a simulation game.

2017’s iteration of Football Manager is still the irresistible management sim with a seemingly endless number of statistics to track and players to look after.

Football Manager 2017 is a very good game, though it hasn’t evolved a lot when compared to its predecessors.

The career mode of this Football Manager is one of the most profound and complex managerial simulations on the PC landscape.

The most complete football managing game. It hasn’t a lot of new features compared to its predecessor, but it's not easy doing that when you are so near what you want to be.

A solid edition, with new interesting feature, a smooth interface and a solid game engine.

Football Manager 2017 will be a disappointment for the fans ; so few new features, so few improvements. It still is the best game in its own category, but it's now two disappointing entries in a row. The next one will release under some pressure, for sure.

As it stands, fairly little has been added this year, but the developers did fix a number of previous issues. Long-time fans of the series will probably still pick up the game for roster updates, but casual players may be hesitant to pick up 2017 as I don’t believe the changes are great enough to warrant another purchase.

Sure, I still have gripes with the tactical interface, and there isn’t anything new there worth writing about. But if your rear end has ever been entrenched in the virtual dugout or you're just a fresh-faced hopeful looking to begin your journey, Football Manager 2017 is easy to recommend to the budding manager.

Either Football Manager needs a complete overhaul or it should stop producing yearly sequels, because this year’s one is the most inconsequential yet.

Football Manager 2017 doesn't reinvent itself with this years version of the game. Not that it really needed to, but there's few surprises here.

Can’t fault the professionalism in pumping out one of these every year; but though Football Manager 2017 is up to standard and makes some iterative tweaks of note, it’s getting harder to ignore certain systemic issues which remain unaddressed.

Football Manager 2017 offers inclusive functionality, making sure your decisions as a manager can either win you the trophy, or bankrupt your club. It's fun, but it starts to feel like little more than admin after a while. That, I suppose, is the point.

FM 2017 is the best the series has been, and thus the best football management game around. But the improvements are too incremental and the new features too disposable to make this a value-for-money day one proposition.

It's easy to rule an entire genre of soccer management sims when your worst enemy is a weak indie title like Retro Football Boss. But now, Sports Interactive faces a rising threat of stagnation, and as the developers continue to go around in circles, the word "refund" will be cropping up more often in the user comments section on Steam.