LMA Manager 2005/Manchester United Manager 2005 Announced

[posh_geordie]

Here's the press release, save me typing out the details:

Return of football management’s boss: Codemasters confirms LMA Manager 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox this autumn.

LMA Manager 2005 – PS2 and Xbox – October 2005
Manchester United FC Manager also confirmed as a special collector’s edition.

July 29 2004 (10am UK time) – If you think you’ve got what it takes to be or beat the likes of Ferguson, Wenger, Robson and Mourinho, prepare to put your tactics to the test as Codemasters confirms that the nation’s favourite console football management series will return this October with LMA Manager 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Codemasters is also creating an exclusive Manchester United edition of the game: Manchester United Manager 2005 will be available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox and published simultaneously with LMA Manager 2005 [see notes for further information].

For the new 2004/2005 season, the management gameplay reaches all-new heights as LMA Manager 2005 becomes the most extensive title in the series’ history with more countries, leagues and trophies.

LMA Manager 2005 also lets you extend your management prowess to more countries too: compete as a manager in 21 leagues as Holland and Portugal join the playable English, Scottish, French, German, Italian and Spanish leagues. Your team can also play friendlies against clubs from 32 different countries – and you can scout for players from those teams too.

It’s set to be a nail-biting season and LMA Manager 2005 comes to it armed with all the 04/05 season stats, including updated statistics for every player and all the transfers after the summer break. Management tactics and information flow are increased: You’ll be able to assign secondary playing sides to players, allowing better formation and positioning and when you want to find that player you really want to sign, an all-new player search makes scouting more relevant to your needs.

And come match day, LMA Manager 2005 is set to be more compelling with its best ever looking 3D Match with faster, more fluid animations, high detailed players and kits. Matches run real-time meaning results aren’t fixed before the whistle blows; it’s about how you react as the game unfolds that can make or break the result. The 3D Match’s game engine is enhanced too with improved speed, all-new goalkeeper AI, a wider variety of free kicks and all of the new ‘non-interference’ and ‘clear daylight’ offside rules for the new season.

For the first time in the series, LMA Manager 2005 will be expanded with additional game content, downloadable over Xbox Live or PlayStation 2 Net Play, after the game launches. On Xbox Live, there’ll be new fantasy teams, new challenges and, on both PlayStation 2 and Xbox, all the latest player transfer data from the January transfer window will be available to download.

The voices of LMA Manager return in style with double the number of phrases in Barry Davies’ commentary, while Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen’s pithy, often downright amusing, match day summaries now flow more naturally thanks to an advanced audio system.

Bringing all the tough decisions and ecstatic highs of professional football management to PlayStation 2 and Xbox screens, LMA Manager 2005 will kick off the new season as the essential management game when it launches this October. Follow the game and join the massive LMA Manager community online at www.codemasters.co.uk/lma2005 and the forum at http://community.codemasters.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=6



Any questions, post them up - I'll be happy to answer them!

 

[alex_m]

Posh, just read the news on Codemasters website and to say im delighted is an understatement. I think this years will be bigger than the 2004 version and we all know how big the 2004 version was so its going to have to go some.

Roll on October, I will definately be getting it on the day it comes out, no way am I waiting months and missing out on the buzz of the game.

 

[AndrewC]

This should be great. October... no way was I expecting that. I hope to see the 2005 version iron out some of the bugs and just tweak some things here and there. The 3D engine is very good but tweaked a bit further and this game could border on greatness. Things like off-sides, goalies catching the ball facing the wrong way, red cards for innoxious tackles, no red cards for fouling being the last man, strange manager of the month/year awards etc. could be fixed.

I would also like to see a but more unpridictability, like more transfer rumours, media stories, more injuries etc. Just somehow being more involved in the game. More things like the training reports and scout reports would be good if possible. Perhaps the option to have a weekly training report? Also, there's something wrong with the team scout reports. Every team has "creativity" as their weakness while the strengths of the reports don't really match. I'm sure that these points have been raised and fixed though.

If LMA 2005 is an enhanced version of LMA 2004 then that's all I ask for.

 

[posh_geordie]

Offsides and goalies are certainly things that have been improved - the new offside rules are implemented so it checks for 'clear daylight' and players 'interference with play' (ie. you can organise your atack so it does what RVN does for Manchester United during free-kicks).

Goalie AI and anims have been upgraded so there's hopefully none of the (minor) problems that we've had in the past with them.

I'll find out on training reports and referee AI as I'm not sure at the moment, but I know that all the little bugs that certainly didn't ruin the game but noticed once in a while are definitely ironed out.