Manager Simulation games are often played by the more passionate and devoted fans of the genre, while it tends to get overlooked by a vast majority of other gamers. Why is this the case? Well, it’s because not everyone is really into sports, let alone managing a team to victory, but if you actually look closely into these management sim titles, there’s actually a lot to take away from them. Tour de France 2017 is underway as this article is being written and it’s perhaps one of the biggest spectacles of all sporting history. The celebrated event dates back to the 1900’s when it first debuted and since then, the cycling scene has skyrocketed to enormous success with teams around the world facing off for the prestigious trophy. In Pro Cycling Manager 2017 you get to be a part of that evolution as you set off on your journey as a rookie manager, taking on various tasks and dealing with dilemmas as you train your team to victory.

With any simulation game, expect there to be a lot of, well, simulated events. Much like any other sim title, you have the option of being able to do a quick simulation or be a part of it and simulate the event yourself. Whatever you choose is entirely your own prerogative but the fun part about it all is that you get to see the fruits of your labor pay off in dividends. There’s going to be a lot of strategic planning, money management, problem solving among many other cognitive procedures which is what makes playing Pro Cycling Manager 2017 such a rewarding experience. You don’t need to be a hardcore fan of cycling to appreciate being able to delegate tasks, and make calculated decisions like a real boss does. The feeling of taking charge and overseeing all of the action while your team evolves is truly a satisfying experience, one which you can’t find anywhere else.

Pro Cycling Manager 2017 starts you off by showing you the ropes to gear you up for the long haul, because this game isn’t short by any means. The training mode is very in depth yet easy to understand since much of what’s explained deals a lot with ensuring your riders attend prestigious events, and that they place high in order for you to get a large payout. Much of the tutorial also explains some of the terms that are used quite predominantly in the cycling world such as knowing when to breakaway, or lining your team up for that final sprint to the finish line. It might come off as overwhelming to those who are just jumping into the world of cycling, but that should be an obvious circumstance regardless of whatever game you pick up. Unfamiliarity will always be an issue in the beginning but the more time you actually invest and see how all the gears work, Pro Cycling Manager 2017 is an awesome experience.

We spent a great deal of time paying close attention to every detail such as knowing which parts to buy to ensure our riders were able to ride smoothly, but also partnering with the right manufacturers to guarantee consistency in the products we receive. The more we think about it, Pro Cycling Manager 2017 really helps you to discover new things about yourself as you continue to play through it all. Whether it’s improving on your quick decision making or perhaps trying to determine the right costs to avoid overspending, Pro Cycling Manager 2017 throws a lot of things at you but all in healthy doses to make playing so rewarding. Visually, Pro Cycling Manager 2017 is actually quite decent and the animations of the riders as you race through the peaceful rural areas of France are fluid. There were, of course, some bumps along the road such as framerate drops when a lot was happening on screen, but things kicked back into the shape when riders started to disperse out more. The commentary within the game was nice, though a lot of it was lost in translation at times, since we still don’t have a grasp of all the cycling jargon just yet but be that as it may it brought the game to life.

As you progress further into the game, a lot more tasks are given to you and more choices need to be made to ensure that your team is fully prepared for upcoming events. The UI within the game is very easy to navigate which makes organizing so much easier, and takes a lot of stress of your head since there’s already enough to think about as you play. There were some grammatical and text errors within the tutorial but we’re only human so it’s to be expected that things of that nature will pop up from time to time. When you do choose to play in the non-automated simulation mode (which is the better choice) the game feels a lot longer since races tend to last roughly 10-20 minutes or maybe more depending on what’s going on. You’ll need to know which events you’d want to manually control while letting the others play themselves out, but that’s where the fun is. The obvious choice would be to only focus on the big events and make sure your team places within the top 5 rankings but to be honest, some of these smaller events that take place over the season actually play such a bigger role in the end. Some of these smaller events come with sponsorships and product deals so simply clicking on auto simulation may pose a risk to you, and that’s where problem solving starts to kick in. Making these decisions takes a lot of time and patience from the player since rushing will only create more trouble down the road, but too much indecisiveness could lead to poor performances.

Picking and choosing correctly is part of the beauty and is what makes managing your own team so thrilling. Knowing when to be flexible and when to hold your ground becomes so pivotal in the long game, while being meticulous on your training regimen is also important.

In the end, Pro Cycling Manager 2017 is a rewarding experience for anyone who’s curious about the cycling world and perhaps has an interest in maybe watching the sport. Of course, if you’re already a devoted fan of the sport, then this game should be an immediate purchase since you’re getting to experience true cycling management at its best, with a solid tutorial to always keep you on track. With multiplayer mode also thrown into the mix, you and another player can take to the streets and work alongside each other to ensure success of the team. It’s a satisfying experience once you learn the ropes in the single player mode, then taking all of that into the multiplayer realm and building strong team chemistry. As we said earlier, this game teaches you not only the pros and cons of cycling, but it teaches you basic principles of management which can help you in actual real life scenarios. The music in game is so relaxing as you work your way through every season praying that your contract doesn’t run out, and just the overall atmosphere as you play is endearing.

Pro Cycling Manager 2017 is definitely a game worth trying if you’re looking to perhaps jump into the world of cycling, because it will surely provide you with an abundance of useful information to make things easier. With the Tour de France currently happening, we recommend watching the event and playing Pro Cycling Manager 2017 at the same time because you’ll pick up on things a lot faster, and of course enjoy all of the action! Be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest game reviews, along with anime and manga related topics too. Also don’t forget to follow us on Twitch to know when we go live with some of our favorite games, and who knows you may just see us playing Pro Cycling Manager 2017 at some point!

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