Championship Manager Season 03/04

Championship Manager: Season 03/04 was the last of its kind. Not the last game in the series, but the last game in the team that brought us it. For most people, it offered a pretty big improvement over what the previous game had offered. While at the time I sunk many hours into the game, does it hold up now and in comparison, to the more modern football management games?

We Are The Champions

As is the case with every football manager game ever created. The goal here is to become a successful football manager. One of the things that made Championship Manager: Season 03/04 impressive at the time of its release was it featured more leagues, teams, and players than ever before. They included many new leagues for this game and as a result, the world of football feels far more complete.

Be Your Own Man…ager

The way you go about the game will all depend on you. You can start as a lower league team if you want and try to take them all the way to the top. That can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a hell of a challenge. I once started playing as Cambridge United with the hopes of taking them to the premier league and I could not get out of the Championship!

On the other hand, you can start right at the top and take control of one of the major clubs in world football such as Manchester United, Real Madrid or Glasgow Rangers (ok so I am a massive Rangers fan so that one is for me!). Playing as a top club brings with it a different kind of pressure than a lower league club. For example, success is not just wanted it is expected so it is much easier to get sacked from a more high-profile club.

The Day To Day

Managing a club is more than just putting out a team on a Saturday afternoon. Championship Manager: Season 03/04 gives you a lot of control over your club. You will be in charge of buying, selling, and keeping players happy. You can also hire staff, take training, and try to improve the club’s image. You have a lot of stuff to tackle before you even get to the actual matches. I like to think of myself as a tactical genius and I love how many different tactics and formations there were to play with. The game has a 2D match engine which at the time of release was pretty impressive stuff. It also has far better load times and fewer bugs in general over what the last game had. The issue is that while this is a very solid football management game. I would argue that the more modern games are better.

If you are a football fan and if you have a love for this time period in football, you owe it to yourself to play Championship Manager: Season 03/04. This may not be the most modern football management game or even the best. However, I will still say that this is a fantastic game and one that is very easy to lose a big chunk of your life too!

Pros:

• They have added in many new leagues
• Over 200,000 players!
• The game gives you tons of stuff to do
• It is a very addictive experience
• You feel like a genius when your tactics actually work

Cons:

• I do feel that some of the more modern football management games are better
• The visual presentation is not the most exciting