14 DAY TRIAL // Well, at least that's what happened in the UK official charts, where Sega's Football Manager 2008 kicked FIFA 08 and stole the leading position. FIFA 08 is now on second place and this goes to show that British gamers are keener on gameplay and traditional gaming experience rather than eye candy and brand new control system.
Sega haven't achieved such a high ranking since the days of Football Manager 2007 and in case you're not familiar with this chart, you'll probably like to know that it's named the All Formats Chart. The title accounts for 38% of all PC games sold the past week, but still Football Manager 2008 has yet to reach the status of its two predecessors, who have sold more units in the same period of time. You might be wondering who number 3 is right now in this chart and predictably enough it's the Orange Box, once again scoring big time, mostly on the Xbox 360.
I've played Football Manager 2007 and I must say that it's a pretty unique experience, but it only suits a certain segment of the public. There's a chance that some FIFA fans won't be patient enough to go through the whole coaching experience, focusing instead on pure gameplay, goals and glory. A football manager sim requires time, experience and intelligence, but most of it requires a decent knowledge of the most famous sport in the world. I'm surprised to see the game scoring big in its PC version, since FM 2008 rather suits the portable consoles, being available on-the-fly for any gamer out there.
Of course, the percentage of gamers who own a PSP can't even be compared to that of gamers who own a PC so, the high ranking in those charts can be blamed on the console's popularity. Can't help to wonder how the next Football Manager will do in those charts, although I suspect that it will be a hit, too.