Football Manager 2020

This game (and the games before it) converted me into a football fan, and I had barely any appreciation of sports before that point.
Football Manager is, in gaming terms, like a grand strategy RPG. You have the grand strategy element of heaps and heaps of numbers going up and down and the initial confusion of understanding what any of them mean, as well as being able to play for 400 hours (like I have) and realise you understand absolutely nothing about the game, and still having that creeping feeling that you really don't know what you're doing.
The RPG element comes from your players. Each of your players has their own wants and needs, and you have to balance your match day squad as best as possible. It's not just a case of "who's best at what" (although sometimes it can be) - you might need to settle a disgruntled player, or give one of your younger players a chance to shine and get some experience in the first team.
It's hard to show what the appeal of the FM series is unless you really sink your teeth into it. I can honestly say I get ridiculously immersed in this game. You experience the highs and lows of your labour, cringing when your team has an awful defeat and cheering when they do well. Were you responsible? Was it just RNG? Who knows, but it's fun, isn't it? Trying to work out what's actually you and what is just smoke and mirrors is part of the fun.
What I'm trying to say is, even if you're not a fan of football and sport, if you have an interest in grand strategy or complex RPGs you may just appreciate the incredibly diverse and immersive game that has the potential to grab you here. For me, players like Alessandro Rossi, Hendrick Weydandt and Luismi are burned into my brain, and I've gotten a brand new appreciation for the complexity and nuance that the sport of football has. This IS the beautiful game, but not as you know it.

Fotball manager is always solid fun. Developing a club is such a rewarding thing. I do wish that they would not release a new game every year. More development would benefit the gaming experience. A rooster update every year would satisfy more players.

Understandably, as someone who has clocked up roughly 8,500 hours playing the FM series thus far from CM00/01 to the current iteration, I'd like to think I know what makes a good Football Manager game and what has historically let the series down. FM20 does the best job of any instalment so far of improving and expanding on the good and dealing with the negatives.
The match engine is fantastic. Players move in a convincing way; stepovers, Cruyff turns, stop-and-go, all represented here in the best match engine to date. Yes the crowd animations are repetitive but you know what, if you want to play FIFA, go and play FIFA.
The IMMENSE scale of the game means you might feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities and the sheer amount of clicking you need to do to establish your latest season but please, friend, worry not! Along with all these new options comes a wealth of new staff responsibilities, and you can delegate or take charge at your leisure, Like to finalise signings but don't really care about the scouting side of things? Delegate it. Prefer to find those hidden gems yourself but couldn't care less about negotiating their contracts? Sure, delegate it. Want to keep an eye on your blossoming U23 side but the U18s are just too far off your radar right now? Guess what? Delegate it.
I haven't been this impressed with the advances in a Football Manager title since FM13, everything you can think of that would improve the series from FM19 is here. Data presentation is fantastic, player development and progression is as close to perfection as it could be. FM20 makes the complicated things seem simple and makes the simple things seem effortless. To me, this is now THE Football Manager title.
Simply put, FM20 is a defining moment in the history of Football Manager titles. Make no mistake, this one is a classic. Though you may not find the next Tonton Zola Mokouko sitting in Derby County's reserves, every story you do write for yourself on this genre-defining game will carry its own memories and legacy and surely that is the highest praise of all.
Ps. Match engine is still sometimes a bit of a joke

Was free on EPIC last week.
Prolly better off waiting for FM21 as its just around the corner.

Last night I calculated my Football Manager playtime since I first purchased FM2013. It was 5,929.7 hours. So now I finally feel qualified to review it.
It's alright yeah.

Playing Football Manager is like doing drugs. You don't know why people do it, and you don't know how to do it. However, once you start doing it and get the hang of it, you can never stop doing it. 5 stars

Not just a game.... a lifestyle choice