More specifically, though, by playing some incredible football games. This is a feature about ten incredible football games, all easily playable right now, that you should get into to get ready for the big day on July 15th.

Without further ado, let’s jump right in!

FIFA 18

Let’s start with the most obvious choices first. And really, is there any choice more obvious than FIFA 18? EA Sports have refined their series’ gameplay to a ridiculous degree over the last few years, with FIFA 18 featuring even more refinements than its predecessor. With an entertaining career mode, the amazing narrative-driven The Journey, and the dangerously addictive Ultimate Team, FIFA 18 is a love letter to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the sport. On top of that, EA also recently released a World Cup update for the game, which is totally free. The perfect way to gear up for the festivities ahead.

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA

If you’re looking for something that’s even more dedicated to the World Cup than EA’s new update for FIFA 18 though, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa can scratch that itch. This was the last World Cup-specific FIFA game EA made, and it was absolutely brilliant. From its stellar presentation that captured the atmosphere of the massive competition that the World Cup is perfectly, to its moment-to-moment gameplay, which was bang in the middle of the period where EA Sports were making some of the best and biggest changes and improvements to their formula, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the perfect side activity for football fans during the World Cup.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2018

But of course, FIFA isn’t the only big name around when it comes to sports simulation video games- this is a two horse race, after all. Pro Evolution Soccer has been its massive and bitter rival for as long as anyone can remember. What the series lacks in shiny presentation and licenses, it makes up for its amazingly polished and fine-tuned mechanics, with many veterans of the genre even claiming that, as far as pure gameplay is concerned, PES has the upper hand over FIFA. Oh, and PES 2018 is also the last game in the series that will have UEFA licenses, so if for nothing else, maybe play it to hear that iconic song in-game once more.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2018

While FIFA and PES battle it out year over year, every year, on the pitch for the crown of the best football simulation game, Football Manager consistently maintains its monopoly in the management simulation space. This is a game that is tailor-made for hardcore veteran fans of the genre. With a bevy of charts, graphs and stats to pour over, a ridiculous level of detail in systems, and micromanagement over every aspect of your team’s management like you’ve never seen before, Football Manager is easily a game you can pour literally hundreds of hours into.

NEW STAR SOCCER

If you’re looking for a lighter, more accessible football experience, then New Star Soccer, downloadable on iOS and Android devices, is the perfect game for you. New Star Soccer sees you playing as just one player, and it follows you on your journey from the lowest rungs of the football world to the very top. But it’s not just about football- when you’re not on the pitch, you manage your finances, you sign sponsorship deals, you buy stuff with your money, you manage your image with the media (and thus, the general masses), you improve your stats, hell, you can even participate in side activities (like betting on race horses, or playing blackjack). It’s a deceptively deep (yet still very accessible) experience that can pull you, and refuse to let go for dozens upon dozens – if not hundreds – of hours. The best part? It’s completely free.

SCORE! HERO

Score! Hero is yet another mobile football game, but unlike New Star Soccer, the focus here is squarely and solely on the on-pitch action. What sets is apart is how different, simple, fun, and addictive it is. Every time the moment arises to pass, cross, or shoot the ball, the action pauses, and you then have to chart the ball’s trajectory yourself, by drawing it on your touch screen. As we said, it’s very simple – you can basically play the game using just one finger – but it’s so, so good. On top of that, it looks great, and it’s also free.

FIFA STREET

FIFA is a series that has its fingers in many pies. There is, of course, the main series as well, but over the years, it’s also tried its hand at international-only games, management simulators, and street football. 2012’s FIFA Street brought back the fan favourite street football variation of the sport back into the limelight, and it’s fair to say that it wasn’t nearly as successful as its parent franchise. It has its issues, sure, but it’s also undeniably fun. You’re pulling off tricks, panenkas, and over-the-top flair shots in street environments with the likes of Rooney, Messi, and Ronaldo- how can it not be fun?

MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED

Okay, we’re getting into “weird football game” territory now, but Nintendo and weird basically go hand in hand, so it’s more or less unavoidable. The iconic Italian plumber has been a doctor, a kart racer, a tennis ace, and, well, a plumber. Mario and co, however, have also been weird, whacky football stars. Wii and Wii U title Mario Strikers Charged was an incredibly enjoyable game, mixing on-pitch football action with the trademark goofiness and over-the-top abilities and power ups that we all expect to see in any Mario game. Playing this game online against a friend is an absolute blast.

ROCKET LEAGUE

Is there any football game weirder than Rocket League? A bunch of monster trucks boosting around arenas, pulling off gravity-defying stunts, trying to jet an oversized ball into the opponent’s goal- who thought this was a good idea? Whoever it was deserves a medal, because Rocket League is a brilliant game. Mixing car combat with football? Absolutely genius. In spite of being three years old, Rocket League still remains hugely popular to this day, and that’s because it struck gold with its brand of bombastic gameplay.

DREAM LEAGUE SOCCER

You’d think delivering a proper, FIFA or PES-like experience on mobile devices would be next to impossible, but that is exactly what Dream League Soccer 18 does. In spite of being a free to play title, Dream League Soccer includes proper, full-fledged matches for you to play, as well as a meaty and addictive career mode to sink your teeth into, where you create your own team and pull it through the ranks to the very top. You upgrade your stadium, you buy new players- it’s the perfect blend of management elements and on-pitch action. Basically, as close to FIFA as you can get on iOS and Android.

• 1. Development
• 2. Gameplay
• 3. Player Stats

Development

The first Football Manager 2018 details came out through social media channels and their website on August 15th, 2017 and announced for November 10th release at the same time. To grab fans of the previous game, a promotion was offered where Steam owners of Football Manager 2017 would receive a 25% off discount as a “contract extension bonus”. As the months between announcement and release wore on, the official Football Manager Twitter would occasionally tweet out updates on the new features of the game, such as being able to reject or accept offers from the player’s in game inbox.

On September 29th, a Youtube video was released in a fake news style, announcing many of the new features in one place. Some of the announcements included a better 3D engine, better player AI and enhanced tactics for on the pitch action, and teased the Dynamics system, more realistic scouting for players, as well as a more focused role for the in game sports scientists.

Later in October, the depth of the Dynamics system was finally unveiled as the big new addition to the game for this iteration. The Dynamics system brings your relationships with your team members and back room staff into prominence, which can effect the direction the game takes if you say one thing and do another, and helping to create the emergent stories that sim games excel at and bring them even more true to life.

Gameplay

While there is a career mode in Football Manager 2018, there is not what would be considered a traditional story mode. Players take control of a club and team of their choice from anything in the league, which is a lot of choices, and begins their career with managing as a newcomer with zero experience who needs to work within the expectations of the board, gain the trust and respect of his team, and handle trades, scouting, youth club and of course, using your tactical abilities to win games.

While a complete rundown of the gameplay systems in Football Manager 2018 could fill entire encyclopedias, the day to day management of the club can be broken down into a handful of areas. Pursuing the board’s requirements, Working with your back room team and handling media, and managing each aspect of the team’s playing such as training and strategy. There are offshoots like Medical and managing the injured players, Scouting, press conferences, budgeting, setting up interpersonal coaching between players, keeping the board happy with the youth club, but generally all of your concerns boil down to those three areas.

As you progress in the season, Dynamics are going to become more important as you need to keep the trust between yourself and your team members. Saying one thing like you’ll give the player who’s been underperforming more time on the pitch and then not keeping your word can turn into a major internal revolt, despite how your board feels about you. Balancing the three inter-related elements of Match Cohesion, which says how well practiced the team is on the field, Dressing Room Atmosphere which tells you how they mesh off the field, and Managerial Support which shows their faith in you as a collective becomes super important.

Player Stats

As you work into the deep stats of the game and construct your teams and strategies, the attributes of each individual player will become very important to who you invest time into and who you will trade away. A player’s attiributes are probably the single most important factor influencing performance in the game. There are three categories on a player’s profile screen, with sub-attributes within that range between 1 and 20. Just the sheer number of factors to a category speaks to the seriousness of the game.

For Goalkeepers, they have a Goalkeeping category instead of Technical. This is split into Command of Area which determines how likely the goalkeeper is to attempt to claim aerial balls. Handling determines the player’s catching skills, Kicking for how far he can sent the ball flying, One-on Ones how well he can deal with a penalty kick, Reflexes deal with reaction time, Rushing decides how well the player will  grab the ball in a bad situation, Tendency to Punch is how he makes a decision to catch when a ball is flying at him and Throwing is his accuracy when tossing the ball.

Other players have Technical, which includes Corners, Crossing, Dribbling, Finishing and Free Kick Taking which all effect player’s control of the ball in different situations, Heading determines the accuracy of a heading move, Long shots for distance kick control, Long throws for distance throw-ins, Marking for defensive game, Penalty Taking for Penalty Kicks and Tackling for how well the player can take the ball without a foul.

Mental encompasses psychology and what kind of a player they are. Aggression is about how likely they are to get physical, Anticipation is about how they can predict the movements of the players around them, Bravery is how willing the player will be to risk injury, Composure is how they take Mental Pressure, Concentration is about how they deal with loss of focus, Decisions is how they evaluate the options, Determination is how much they try to succeed,and Off the Ball or Positioning is the attacking and defending versions of how well they make choices in placing themselves.

Acceleration, Agility, Balance, and Pace all determine different aspects about running, Natural Fitness is how well the player will resist injury and Strength is ability to exert force on an opposition player.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Let’s get this right out of the way, Football Manager 2018 is very good at what it does. If you want to get into the role, really get into managing a team and taking them through games and to the world cup and beyond, you’re going to find the new dynamics system introduced this year to bring the management sim to life like never before.

"To begin with you’re presented with an overwhelming amount of options, like selecting a team from a pool of thousands, and then dropped in to control and manage a squad to try to lead them to as many wins as possible."

But Football Manager in its sheer breadth of content asks you to built upon supposed knowledge despite my insistence during start up that I was totally new to the game. There are no concessions to help guide a brand new player through the experience aside from a handful of one time hint bubbles that help clarify what are pretty obvious functions.

To begin with you’re presented with an overwhelming amount of options, like selecting a team from a pool of thousands, and then dropped in to control and manage a squad to try to lead them to as many wins as possible. There’s very little direction on what you’re supposed to do besides some must action items such as meeting with different members of your back end team each day, making choices to help or hinder your team.

One could easily fill a book with the intricacies of all the systems at play here, and given the amount of things you can take on yourself it’s surprising how coherent they all become after awhile playing, thanks largely to the years of iteration the game leverages. Any of the daily minutia that you really find undesirable can even be handed off to your assistant manager, at the cost of those decisions now being out of your hands to different degrees. Which can be a lifesaver because these menus can be anything but straightforward at first.

"Forcing players to consider their actions in a more holistic sense really adds to the game by turning those player rosters into more than a bunch of stats for you to move around without concern, and helps bring those unique stories to life that people play these games for."

The stories that crop up during the otherwise super dry presentation are the heart and soul of the game. The new Dynamics system spoken of earlier is the best new wrinkle to the Football Manager series, asking you not only to consider winning games and moving players in and out like so many bundles of stats, but holds you accountable for what you say. A player benched for bad performance might get annoyed with you, and if you don’t put him back in like you said your untrustworthiness could have consequences.

Forcing players to consider their actions in a more holistic sense really adds to the game by turning those player rosters into more than a bunch of stats for you to move around without concern, and helps bring those unique stories to life that people play these games for. When you have to balance not only the concerns of your board, but also the team morale and all the other day to day concerns it brings the game beyond the pitch results and into a more realized vision, and helps create more real concerns. When you ask a player to play through an injury, it’s not just the threat of making the injury more serious, it’s also the idea that you might alienate the player and cause ever further problems.

Keeping the peace all feeds in together with interlinked Match Cohesion, Dressing Room Atmosphere and Managerial Support stats, which can all be raised or lowered by winning games and influenced by your decisions. A ‘hierarchy’ menu shows just who’s who within the dressing room, and annoying the wrong person can start an unforeseen slide.

"Still, despite all of the ways that Football Manager 2018 makes the intended experience shine, the fact remains that the experience is quite niche and unfriendly to a new player."

When you do go on the pitch for a match, a new 3D engine helps boost the believability of the matches. The game is still back on DirectX 11 tech, and you can see it most clearly in the close up models of your character being straight out of the PS2, but given the audience for these games, it’s hard to fault them wanting to work with the lowest common denominator. The new engine helps offer new visual cues to let you pick out when it’s time to switch up tactics, instead of just watching the numbers.

Still, despite all of the ways that Football Manager 2018 makes the intended experience shine, the fact remains that the experience is quite niche and unfriendly to a new player. For everything it does to build the unique stories of each run, it’s not a game that’s easy to get into, or even recommend to someone who isn’t already interested.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Sledgehammer Games is busy patching up and fixing Call of Duty: WW2’s servers but that doesn’t mean the first person shooter is suffering in sales. In the latest UK sales charts courtesy of Chart-Track, it was revealed that Call of Duty: WW2 was still on top. Furthermore, it not only attained the highest selling second week for a title in 2017 but for 2016 as well.

So yes, that means that second week of UK sales for Call of Duty: WW2 was higher than the second week sales of anything from last year. Keep in mind that digital sales are not tracked by Chart-Track so the actual number of copies sold is likely a lot higher.

In second place was FIFA 2018 followed by Assassin’s Creed Origins in third. Despite its own controversies and negative reviews, Need for Speed Payback still debuted in fourth placed followed by Sonic Forces in fifth.

Super Mario Odyssey is in sixth place with Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Horizon 3 and Gran Turismo Sport in seventh, eighth and ninth place respectively. And yes, even Football Manager 2018 managed to break the top 10, debuting at tenth place. Other debuts for the week include Super Lucky’s Tale at 23rd place and The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs at 27th place.

Call of Duty: WW2

It’s that time of the year again. You know, when a new Call of Duty releases and basks us in a year-long spree of microtransactions, balance changes, jokes about MLG, Doritos and Mountain Dew and DLC. However, at least this year’s Call of Duty: WW2 has the benefit of going back to a bygone era for the franchise. As the name implies, it takes place during World War 2 with a highly cinematic campaign that will encompass various theaters of the conflict. This also means that multiplayer will do away with the futuristic jetpacks and wall-running in favour of run and gun gameplay. There are some new features like a social space to meet other players, Divisions to enlist in and build different classes, the new War mode which presents a huge conflict in multiplayer for the first time and of course, a new Zombies campaign with Nazi Zombies returning. Will it help reinvigorate the franchise? We’ll find out when Call of Duty: WW2 releases on November 3rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

The latest instalment in Sega’s hugely popular and successful (and also addictive as crack, according to all the fans who log hundreds of hours every year into these games) football simulation series, Fotball Manager 2018, will be releasing on November 10 this year, Sega has confirmed.

That’s… kind of all we know at this point. We don’t have many, or any, details on the game, the gameplay, or what has changed from last year’s entry, but developers Sports Interactive say they will share more details and gameplay footage come next month, in September.

That said, Sega and Sports Interactive did reveal one thing, that is undoubtedly going to be good news for a lot of fans of the series- Football Manager 2018 will be launching day and date with the mobile version of the game, meaning now, you can stay addicted to Football Manager action all day, every day, from the day the new entry launches. This is exactly what we needed! They have also announced a beta for the game, confirming that save progress from it will carry over into the full game. Stay tuned for more information.