Eurogamer's Phil Elliot writes: Football Manager Live is a daring proposition for Sports Interactive, there's no doubt about that. The studio that has, for more years than we'd care to remember, notched up annual success with its footy management titles is taking the online plunge and the only nets in sight don't look too safe. At least, they don't in my experience, as yet another shot from an opposition striker I've never heard of thunders past my inept goalkeeper.
And speaking of additions, one of the latest elements added to FML in the past few weeks is the notion of skill training, a system not unlike that found in EVE Online - you choose from a huge list of potential training options and the game will then train that skill over time, whether you're logged in or not. The range of skill options encompasses virtually every aspect of the game's other facets, with the obvious ones such as general and specific skill training, as well as more spurious ones like financial management and influence.
One thing is for absolute sure - it's incredibly hard to achieve any degree of success if you define success as winning leagues and cups. Whereas in Football Manager 2008 and other single-player games you write your own story, for better or worse, it's all too easy to have yours written for you - and although you're in no danger of getting the sack, making significant strides as the seasons roll by seems to become harder.
The closing of multiplayer services can happen for a number of reasons. Sometimes there just aren’t enough people using a product to justify keeping it running while in others it could be down to complicated legal wrangling, like expiring licensing agreements, or even a desire to bring out a new installment.
One thing is clear though – many of these discontinued games simply don’t deserve to die, to be cut down in their prime leaving players without a viable alternative and waste all that time the audience invested in them. With that in mind, this article will count down the 12 games least deserving of being shut down, the ones that players the world over wished had kept going.
IncGamers' James Chalmers chats to Football Manager Live's game producer Marc Duffy about the MMO's relaunch and whether it was a success, the upcoming 3D match engine patch and what other plans the team have for Football Manager Live. Oh and he also tries to find out whether Football Manager 2011 is in production.
Sports Interactive has confirmed to IncGamers it will be opening more game worlds for Football Manager Live.
