LMA Manager 2004 announced

Codemasters has today announced that development is under way on LMA Manager 2004, the next game in its popular console-based soccer management series. Scheduled for release in October, the 2004 edition will boast a number of improvements on its predecessors, including the introduction of South American clubs in the transfer market, new gameplay modes, and current statistics for around 19,000 players.

"As the all-new player in the best-selling series, LMA Manager 2004 takes football management gaming forward from just looking at numbers and statistics toward a gripping video game where your decisions, the match, and feedback from staff are key to the whole experience of running your team the way you want to," said Craig Bexon, the game's producer.

In addition, the Xbox version of the game will boast a number of exclusive features, not the least of which will be an option for players to download accurate midseason player transfer information via Xbox Live. Xbox players will also be able to take advantage of an enhanced dugout shouts feature whereby tactical changes can be made during a match by literally shouting instructions into the Xbox Communicator headset.

We'll bring you more information on LMA Manager 2004 as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, you might like to check out the first-ever screenshots of the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game.