Championship Manager: Season 03/04 Review

Who would have thought that one of the best games you could be playing on the PC was a text-based soccer management simulation? It's true. Championship Manager 03/04 offers a rewarding and addictive experience that can ensnare even those who aren't currently soccer fans.

Win...and the fans and media are your best friends.

The Championship Manager franchise has long been the gold standard against which all text sports sims have been measured. And for good reason. No other sports sim of any type offers you the breadth and depth of interactions and decisions that you can experience in CM 03/04. Every facet of life as a sports manager is simulated here--from trying to select the right combination of players who (through some magic of synergy) come together to form a powerful team, to dealing with a board that demands success while holding the purse strings tightly, to having to react to the fickle media and fans. Therein lies the secret of the addictive nature of the game. CM 03/04 is a superior sports sim, but it's also an outstanding role-playing experience.

On the surface, CM 03/04 sounds like any other text-based sports sim. You select a team to manage, evaluate your existing talent, set your roster, establish a training routine, make some tactical decisions on how your team will play, look for new talent to add to the team and decide which existing players to sell, and then you go on to play matches. The unmatched depth of CM 03/04 becomes obvious with your first game decision. Selecting a team allows you to choose from 43 nations, each with several levels of competition from which to choose (sadly, due to licensing issues, Major League Soccer is unavailable).

You can start with a world-class team, with millions of dollars at your disposal, like Manchester United or Real Madrid, or you can start with a poor team that's playing in a lower league. This choice is more than cosmetic because it provides you with significantly different types of games. A world-class club allows you to vie for the top multimillion-dollar-salaried international superstars (as well as their egos), in addition to all of the demands and expectations of soccer at this rarified level. On the other hand, selecting a lower-league team will force you to deal with a tiny budget, poor facilities, and players who either aren't very talented or, if they do blossom, will surely be snapped up by higher-league clubs. Both are extremely enjoyable types of games. Start at the top, and play in the international competitions and cups; perhaps you'll then get selected to manage your national team. Or you can start at the bottom, and see if you can take your team up the ladder by eventually moving your once-weak, poor team into the upper leagues, along with the accompanying higher stature and money. You may even develop a reputation that results in your being offered a management job at a higher-prestige club.

Once you have a team, you'll need to assess your squad's players and staff. Players are described, via numeric scores, by a wide variety of attributes. While this may sound a bit like a spreadsheet, the attributes are numerous enough and varied enough to give you a good feel for a player's style. For example, one player may be an obviously strong, aggressive brute who's slow but skilled, while another player may be incredibly agile and fast--and fully capable of skipping past defenders and making amazing moves--but slow to put the ball in the net. Lest you think that assessing players is simply a matter of choosing the one with the best numbers, be aware that there are many hidden attributes that only become obvious by observing a player's performance. Players also have text descriptors, such as favorite players and coaches, major and minor concerns, and more.

The 2D engine is surprisingly effective at displaying the match action.

All of this comes together in a way that makes each player feel three-dimensional and individualistic. You'll quickly discover players who are the solid backbone of your team. They never complain; they give their all on the pitch; and they're loyal and proud to be playing for you and your team. Others will be highly talented prima donnas who constantly whine and want more money, consequently pouting and playing poorly if they disagree with some decisions that you've made. You'll develop favorite players, and you'll decide that other players aren't worth the maintenance. The highly developed player personalities are one key to what makes CM 03/04 great. You spend much of the game interacting with your players and making decisions that have a major impact on players' attitudes and performances. For example, if a player gets sent off in a game or has a string of subpar performances, you have choices in how to deal with the situation. Should you fine the player? Should you criticize the player in the media? A professional player may respond with a renewed desire to prove himself, while a hothead may decide that he now hates you and will then demand to be sold.