Football Manager 2021
Every year without fail I get that Football Manager itch. It’s not always at the same time and sometimes it even happens a few times throughout the year. Nevertheless it is inevitable. It just so happens that this year’s itch coincided with the release of FM21. 40 hours later and I think it’s safe to say that I’m very satisfied with this years versions.
I’ll be honest, year on year it doesn’t seem like much changes in the Football Manager franchise. But the allure of up to date teams is usually enough to entice me in. That being said, this year feels like quite the step up in terms of new features and tweaks. Admittedly they are all fairly small things that I’m sure new players wouldn’t really notice. But for me, it’s fairly noticeable and great to see.
This year I decided to start my management career in Germany at Borussia Dortmund and after successfully winning the league on the first try I’d have to say things are going pretty well so far.
I wrote about Football Manager last week and how it has this impact on the real world that many people I’m sure aren’t aware of. It really is a bit of an anomaly of a game.
-Will
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Having now attained the Platinum for Astro’s Playroom and Bugsnax, I’ve moved onto one of the 2 launch games I actually bought in Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
The game takes place in a lovely wintery / Christmas New York City. First up, this is amazing how a pallet change and weather effects can significantly change an ‘open world’ you’ve already explored in the original Spider-Man PS4. The wintery vibe is gorgeous and absolutely apt for this time of the year. Walking around in Miles Harlem apartment with the Christmas decorations up and seeing out at the snowy city is such a warm feeling.
The actual story of Miles Morales is equally rather brilliant. Shorter by far than the original, in all actuality this is essentially a DLC that you suspect Jim Ryan told Insomniac to package up into a standalone experience for PS5 launch. I am not mad as other than Astro it has been a huge showpiece for what this console can do in a very fun and addictive package.
There are some twists that take place quite early, and if you’ve watched Spider-Verse you know the relation that Miles has with his uncle.
The traversal and ‘web slinging’ with the Duelsense is something else. Feeling the tension of the web as you glide further as the web kinda tightens, to have that feedback on the triggers is spellbinding the first time you feel it.
And while the story is a little short, there is an abundance of side tasks and collectibles to gather much like there were in the PS4 outing with Peter Parker. I particularly enjoyed collecting the soundbites of the city to make a Spider-Man track. Really a good and small item collection.
I have loved diving back into NYC with Spider-Man, Miles or Peter it’s a blast. Another absolutely stellar game in PlayStation 5’s strong launch lineup. Should be nearing the end of it soon, and moving onto Sackboy, hopefully I’ll be as glowing about that next week as I have been with my first 3 PS5 outings.
– Murr
