It’s 2019. I had managed to overcome my addiction and rebuild my life. New Star Soccer was but a distant memory. In truth I hadn’t really dabbled in the mobile games market since around that time. Then, out of nowhere I see that New Star Manager is coming to PS4. An expanded version of the 2012 mega hit, now incorporating full control of the team and all the players. I couldn’t help myself, I instantly dove in with both feet, and it was one of the best decisions I have made this year.
New Star Manager brings it the same addictive yet simple gameplay you had in the original game except now you can dribble, tackle and instruct players to make incisive runs. It’s all explained and executed in a simple way, but the result is one of the most tactical football experiences you will get. The expansion doesn’t stop there either. You are now in control of every facet of your club, including youth, training, scouting and more. Each department can be upgraded multiple times and each upgrade comes with a unique perk to help you on your journey.
You start as an unknown team in the third division of your chosen country and it’s up to you to rise up the leagues by buying and selling players, adding fitness and skill cards to players which improve their overall ability and of course producing the goods on the field. I haven’t played many games where you have this kind of control over the behind the scenes workings of a football club yet are still allowed to influence the play on the pitch. It feels great.
Many will look at this title releasing on the PSN store and wonder why they should pay £13.99 for something they can download for free from the Apple or Play store on their phone. While the portability of the game is certainly a feature, the mobile version is designed with microtransactions in mind. You will seriously struggle to manage players fitness on mobile, almost forcing you to cave and spend real world cash on energy drink boosts. In the console version you get more of these rewards for in game achievements. This means you are paying a one time fee and can just enjoy the game.
Some will be put off by the basic layout and graphical style of New Star Manager, but what’s underneath the hood is a wonderfully designed game that is one of the most addictive games I have played since, well, New Star Soccer. There has been a lot of talk recently about the realistic nature of Rush Football 2 and it got me thinking if New Star could somehow implement this engine to play out passages of play you create. I’m not sure how feasible it is, but it would be an absolute game changer if pulled off well.
New Star Manager also comes packing a platinum trophy, but don’t expect to be earning that sucker any time soon. Trophies such as ‘Play for 10 seasons’ and ‘Score 1000 goals’ will take time but are do-able. Then you move on to ‘Win 10 Continental tournaments’ and ‘Score direct from a corner’ and you realise if you want this platinum in your collection, you are likely looking at 100+ hours play time.
Overall New Star Manager is a fun and addictive game of football. It’s a proper example of a team taking what they had with the original and improving on it in almost every way. If you don’t care about trophies and own a Nintendo Switch, that is the best platform to play, but the game also shines on the big screen. You can try the mobile version for free to get a taste, but if you like what you see an upfront cost is more satisfying in the long term.
-Craig ✌️
Reviewed on PS4 Pro. A review code was provided by the publisher.