Football Manager Handheld 2011 REVIEW

By Nicholas Edwards

Last Friday saw the release of Football Manager Handheld 2011 on the PSP. This is the sixth instalment of the miniature version of the now legendary football managing game and I have been playing it nonstop over the weekend.

I have bought the PSP version of Football Manager every year since its first release in 2005. For those of you have played any of these versions you will know that it is a bite sized snack import from the full game on the PC. Of course there is a limit on the amount you can do with the PSP’s small processor and memory capacity but the PSP versions have all been fun and enjoyable and have stuck to the essence of what has made Football Manager so great.

This year’s instalment sees little improvement from last years. You get the sense that the developers have really pushed the capabilities of the PSP to its limits and we’re at a point now where we’ve been given all we’re going to get. Even the back cover doesn’t claim to have much in the way of new features. All we get are updated transfer’s (this seems a bit of an inert selling point; of course we have the new transfers. It’s the new game!), a new skin (it’s not really new), and an improved tactics system (not really new either).

I’ll start with the new skin. Dedicated players of FM Handheld can be forgiven for feeling a little short changed by this promise. The ‘new’ skin is remarkably similar to the 2008 version which didn’t sit too well with the fans in the first place. After that the developers returned to the traditional skin for the 09 and 10 editions. It almost feels as if the creators knew they couldn’t improve much with the actual game and decided to make cosmetic changes to give the facade of something new and different.

The improved tactics promise is also a con. Much like the ‘improvements’ with the skin, the tactical system is the same as it always was, however some of the graphics have been slightly tweaked. This is just another aesthetic change that has no effect on how you play the game.

The 2D match display is just the same as when it was introduced. A representative for SEGA recently admitted that the game would not be able to progress beyond this engine as the PSP’s hardware simply cannot handle it.

I’m starting to sound like I don’t like this game. Not true. I love it; it’s just that there isn’t anything significantly different to last year’s version. I like the fact that the PSP version is simpler and more focused on quick game play than the PC version. It’s refreshing and easy to pick up and play which is the sort of game you want from a handheld device.

Overall Football Manager Handheld 2011 is a good game. It would be great to be able to download updates for transfers and club conditions each season for whatever version you have but this obviously won’t happen. This is the only thing that FMH has going for it; the fact that it has club and player updates. Without the introduction of new features, SEGA will have to rely on the dedicated fan base shelling out for the new version each year just so everything is up to date.

If you want a good, simple and fun Football Management game for a handheld device then FMH11 is the game for you. If you already have FMH10 and aren’t too bothered about new transfers then it might not be worth updating to the latest version.

8/10 for the game

2/10 for the improvements on last year’s version