The match engine is the heart of any management sim, and CM 19’s heart is in critical condition. Presented in a 2D or a clunky 3D top-down view, the player animations are robotic. Players glide unnaturally across the pitch, the ball physics are floaty, and defensive positioning seems to be a foreign concept to the AI.
Platform: PC Developer: Bang Bang Games Publisher: Square Enix Collective Release Date: October 31, 2018 Score: 4/10 championship manager 19
The licensing is decent. You get real club names, real kits (mostly), and real player names for the big leagues. That’s more than Football Manager can offer without fan patches. The match engine is the heart of any
The problem becomes apparent an hour into your first save. The tactical system is staggeringly simplistic. You choose from a handful of pre-set mentalities (Attacking, Defensive, Standard) and a few formation templates. There are no player instructions, no tactical periodization, and no option to ask a full-back to invert or a winger to sit narrow. You set a mentality, a tempo, and hope for the best. Platform: PC Developer: Bang Bang Games Publisher: Square
At first glance, CM 19 looks the part. The interface is clean, dominated by dark greys and neon blues. It’s functional, if uninspired. You can pick from a respectable number of leagues across Europe, South America, and Asia, and the player database—while small compared to its rival—is surprisingly accurate for top-tier clubs.