Football Manager Classic 2014 (PS Vita) Review

For those completely unaware of what this game portrays, here is a little introduction. Football Manager Classic 2014 puts the player in the shoes of the manager of a football team. On booting up the game and entering a manager name, it gives the option of how to start; take charge of a favourite side? Start without so much as a hand on the employment ladder as an unemployed Sunday League footballer looking for a big break? The options are vast. Being unfamiliar with the game, or a long time veteran, there should be recognisable names regardless, and so that is where the adventure begins. The choices of leagues are huge, ranging all around the world and the teams even more so, numbering comfortably in their thousands in a straight PC port of its namesake on PC. Upon picking a side and league the game then dumps the new manager into an inbox with a message of well wishes from the club's chairman, their expectations for the season ahead, and a brief team report from the Assistant Manager. Thankfully, for somebody new to the game it is then simply awash with tutorials, but they can only give the most basic grasp of the game, with the complex and steep learning curve large enough to scare off, even on the Classic version (which is the stripped back version, similar in nature to Football Manager Handheld 2014). It must be said, however, that the pay-off is immense, with one of the most rewarding and complex simulations out there, all in the palm of the manager's hands.

The most innovative and forward thinking aspects of the Vita version, however, is without a doubt the Cross Save ability. Owners of the full fat game on PC can start a season via Vita or on the PC and then transfer it via Cloud saving onto the other version and back again, enabling it to be played, ultimately, anywhere and at anytime. The premise of this is brilliant and it completely delivers, enabling seamless jumps from platform to platform for that crucial cup final that simply can't wait to be played dropping right onto the Vita and delivering in all its glory, including, for the first time ever, the full 3D match engine at full up-to-scratch capabilities. It's a real treat.

For a first time manager or seasoned veteran things aren't perfect, though. The game is, as stated, a straight port from the PC Classic mode, meaning the text is small and often requires a reread to ensure that nothing has been missed as Sports Interactive has squeezed everything to fit the much smaller screen as opposed to the simplicity seen on the mobile version. Unfortunately, for some reason, the team has made it mandatory to use the Vita's Touch Screen in most instances when moving from menu to menu. It is frustrating to say the least, and it would have been much more welcoming to use the Vita's joystick or D-pad. Instead it is a tight complex mass of words where the wrong touch on the screen can result in a crucial decision going wrong as a finger just misses one option for another.

Without a doubt the most sleep inducing problem is Football Manager Classic's loading times on the portable PlayStation system. As it is a straight port, it is obviously presenting the Vita with a huge amount of work equivalent to that of a decent PC, which understandably takes an awful long time. Saving before a match and then having to load back to the main menu screen afterwards makes matches themselves a solid fifteen minute affair as opposed to the quick and easy approach on the PC or mobile versions. Therefore, it is probably best to have a book nearby to drop in and out of during the loading times and, no matter how great that book is, that cannot be a good thing.