Battle of the Apps: CM v FM

Battle of the iPhone apps: Championship Manager vs Football Manager

Let me say first of all that both are really good. It’s a triumph for the developers that such data heavy behemoths can be ported to phones. Alongside Tiger Woods and GTA they are probably the most impressive achievements to date in mobile gaming.

Both are smaller versions of the bigger game so I won’t dwell on the CM v FM debate – here I am looking at how well they transfer to the iPhone (or the iPod Touch). Here we go…

Interface

Firstly Champman is portrait and FM is landscape, a huge plus for the latter – it just feels more natural holding a gaming device that way (although in fairness that might be because I am used to playing a PSP). In terms of buttons, scrolling etc. FM also has the advantage – continue, back and so on are bigger and more responsive, and it’s easier to drag and drop players, squad numbers, formations, and everything else you would expect.

Reliability

I have played Champman more – but to me it seems a lot less reliable. There is nothing worse than winning a crucial game only to be forced to replay it, or worse a couple of weeks of game time. This happened a few times in the season I played (finishing second with Newcastle to a ridiculous Crystal Palace side). On FM, a few games in, it’s yet to crash… (touch wood)

Match Engine

Again FM wins – both are good, as good as a few versions ago on the PC. But FM’s is more versatile and more realistic, you can see what is going on, and players seem to be in the right place more often. It’s not uncommon on Champman for all the players to be around one goal only for the other team to score.

Speed

This is where FM really comes into its own. It’s REALLY fast. Saving and loading games take a few seconds at most, background games happen in a heartbeat, and load times are minimal. Champman is quick too – but not AS quick. As is becoming a running theme, FM is just that little bit more streamlined, that little bit more polished.

Realism

Here we get to comparing the games themselves rather than the mobile port but it has to be done. And again FM wins, hands down this time. 8-0 wins are not infrequent on CM, I’m yet to see a Spurs-Wiganesque result on FM. Also you have to go through the ballache of press conferences on CM which are really badly thought out and executed, and basically just a pain in the ass. Transfer proceedings are much smoother on FM whereas CM is largely blind and just a bit shit. Navigating between training and team selection on CM is clunky and clumsy and though it takes a few more clicks than I’d like it is still far more user friendly. Also I’ve heard reports that transfers sometimes ‘go wrong’ on Champman – a friend said he signed Fabregas only for him to appear as a goalkeeper and double the funds taken.

Cost

CM comes in slightly cheaper at £2.99 as opposed to the £6.99 FM costs. But at less than a tenner you can’t complain at either.

Conclusion

As I began, both are good. I loved CM before FM came out. But Sega have raised the bar – FM is better in real life and it is better on the iPhone/iPod Touch. It’s essentially a port of the PSP version, ‘FM Lite’ – great to pass a tube ride or other moments of boredom. For £6.99 is really is exceptional. If you really must save that £4, Champman is good too…

Champman – 7/10 – It’s good but it’s not the one…

FM – 9/10 – Brilliant

You can buy them both in iTunes. I would set up an affiliate thing so you could buy them from here but I can’t be bothered.