'Football Manager 2012' for iOS devices is a great football-sim experience for fans of the sport. PC gamers will notice a number of omissions from this mobile version, but such omissions actually make the game more "compact" and suited to a quick on-the-go gaming experience. This deeply detailed and intricate football management sim is a perfect such experience for PC, and thankfully the same tone and direction has been carried over into its mobile counterpart.

What Football Manager 2012 Got Right

Intuitive controls - Most impressive about Football Manager 2012 on iOS is how great touch screen controls have been implemented. Touch an option and dragging players and tactics is easy and effective, and many the PC version's main controls have been translated well on the iPad for the most part. While this certainly feels like a toned-down, cut-back version of the PC game, the ways in which it controls doesn't compromise the core experience at hand, which is impressive for such a deep and demanding simulation.

Challenge mode is fantastic - The newly added 'Challenge' mode is a perfect implementation, one that makes the game is especially suited to quick, on-the-gaming for tablet users. The mode has you taking control of a team and guiding it to complete a set objective, not unlike similar modes included in the NBA 2K series for consoles. It's a fantastic addition, one that thankfully compromises the exclusion of half-time team talks.

What Football Manager 2012 Got Right

Exclusion of key features - The inability to access team talks certainly compromises the game's management appeal for the hardcore Football Manager fan, although it isn't massively detrimental to the experience. The focus here is certainly quick play -- as is showcased with the 'Challenge' mode inclusion -- but the inability to control and direct your team's tactics as freely and efficiently as in the PC version is certainly a downer. The touch controls work great, but there are certainly limitations in how often you can make such changes, and how frequently (and quickly) the players actually respond to your demands.

The Final Verdict

This edition of Football Manager isn't revolutionary by any means, but it's still a fantastic addition to a great sports sim franchise. It's a near-perfectly transition to mobiles and tablets, although the unsurprising toning down of controls and player power (a common trait in iOS ports of popular PC and console games) certainly compromise your ability to experience the game as deeply as its PC counterpart. A great game for fans of the genre and/or series, thanks to its accessible controls and fun 'Challenge' mode.

By Gaetano Prestia