Football Manager 13 is the most in-depth, detailed and complex football management simulator ever made. But I must admit, I've bitten my tongue as I've written about most of these new features. The last thing I personally wanted was a new set of variables to worry about as I play the game, and for even more hours to have to be invested just to get through a season.

Football Manager 2013 is the best Football Manager released at this stage in many ways. New modes arrive just in time to renew interest in the game (with the Challenges) and give an easier access to it for the newcomers (with the Classic mode). GUI improved a lot, every information you need is at your disposal. Forget about playing with the 3D engine by the way : it hasn't evolved since last year, unlike training sessions, which are simpler and more logical to organize. FM has never been so deep, so real and each decision you make will have an impact on your manager.

Sports Interactive wins again. Football Manager 2013 renew itself with all-new "Classic" mode to satisfy all type of players. Challenge mode are another great addition.

Looking critically at the game, its developers probably realized that you can sometimes go too far in your quest for perfection. The result is a mode that brings the franchise back to the essence of a manager game. Football Manager 2013 is all about tweaking your players and humiliating your opponents tactically, and we're loving it.

Some subtle tweaks make this the most polished, accessible entry in the Football Manager series in years.

Developer SI has delivered the best manager in several aspects of gameplay, introducing new elements, while simultaneously reinstating some classic, loved features from the past. [December 2012]

Football Manager, enjoyable as it still remains for the most part, is beginning to enter the Heskey years of its existence: it still does its job more effectively than any other striker on the market, but the tired formula is beginning to show.