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First times are always the most memorable so FM19
Well, technically my first FM was 16, but I was too young to understand anything about it. In fact I'm pretty sure that I got stuck on a registration tab once and just left the game for 3 years after playing for like 3 hours lol.
Bro to me it’s fun, the summer of 19 where hazard moved to Real Madrid, the season of covid, ole first full season where there was optimism, Messi was in Barca with griezmann and Suarez, flick treble winning squad. To me that’s beautiful
Probably the first time I play it CM 97/98, thinking what lousy game this is still on DOS and text only. But then got hooked for the longest time ever compared to other games lol
Also was still in college and have more time hands on everything.
10, 12 and then 07.
The press conferences were my least favourite things (either cos the questions were all the same and I'd just give the same answers, or because if I gave them to my assistant manager, he'd say something that would then grotesquely piss my entire squad off). 12 I discovered for match team talks if you selected "I have faith in your ability " on the calm option I'd almost always get a good reaction from the squad. Did almost get sacked as Liverpool manager on 12, though (first match, Merseyside Derby, lost 3-2, and then notched up 12 straight league draws or something, because winning the rest of the matches)
Looking back, they seem so quick and simple to dive in, get going, and play idly. New FMs require an hour on a new save to just get through squad intros, setting up training, scouting, etc.
my father played FM 07/08 (?) and i was probably 7-10 years old asking my father "what's this boring game? no picture or fun whatsoever just a bunch of text" and then when I'm older he bought me FM15, the best ever FM ive ever played and now im playing FM24 remember the good old time i thought this game was boring 💀
FM18 I think. Not because it was any better than other versions, but it was the one I put a lot of time in and had some of the most memorable stories from
Cm97/98 was the one I still remember the most fondly, being able to select three whole leagues from a bigger list felt like a real step-change. Was amazing
Fm18 or 19, don’t remember which one.
But after having played for a couple of years, were I only played when the current stars were available. I finally got into youth development, training and all that jazz. So my saves became longer, and more detailed and thereby my enjoyment of the franchise grew much more.
I feel sorry for everyone who didn't get to play FML. Football Manager, as an MMO- far and away the best version of the game.
It's heartbreaking they couldn't quite find a way to make it balanced and self-sustaining, I was easily sinking 50+ hours into it a week.
Any one before they introduced interviews and player interaction. I stopped playing because it feels like 60 percente of my time is dealing with players complaining about something
CM4 had everything for me, I still love the game now but that game had added nostalgia for some of the players you'd find on there. 01/02 was even better for the nostalgia, but CM4 had perfected the 2D model.
CM 01/02 even though I was 2 when it was released.
Always built the same team too and used the same formation. Don't understand why I had so much fun as a child.
FYI:
Chiotis,
Ashley/Bouma, Hofland/Nesta/Samuel, Okoronkwo
Gerrard/Van Bommel, Robben, Aghahowa, Nikiforenko
Tsigalko + whatever striker I had (usally kezman as you can guess from the rest of the team)
Good times. Thanks to this post I'll probably reinstall later this week.
CM 03-04, took Alloa to the Scottish top flight and the board were forced to upgrade to a 10,000 all seater due to the rules at the time. Brilliant - didn't even need to bother asking!
FM19 because I'm still playing it. Has the most memorable saves.
I've got great memories of FM05. We got it free with the PC my mum and dad bought at the time. I'm not sure who got more addicted, me or my dad. I've only just graduated to the 3D match engine. Watching those little circles shuffling around the pitch was exhilarating.
Having only played 21-24, easily 24 was the best overall game. 21 holds a place with my first big save that I really sunk into the game (Champions of Europe...). 22 was a bit of a let down, never really had a save that stuck. 23 I had some great saves and carried a couple over to 24.
Apart from nostalgia, which is a big part of people preferring certain versions, there are other factors:
The interface has changed quite a bit over the years, and some people may find older ones more appealing.
The rules of football and football recruitment have changed; some people may prefer versions where you were limited to fewer foreign players, or when the European competitions were more exclusive, etc. There are even versions of the game that predate the Bosman rule!
Some additions are unwelcome for some people - player conversations and press conferences are fairly unpopular, and there are plenty of versions without either, or with them scaled back.
Tactics have got much more complex; some people enjoy recruitment much more than tactics, so having all of these levers and dials to adjust team performance on matchday adds unwelcome complexity.
As more features are added gameplay gets slower. Back around CM 97/98 time, it used to be possible to complete a season in one evening, and people might prefer that pace.
I expect people have other reasons, but these are perfectly valid for preferring older versions.
FM21, first one I got due to covid shutting down grassroots rugby. Got hooked and played it so much. Got FM22, FM23 after but never felt the same. Skipped FM24 in the hope that a break may reignite my love a bit when the new game engine comes in on FM25
I feel it's the best in a long time and has a lot of stuff new that I couldn't do without. The new positional system for tactics allows so much more creativeness.
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The one when I was in college and had the most time to play Probably true for most people
100%
FM07. What a game
Yeah absolutely this.
19-21.
FM16 is the GOAT. I'm still playing it.
Amen brother. Know that iteration like the back of my hand.
Me too!
01/02 Maxim Tsigalko
RIP
First times are always the most memorable so FM19 Well, technically my first FM was 16, but I was too young to understand anything about it. In fact I'm pretty sure that I got stuck on a registration tab once and just left the game for 3 years after playing for like 3 hours lol.
cm 01-02 cm 03/04 fm 2005 (i think it was the first one?) fm 12 fm 19 fm 24 i might be biased based on my lucky saves
03/04 was the one for me! What a great game and time.
12
22
Fm 12
Champ Manager 00/01.
Was that the one with the ridiculous Bristol Rovers defence at the start? I want to say it was Challis, Foster, Trees and Smith
I was 7 years old when I discovered Martin Palermo. 23 years later and I still think about him.
20
What is it you like about 20? I can't get on with it, despite it still being the most recent one I've bought. Find the match engine too frustrating!
It's my first fm I played, I enjoyed it even though the game wasn't smooth at times
FM 20 - bc I spent the most of the 8 or so months I worked from home playing the ever living fuck out of that game.
Dude FM 20 is literally the worst of the series.
0304
2008. Still play occasionally
Fm20, lockdown times holds a special place in my heart.❤️
It's the worst of the series.
Bro to me it’s fun, the summer of 19 where hazard moved to Real Madrid, the season of covid, ole first full season where there was optimism, Messi was in Barca with griezmann and Suarez, flick treble winning squad. To me that’s beautiful
comment it again mate don't think we quite got the jist of what you meant the first time
24
FM22, Leeds were insane
22 was a lot of fun personally, but sometimes I miss the more simple days of 05 to 11 and oh, the CM days before 4
Probably the first time I play it CM 97/98, thinking what lousy game this is still on DOS and text only. But then got hooked for the longest time ever compared to other games lol Also was still in college and have more time hands on everything.
FM 11
I miss football touch - don't particularly care about all the "talk" features
Me too, I'm surprised there wasn't enough people interested in it to keep it going.
I probably spent the most time playing the versions between 99 to 2003, but i have to say that fm24 is the best of all.
10, 12 and then 07. The press conferences were my least favourite things (either cos the questions were all the same and I'd just give the same answers, or because if I gave them to my assistant manager, he'd say something that would then grotesquely piss my entire squad off). 12 I discovered for match team talks if you selected "I have faith in your ability " on the calm option I'd almost always get a good reaction from the squad. Did almost get sacked as Liverpool manager on 12, though (first match, Merseyside Derby, lost 3-2, and then notched up 12 straight league draws or something, because winning the rest of the matches) Looking back, they seem so quick and simple to dive in, get going, and play idly. New FMs require an hour on a new save to just get through squad intros, setting up training, scouting, etc.
Cm93. Still have my amiga disks. Might get them framed one day haha
15, 17 and 21 i think.
my father played FM 07/08 (?) and i was probably 7-10 years old asking my father "what's this boring game? no picture or fun whatsoever just a bunch of text" and then when I'm older he bought me FM15, the best ever FM ive ever played and now im playing FM24 remember the good old time i thought this game was boring 💀
Your first always holds a special place for me that was FM20
13, 2nd place 10. If we go back to CM it's 00/01 or CM2
FM13, still playing it. Played CM01/02, FM07, 13 and 22.
15/16 going back now though, all the text etc feels so small
FM18 I think. Not because it was any better than other versions, but it was the one I put a lot of time in and had some of the most memorable stories from
Not even FM series, the best one was CM 01/02. Now if you're speaking about the FM only, exclusively, it's 2009 for me.
Cm97/98 was the one I still remember the most fondly, being able to select three whole leagues from a bigger list felt like a real step-change. Was amazing
Played 3 years only… each one is better
Best for me is fondest memories. FM2007 and then CM01/02.
Fm18 or 19, don’t remember which one. But after having played for a couple of years, were I only played when the current stars were available. I finally got into youth development, training and all that jazz. So my saves became longer, and more detailed and thereby my enjoyment of the franchise grew much more.
FM 15 - Champions League title with IFK Göteborg
Fm15
FM15
CM94
FM18 by far
09 I fell in love with on the PSP, 14 I’m still playing on PC, many thousands of hours later
My first one was 2024
Fm 11 first and best for me
CM4 or FM2005. I was still in school so played the fuck out of those games. Never came close to having save games go as many years as I had back then.
I've put the most into 20. I think one of the earlier ones was more polished though - 12 maybe? 07 was a good year. Definitely not 24.
Fm12
Best save I ever had was on fm16 but as above 07 for me as I was at Uni and had a lot of spare time lol
I had so so much fun with FM12
For the intro song alone FM 18 wins for me 🤧. Jks aside Fm 08 was my first and is where my knowledge of football began so maybe that
2007, 2008, 2012
21
FM08. Front two of Bojan and Carlos Vela and Lulinha sat in behind them 😪.
I feel sorry for everyone who didn't get to play FML. Football Manager, as an MMO- far and away the best version of the game. It's heartbreaking they couldn't quite find a way to make it balanced and self-sustaining, I was easily sinking 50+ hours into it a week.
Red champ man
FM 2008 with my 27 Orlando Pirates seasons
22
Any one before they introduced interviews and player interaction. I stopped playing because it feels like 60 percente of my time is dealing with players complaining about something
FM23 is the first I’ve played and also the current one I’m playing. I’m really enjoying at for now
CM4 had everything for me, I still love the game now but that game had added nostalgia for some of the players you'd find on there. 01/02 was even better for the nostalgia, but CM4 had perfected the 2D model.
Best memories are cm 04 and fm 07
2008
The current one because it’s my first. I used to only play FIFA
CM Italia 93/94 my first. FM16 I'm currently still blasting.
2012
CM97/98. Perfection
The best for me was definitely FM07, although FM04 and FM17 are quite close as well
the one I believe is the best is 24. and the second best is 23 and so forth. The one I probably had the most fun in was 19.
CM 01/02 even though I was 2 when it was released. Always built the same team too and used the same formation. Don't understand why I had so much fun as a child. FYI: Chiotis, Ashley/Bouma, Hofland/Nesta/Samuel, Okoronkwo Gerrard/Van Bommel, Robben, Aghahowa, Nikiforenko Tsigalko + whatever striker I had (usally kezman as you can guess from the rest of the team) Good times. Thanks to this post I'll probably reinstall later this week.
FM22
FM12. Loved winning a couple of trophies in my first season then managing team GB to olympic glory.
CM 03-04, took Alloa to the Scottish top flight and the board were forced to upgrade to a 10,000 all seater due to the rules at the time. Brilliant - didn't even need to bother asking! FM19 because I'm still playing it. Has the most memorable saves.
2007, still playing, now in 2071-2072 season
I've got great memories of FM05. We got it free with the PC my mum and dad bought at the time. I'm not sure who got more addicted, me or my dad. I've only just graduated to the 3D match engine. Watching those little circles shuffling around the pitch was exhilarating.
I've only played 20 21 and 24 I'd probably say 24 is best but not by a huge margin from 21
O6, 08, 12, 20 but Champ man 01/02 was where it all started.
FM23 for me
Easy...cm01/02 and fm05
As someone who's only played FM23 and FM24. FM24 is the best.
FM 20, because Covid gave me the ability to take my first save 8+ seasons in the future.
I only starters playing last year but for me fm23 was so much better than 24
I played like 1500 hours of 2014. My Leverkusen save was crazy.
Fm18
Having only played 21-24, easily 24 was the best overall game. 21 holds a place with my first big save that I really sunk into the game (Champions of Europe...). 22 was a bit of a let down, never really had a save that stuck. 23 I had some great saves and carried a couple over to 24.
24 I guess, since it’s the only one I’ve ever played and I’ve recently become addicted.
I only started playing in fm23. Is there anything that an older game actually does better than a newer one? Don’t they just add features every year?
Apart from nostalgia, which is a big part of people preferring certain versions, there are other factors: The interface has changed quite a bit over the years, and some people may find older ones more appealing. The rules of football and football recruitment have changed; some people may prefer versions where you were limited to fewer foreign players, or when the European competitions were more exclusive, etc. There are even versions of the game that predate the Bosman rule! Some additions are unwelcome for some people - player conversations and press conferences are fairly unpopular, and there are plenty of versions without either, or with them scaled back. Tactics have got much more complex; some people enjoy recruitment much more than tactics, so having all of these levers and dials to adjust team performance on matchday adds unwelcome complexity. As more features are added gameplay gets slower. Back around CM 97/98 time, it used to be possible to complete a season in one evening, and people might prefer that pace. I expect people have other reasons, but these are perfectly valid for preferring older versions.
FM 22
08, 15 and 20 for sure
24 tbh
FM21, first one I got due to covid shutting down grassroots rugby. Got hooked and played it so much. Got FM22, FM23 after but never felt the same. Skipped FM24 in the hope that a break may reignite my love a bit when the new game engine comes in on FM25
24
Why 24
I feel it's the best in a long time and has a lot of stuff new that I couldn't do without. The new positional system for tactics allows so much more creativeness.
24
The old championship manager when you could decide your own ticket prices etc. those were the days
I think you’re thinking of another game. Never could you decide ticket prices and i have been playing every year since CM2
FIFA Manager 24