Football Manager 2024 surprised and delighted in many respects, with the game living up to the hype.
Sports Interactive wanted to make FM24 the most complete version of the game to date and that was easily achieved, if not exceeded.
While many will look at the revamped graphics or new set-piece builder as the shining beacons of FM24, I want to take a look at a new feature that slipped under the radar.
Hiding behind the pomp and promo of other shiny new toys, let's take a look at how transferring old saves became the greatest feature that the Football Manager series has ever seen.
FM24's GOATED Feature
That take may seem like a controversial one to make, but I truly believe that this addition revolutionised the FM experience like never before.
In truth, promotion of this feature seemed rather scarce in the build-up to FM24, but it only took a few minutes for this to become my favourite new feature of all time.
Of course, loading up a new FM game and getting started in a brand new save is an exciting aspect of the game that cannot be overlooked, but the ability to load in saves from FM23 truly changed the way I played FM like nothing else before it.
In Football Manager 2023, I successfully navigated a near fifteen-year-long career, taking me from the National League South with Bath City, all the way to the shining lights of Inter Milan.
Along the way, I notched 4 promotions, 7 trophies and multiple manager of the year awards. In what would have been my final year, before the release of FM24, I stumbled upon the holy grail of youth intakes.
By far and away, this was the most enjoyable save I'd ever had on a Football Manager game, but it was all tarnished by the idea that I'd have to dump it and start again once Football Manager 2024 came around.
However, when the announcement of save transfers was made, my eyes lit up.
Not only did the arrival of this new feature permit me to continue what I had started, it was a clear indication that Sports Interactive truly understood what makes them so unique - the small details go a long way to making the experience all the more immersive.
Unlimited Immersion
For me, Football Manager has always set the standard when it comes to immersion in sports games.
It could be argued, and has been by some, that FM is one of the most immersive games around regardless of genre.
Sometimes overlooked in this regard, Football Manager 2024's save transfer feature effectively permitted the player more control than ever before.
Now, a few months on from the release of FM24, I'm 30 years into my career, having captured the World Cup, Champions League and Premier League titles along the way.
The romantic storied career has taken me back to Bath City, where we are now on the cusp of the top flight.
This level of autonomy and continued gameplay was permitted by the save transfer feature, and it barely took 5 minutes to load.
I won't lie, I was dubious at the start as to whether all of the players and data could be correctly transferred, but shame on me for doubting SI. Instead, I was presented with a near-perfect reflection of my save, all ready to be shaped by the new features that FM24 had to offer.
In the end, the inclusion of features like this allows for our own stories to be written, for full autonomy to be permitted to the player with no real limitations.
Sports Interactive has, for many years, focussed on the finer details that will go a long way, a similar sentiment that cannot be shared with other sports games.
Trending Upwards
The seeming lack of major new features could have caused a stir for die-hard Football Manager players, but instead, things have gone the other way.
SI's attention to small details has paid off massively when looking at the bigger picture. Now, Football Manager 2024 does represent the most complete version of the game and its stunning immersive qualities go a long way to helping it achieve that legacy.
In turn, new players are flocking to the game with every passing year, with Football Manager 2024 boasting the most active player base that the series has ever seen.
Football Manager has, for many years, listened and reacted to the wants and needs of its community and no feature has better reflected that than the save transfer.
Sure, some may ignore it and be happy to get started in brand new careers, but others appreciate the small gesture of being able to carry over data, players and legacies and continue them with all the bells and whistles that Football Manager 2024 boasts.
If Football Manager 2024 represents something of an era-ending release then I'm pleased to see that decades of hard graft have resulted in the greatest football game that I've ever played, with its finest feature perfectly encapsulating the beautiful simplicity of the entire series.
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