LMA Manager 2007
Yes folks, it's the time of year where an influx of footy titles crawl from under the woodwork and onto the shelves. With the action packed Pro Evolution Soccer and Fifa 07 just around the corner, Codemasters have been consistently improving with their own yearly outing of footy actionwith their management simulation, LMA Manager. Every year they throw something new into the equation and provide a deeper management experience that hopes to bridge the gap with the excellent Football Manager series.
LMA Manager 2007 differs from many of the football management simulation titles thanks to its 3D match engine that allows you to see how your tactics are being played out on the pitch. Throw in the option of shouting out orders to your team from the dug-out that can change the course of a match and you’ve got a football management sim that offers much more than just pages full of mind boggling stats.
LMA Manager 2006 follows the same premise as the other games in the series. Choose the full game and you’ll be in charge of all of the team’s affairs, choose fantasy team and you'll be able to build your own team from scratch. Your first job will be to select a manager; the manager you create will be duplicated on the touchline and in news flashes throughout the game. Fancy a mullet or a goatee? Or maybe some Presley style side burns? There are plenty of options to create a unique character and it does add to the overall experience.
Click for larger imageThe 3D matches look extremely polished and the way your players respond to your touch-line commands can turn a match on its head. You can access a list of four dug-out commands by pressing the ‘B’ button and then pick and choose how you want your players to respond. For example, if you spot an opposition striker with a fair amount of space dashing towards your goal, you could tell your players to ‘press’ the opposition. You’ll then see the nearest players close him down offering him little space to manoeuvre which will often cause him to misplace a pass. Although there are only four dug-out options at your fingertips during the match, there are a whole host of dugout options that can be changed during the match from the in-game menu allowing you to select the four that you’ll use the most for that particular game. For example, if you’re 2-0 up you may want to select defensive options and options that will see you keeping hold off the ball, such as ‘pressing’, ‘defend’, ‘possession’ and ‘clearance’.
Click for larger imageThe repetitiveness of the player movement and goal scoring that we saw in LMA Manager 2006 has been drastically improved, and instead of only watching the important matches, we’re now far more content in watching ever single one as the goals now come flooding in from every conceivable angle.