Review: LMA Manager 2007 - Xbox 360 - Xbox 360 - HEXUS.net

Interface

The interface is extremely simple to navigate and thanks to the pictorial icons you’ll soon learn which icon takes you to the training menu and which one takes you to the tactical section. Each option is just a few clicks away and you can slide back and forward through the menus through the use of the left and right shoulder buttons and triggers. The multitude of stats can be overbearing if you’ve never played a football sim before, but thankfully you can assign tasks such as training and the club’s financial matters to other employees so you have more time to concentrate on more important matters. There are over 1000 teams that you can manage or make transfers from, and this latest version also includes teams from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia (although it’s doubtful many will want to play with these teams, they are extremely handy for picking up a decent player at a bargain price).

The information on screen is displayed in a compact but clear fashion, allowing you to view more information on one screen than previous titles. Scouting options have been extended and there’s also further depth to contract negotiations

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The interface also appears to have had a slight re-design from the last outing. This isn’t a pick up and play game, you’ll be staring at the screen for long periods of time and the designers have made a few subtle changes to create a softer visual experience to prevent aching eyes.

Like most football sims, LMA Manager is what we’d call ‘divorce material’ because despite spending huge amounts of time looking at graphs, delving in the transfer market or choosing your squad’s tactics, we lost the power to speak because we’re straining our tiny brains so hard. If you’re married or value your relationship we’d suggest playing LMA Manager 2007 when your other-half is asleep.

LMA Manager now allows you to share your tactics and exhibition teams with friends online, and despite competition from the Football Manager series, it has moved on leaps and bounds from its first incarnation. The gap is narrowing between the two and with the superb 3D match engine, LMA Manager 2007 is a deep, involving experience that will see you jumping up and down for joy if you’re touchline tactics are successful or throwing a foul mouthed fit when you get knocked out of the cup by Accrington Stanley.

Pros
Easy to use interface
More options than ever before
Enjoyable 3D match engine

Cons
Some long loading times
Occasionally dodgy A.I in live matches
Few framerate issues.

LMA Manager 2007 is bridging the gap towards the Football Manager series, the best LMA title so far.

HEXUS Awards

LMA Manager 2007 - Xbox 360

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