The Manager

Other Titles:

Bundesliga Manager Professional

Maker:

Software 2000

Year:

1992

Systems:

PC (DOS) / PC (VGA)

Genres:

Strategy / Sport

Tags:

Business / Multiplayer / Team Sports

Language:

German

Median Rating:

5/5

Archived Thoughts

Thoughts by Elwood (25 00 2008) – PC (DOS)

Visiting an old acquaintance… you probably know that, not having seen each other for a long time. Maybe you think back how it was. The good old days together… back then… you have lots of fun, it was wild times, fun times and so on. Now you’re facing this old friend again – and… now what? Often, everything is different. Time has cut a rift you can’t bridge anymore. You two have become alienated. That’s a pity then. Then, there are the cases in which you stand face to face and it is almost like no day has passed at all.

Lately, I’ve visited my old acquaintance Bundesliga Manager Professional (released as The Manager abroad). A good friend from the early 90s. It has been quite some time, granted. Back then, the Bundesliga Manager series was the cream of the crop. Both graphically and conceptually, Software 2000 had raised the bar for the competition significantly.

The players have their individual strength, even up to having a ‘strong foot’ (or being good with both feet). The team lineup gives you the opportunity to position the players on the field relatively freely. Training can be tuned individually. There is a customizable stadium, merchandising, ads, three leagues (the German ones being replaced with their English counterparts in the English version), a cup, international competitions, newspaper stories – and finally a special highlight: animated scenes from the game. To make it short – all of this was completely unknown… back then. These days, the enthusiasm about the richness of details might sound a little strange. All of this is quite common, maybe you’ve even seen more – but the seminal game which came up with this just like that was the Bundesliga Manager series, especially the Professional part covered here.

Not so long ago – I wasn’t even thinking about reviewing a game for an Abandonware site ever again – I ran good old BMP again. Not because of nostalgic feelings, but… because I really wanted to play a good football management game. I admit, I can’t get into these newer games of the genre. Everything I like about such a game is in this one exactly. And for that, the makers of this game deserve a deep bow.

Translated by Mr Creosote

Thoughts by Underdogs (25 00 2011) – The Manager – PC (DOS)

The Manager is an excellent soccer simulation game that is unfortunately much less popular than Championship Manager, current champion of the genre. While Bundesliga Manager, the game’s German league equivalent, sells very well in Europe and is being continually updated, this England league counterpart was discontinued years ago.

That the game’s relative anonymity is undeserved is obvious from the first few minutes you spend with the game. For starter, it includes accurate statistics for the players and clubs in the 1992/1993 Premier League season in England. As manager of a Division 3 club, your job is to lead the team up through the ladder, finishing up hopefully as the Premier League champion. The range of control is comprehensive: you decide on the tactics to use for each match, as well as managerial tasks such as negotiation contracts with star players and sponsors, and investing in stadium expansions.

One of the neat details that make the game memorable for me is how the game represents each match. Although the game’s emphasis is definitely on coaching and managing the team, it doesn’t present match results in static screens as you would expect. Instead, you will see animations of players on the screen, with each important event (such as scoring, of course) depicted very fluidly. You can turn these graphical extras off if you want, but to me they really enliven the gameplay and are even exciting to watch. The only other game I can recall from the same period that animates matches like this is On The Ball, but The Manager is a couple of years older.

With accurate statistics, excellent game engine, a solid gameplay, and plenty of nice little touches, The Manager belongs in the top echelon of soccer simulators. It may not boast as much production value as Championship Manager, but if you are looking for a pleasant game with no frills, it ranks up there with the best. Highly recommended!

This review has been taken from the original Home of the Underdogs (http://www.the-underdogs.info)  

Screenshots

PC (DOS)

Box

PC (DOS)

Videos

Gameplay (Deutsch)

Gameplay (English)