Franchise Hockey Manager 8
- October 26, 2021
- Out of the Park Developments
- 340h median play time
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Get on Apple StoreFranchise Hockey Manager is the latest (2021) version of the Franchise Hockey Manager series. Releasing in October of 2021, FHM8 builds off the successful 7 adding a variety of new features. Franchise Hockey Manager is the only NHL Licensed game on PC.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Mobile Platform
Reviews
- The game offers an extremely in-depth and enjoyable hockey management experience, making it a great choice for fans of the genre.
- The financial system and new gameplay features enhance immersion, allowing players to manage various aspects of their teams effectively.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback, continuously improving the game with updates and new features.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, which can significantly detract from the overall experience.
- The user interface is complicated and not user-friendly, making it difficult for new players to navigate and enjoy the game.
- AI decision-making, particularly in trades and player management, can be unrealistic and frustrating, leading to immersion-breaking moments.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this hockey simulation is praised for its deep mechanics that are easy to learn yet challenging to master, making it a standout in the genre. While the game shows promise with immersive features and a new budget system that adds strategic depth, some users note that certain systems need refinement and bugs need addressing. Overall, the gameplay experience is engaging and offers a fresh take on managing teams, especially in lower-revenue leagues.
“With the deepest simulation available for hockey at the moment, and mechanics that are easy to learn, but hard to master, this is the game to beat in the field of hockey video games.”
“And the gameplay, I think, is now at a level where these kinds of challenges don't sound tedious anymore.”
“There are systems which still need to be fleshed out, bugs to be fixed, mechanics to be clarified.”
“The budget system is a very nice addition, and I would imagine if you play in lower-revenue leagues, it would present a different facet of gameplay in terms of balancing your scouting and development budgets.”
“And the gameplay, I think anyway, is now at a level where these kinds of challenges don't sound tedious anymore.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for sports management games to incorporate more engaging storylines, particularly those that reflect real-life scenarios, such as player-team relationship dynamics. The inclusion of occasional narrative elements could enhance the overall experience and address the current shortcomings in storytelling within the genre.
“It would be interesting, especially in light of the Jack Eichel situation, to see occasional storylines that lead to a breakdown of the relationship between a player and a team.”
“I'm always on the quest for sports management games, but there's usually an element in all of the ones I try that doesn't scratch the itch for me.”
“It would be interesting, especially in light of the Jack Eichel situation, to see (very occasional) storylines that lead to a breakdown of the relationship between a player and a team.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game exhibits some stability issues, including occasional bugs and crashes, particularly during the 2D simulation segments. However, users feel it is not severely flawed and anticipate that future patches will improve the experience, making it a worthwhile purchase for genre fans, especially at a discount.
“I feel like the game is unfinished, but not in a buggy way.”
“It's a bit buggy (enable weekly auto-saves!!!) and I've had a number of crashes, especially during the 2D sim portion of the game.”
“FHM 7 was patched up pretty quickly, so I wouldn't let that deter you from purchasing this game if you are a fan of the genre.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The introduction of a monthly scouting budget points system, which adjusts based on team performance, has been perceived as a negligible or irrelevant change by users, indicating that it does not significantly enhance the game's optimization.
“They introduced a monthly scouting budget points system that changes based on team performance, but this was a negligible, if not completely irrelevant, change.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game has a learning curve, mastering its features significantly enhances its replayability, making it more enjoyable than competing titles like EA NHL.
“This game takes a bit to get used to, but once you figure out the majority of the features, it becomes significantly more enjoyable and replayable than EA NHL.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players feel that the grinding aspect of the game has improved, making challenges feel less tedious and more engaging than before.
