Franchise Hockey Manager 8
I like this game a lot. In my mind, this is the version of FHM that finally eclipses the last EHM that was released, even with the 1.5 beta enabled. It’s a bit buggy (ENABLE WEEKLY AUTO-SAVES!!!) and I’ve had a number of crashes, especially during the 2D sim portion of the game, but FHM 7 was patched up pretty quickly so I wouldn’t let that deter you from purchasing this game if you are a fan of the genre.
The budget system is a very nice addition, and I would imagine if you play in lower-revenue leagues, would present a different facet of gameplay in terms of balancing your scouting and development budgets. The new scouting reports are rife with information that can help you discern between a draft-day bust and a draft-day gem; I picked up a guy in the 7th round that had great mental stats that my scouts reported favorably on, and he ended up being rated as a 4.5 star potential guy after a season. Conversely, a guy I drafted in the second round has completely flopped down to a 2 star potential guy. Those are the kind of features that keep me immersed in a GM sim.
– Real player with 157.4 hrs in game
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First let me stipulate that there is a lot to like about FHM8 and for someone who has supported the franchise since FHM1 but has more often than not been a harsh critic of past iterations, I am slowly being won over with this current effort. That’s not to say I believe it is a perfect 10, but for the first time I can clearly see that the evolution of this franchise is now showing the promise we all desire.
So to that end, if you are looking for a deep & engaging hockey fix, the plethora of gaming options provided by this game will be sure in some fashion to scratch that itch.
– Real player with 137.2 hrs in game