IGN removes 2/10 Football Manager review and apologises
Believe it not kids, but there are other websites on the internet that feature gaming, besides your beloved DarkZero. Possibly the largest of these is evil-corporation-owned IGN Entertainment, whose US arm recently posted a scathing 2/10 review of Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 (Football Manager to non-Yanks).
Understandably, the gaming community was outraged at such a high-profile review that completely missed the point of the game, and subsequently IGN were forced to take down the review and issue the following apology:
“We missed the mark — that’s the only way to explain why we’ve pulled the U.S. review of Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 off our site.
After seeing the community feedback and having more editors look at the title, we agree with the readers that our original review didn’t give Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 a fair shake. Unfortunately, our critical analysis of WWSM ‘09 focused more on what the author wanted it to be rather than what the product actually was.
We review games at IGN based on their own merits, and agree that it was unreasonable to compare WWSM ‘09 with action-oriented sports titles like FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer. Because of the unfair comparison, we have deemed the review unacceptable and have removed it from the site.
We extend our sincerest apologies to both SEGA and our readers for the mistake and confusion.”
As the review has been completely removed from the tubes that comprise the internet, sadly it is no longer viewable, but here are a few choice cuts.
Here the reviewer misses the point of a football management sim: “Yes, the depth of management in this game is impressive. But, it’s not impressive enough to make up for the fact that you aren’t actually playing soccer.”
And then he compares the game to others of a different genre: “There is no traditional gameplay to speak of. I couldn’t imagine why anybody would prefer Worldwide Soccer Manager to FIFA 09 or Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.”
He also criticises Football Manager for limiting the player to simply managing a football team. Which is kind of like criticising Forza Motorsport for limiting you to simply tuning and racing cars: “As far as traditional gameplay goes, there really isn’t any in Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009. Apart from managing your roster and coaching your team, there really isn’t anything to do at all.”
IGN have also said to ”Look for an updated and more accurate relation of IGN’s view of WWSM ‘09 sometime in the near future.” Alternatively, you could read our glowingly accurate review of Football Manager 2009 right here at DarkZero, the only site you can trust for your gaming reviews 
14 comments ↓
4chan
December 9th, 2008
http://videogames.yahoo.com/pc/worldwide-soccer-manager-2009/review-1271725
But it’s still here mate. The internet prevails
Thomas
December 9th, 2008
Soon Yahoo will purge it to, then there really will be no way we shall ever see it again.
Unless Ctrl+C comes to the rescue!
Killarapp / Steve
December 9th, 2008
Whats the crime here?
Theres a niche market, so they need to find a willing reviewer to play it. They found one and he didn’t see any gameplay.
Im sure not many people would moan we missed the point with our ‘gaming high culture’ superiority attack on wii music? which isnt marketed at us.
(much as both are really pointless games)
I do however see theres an issue of professionalism in the reviewing here. No doubt this will be blown out of proportion by people who don’t even care about ‘list games’ (as i call em) kinda like the whole Brandgate thing.
Allyn
December 10th, 2008
The problem was the review was not even remotely of a professional quality, it was some guy who didn’t understand how the game work saying how it was crap because he couldn’t understand how to get it to work. It was the kind of thing you’d expect to see on the user-submitted parts of GameFAQs.
I highly doubt anyone will blow this out of proportion: they retracted and apologised, what else is there to do? And let’s not forgot the UK IGN reviewer gave it a 9.something.
Seth
December 10th, 2008
Allyn is right. The reviewer didn’t even acknowledge that the genre of ‘Football Management Games’ existed. He clearly didn’t understand what the game was trying to do.
He didn’t make it clear in the review that he’d never played a management game before and didn’t have a clue, which would have been the professional thing to do.
I managed to review and see the quality in Madden 09 despite never having played an NFL game before, because I had the decency to research the sport and the genre.
You’d just expect more from such a large, rich site.
Grilled Seabass
December 10th, 2008
As a massive FM fan, I sometimes think about how overwhelming the modern FMs must be to someone who’s never played them before, let alone someone who isn’t nuts about football. It takes many hours to get started in a game, much longer to see any real pay-off.
But like you say Allyn & Seth, the reviewer didn’t seem to even understand the concept of a management game, and in that sense it’s a completely unprofessional review. I’ll stick to Dark Zero! Though I’m waiting for a review of Fallout 3….
Muhammad-Oli
December 11th, 2008
The reviewer really was a BURK. HAHHAHAHAHAHHAAAHAHAAHAHHHHAAA. You English folk should get that. Might not I guess, but my dad is English and he knows what it is. Ah nevermind…
Muhammad-Oli
December 11th, 2008
K if you don’t get it, it’s Cockney rhyming slang. Berkshire hunt. Hunt rhymes with…….
So if you call someone a berk, what are they?
Yeah, that one was too good to let anyone go misunderstanding it.
Nogert
December 11th, 2008
Tbh I would give football manager a 2/10, but that’s because I dislike football and wouldn’t enjoy managing one.
Allyn
December 12th, 2008
Thank you for your incredibly insightful comment, Nogert! You have helped me understand what it’s like to post without even bothering to think! Well done!
Nogert
December 12th, 2008
What you talking ’bout, the game is dreadful to anyone who doesn’t like football games, it’s more potent than a rhino tranquillizer. I’m entitled to my opinion and I would rate the game that badly because it just doesn’t interest me at all.
If I was reviewing the game for a wider audience obviously I wouldn’t review it because I just don’t get it. Some people get joy out of this game, and for that niche in the market it probably does a good job satisfying them and that’s why it’s a highly rated game, but for me, it’s not my cup of tea.
Seth
December 12th, 2008
Why would IGN give a game to someone who feels like Nogert and had no interest in that type of game whatsoever?
You wouldn’t give FFXIII to a reviewer who despises JRPG’s now would you?
Allyn
December 13th, 2008
Nogert: of course you’re entitled to your opinion, just maybe actually say something worth reading instead of “football sucks lol”? Your posts, except for that reply, read like they’re written by a 12 year old because you don’t bother actually saying anything of worth.
Nogert
December 13th, 2008
Seth, that’s the point I was making, I’m saying this is how I and some other people feel about the game, but to give this game to someone like me to review would be pointless because I just don’t get the game.
I’m agreeing with you.