LMA Manager 2004 - Xbox

2004's instalment of Codemasters' popular LMA Manager series once again gives you the chance to live out your football management dreams and see if you've got what it takes to beat the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and Houllier at their own game. As is normally the case with such series, the game is crammed full of enough new modes and features to win over owners of the previous year's edition, and also benefits from all the up-to-date players and stats.

LMA Manager 2004 sees you take the reins of clubs from the English, Scottish, French, German, Italian and Spanish leagues, as you work your way through a nail-biting season, scouting for players, training your team, picking your squad, planning your tactics, deciding your strategy and even shouting commands from the dugout on match day (quite literally, if you've got an Xbox communicator). There are over 18,500 players, 778 clubs and 31 countries, and an increased transfer market now means that you can import players from Argentina, Brazil and Chile's top leagues.

New to the series is a Fantasy Mode, which allows you start from scratch and create your own unique club. Here you get to choose everything from naming the club, choosing the kit and club badge, deciding the country and division to play in, creating a new stadium, and, of course, selecting the squad to compete in league and cup competitions.

Also new is a 3D match engine that lets you see more clearly how the match is panning out, as well as enhanced player AI, more tactical options, and hundreds of new player animations - all in all an extremely comprehensive footie management sim and must-have for fans of the genre.
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