Review: Football Manager Handheld 2008 (PSP)

FMH 2008 for the PSP contains all the essential elements that make Football Manager such a great game.

Pros: Short load times; large database; less bloat than the PC/Mac version; good user interface

Cons: Can't compare players easily; challenging; buggy loan system

In writing this review, I will assume that the reader has at least played a “Football Manager” iteration before on the PC/Mac, Xbox or PSP.

I have been fan of the Sports Interactive series from the original Championship Manager through to the latest SEGA Football Manager. I purchased the Xbox 360 version last year, and the first PSP version the year before that. Essentially this is the same game again, although the 2008 hand-held edition does introduce some interesting new features as well as an up-to-date database.

The biggest change is the introduction of media handling, from the PC/Mac/Xbox, to the hand-held game. It adds an additional team and player dynamic that you must handle in addition to the formation and team squad management. On the whole it works pretty well, with players responding to media speculation and comments for better or worse.

Other changes include an overall of the user interface, which has resulted in a much more intuitive navigation through the use of the PSP shoulder buttons (back page and forward page). The text and button placement has also been improved for greater clarity on the PSP screen.

The game is as challenging, addictive and satisfying as ever. My success in promoting Darlington through two leagues was really engaging, and I found myself sitting in work meetings, planning the changes I was going to make in the game on the way home. Personally I find the PSP version to be a much leaner and superior game to the PC/Mac edition, which I find has become too complicated and convoluted. FMH 2008 just seems perfectly suited to short gameplay sessions on the train, bus or plane.

FMH 2008 is not without its faults. It would be nice to be able to compare players statistics without having to resort to Stato-like memory or scribbles on paper; the game can occasionally be totally unfair – particularly with injuries or bad luck – and can throw up some crazy results; and the loan system is broken, resulting on players staying on loan indefinitely with the loan recall not working.

If you are a fan of the series, and own a PSP, then you can't go far wrong with FMH 2008. Football Manager in your pocket has never been better.

8/10