Football Manager 2022 Review (Damurrmurr)
I've been playing football managing games since 1995 (Ultimate Soccer Manager, PC Fútbol, Championship Manager, Total Club Manager and many others). Since 2014 I've been pretty much settled with the FM franchise, I've been playing Football Manager 2015 for the past 7 years, and after giving FM2022 a shot I think I will simply continue playing FM2015 for another 5 years at least.
I do not understand how is it possible that Sigames keeps simply UIwashing the same exact game, with the same exact issues, and selling it for €55 season after season, even though it's been a while since they don't even have to pay for FIFA and UEFA licenses because someone will just mod them out for them.
I believe the match engine hasn't improved a bit in 7 years, besides tiny adjustments in the animations. The training system is still quite annoying, so I just skipped it and delegated it to my coaches. The tactics are exactly the same as they were in 2014, with really minor changes, and they still have the same issues. They assume, for instance, tikitaka style must be played pushing the game through the center of the field, while in reality Barça and the Spanish team always used open wingers and really tried to make the field as wide as possible. Because of that, if you want to succeed in this game, you have to go for Italian catenaccio and counterattack or for a Premier League direct attacking style.
The press conferences were already annoying in FM2015, and they are even worse now. Sure, they have more options now, but that only means you waste more time reading the new questions and answers and picking the ones that you will be repeating forever from that moment on. Plus, you now have a second press conference after every match. Another thing that you will most likely delegate to your coaches.
There are even several aspects where I find the game is worse than FM2015. Contracts are a nightmare. There is no room for negotiation whatsoever, players have their demands and you must meet them or they will leave. Plus, their demands often make no sense. I've had several players asking for 20M yearly salary contracts, which I denied, and then they signed for different clubs for just 10M. Rookies ask for insane amounts of money or protagonism. One of my rookies, 17, refused to even discuss his new contract because I refused sending him on loan to a 2nd division team six months earlier, while he was playing regularly and won the triplet twice with my team. My team, by the way, is the richest and is at the top of the ranks in prestige. Truly seems like the constant whining of the players is just another way Sigames has found to make players spend more hours playing, just like the exhausting press conferences and so on, but there is really nothing pleasant in negotiations or discussions with players whatsoever.
I'm truly sad there is no real competition for this game to actually push some improvement on it. Sure, it's a very good game, it was 10 years ago. But it's still the same now, almost exactly the same as it already was in 2011. How is it possible that this franchise keeps charging €55 for every single UI rewashing, and how is it possible that everyone keeps buying it year after year? That is simply beyond my understanding.