But there is a reason why the studio has stuck with this tried and tested formula for so long.
But such concerns are for the future.
Its business as usual, and in mostly good ways.
Nonetheless, Sports Interactive have made several adjustments to how they simulate on-pitch action.
Transitions, like a player shifting from receiving a ball to sprinting, are noticeably smoother than before.
The latter is by far the most noticeable of these.
In terms of representing how football moves, Id say FM24 is about 85% of the way there.
There are still areas where it is noticeably unrealistic, the primary example being tackles.
On-foot interceptions are often realistically depicted, but when two players collide it all turns a bit Action Man.
Regarding the former, new features include significantly improved lighting and sharper pitch textures.
But it certainly looks good enough, and more importantly, moves great.
Its a fairly limited implementation, only really affecting certain positions in higher-tier clubs.
But its a welcome addition regardless.
There are new features off-pitch too.
The first is the ability to transfer your save file from FM23 to FM24.
The other is the ability to start your career in three different ways.
“Original” starts the game in preseason 2023 with all players at the appropriate clubs.
Players are assigned by attributes (such as Aerial Threat and Recovery Defender) rather than position.
The set-piece creator is a great addition.
Im less enthused by the alterations FM24 makes to the transfer market.
FM24 adds two new features here, although itd be more accurate to describe them as collections of features.
All of this is designed to better-reflect the reality of modern football, and perhaps it does.
But it also makes transfers more of a headache than they already were.
Adding an intermediary might help you sell a player, but it also further drags the process out.
This is an issue in other areas too.
you might skip these parts of the game by using assistants or asking for summaries.
But that doesnt really solve the problem that these elements are not much fun to start with.
It may be obsessive and uncompromising, but its also the best to ever do it.
This review was based on a review build of the game provided by developers Sports Interactive.
