Pro Cycling Manager Season 2013 Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: July 31, 2013

Unlike the severe hand-holding epidemic plaguing modern-day games, Pro Cycling Manager throws pages of data on-screen without any explanation to the player. If you are unfamiliar with cycling, I recommend going through the manual provided outside the game on the Steam page; otherwise, expect to have a painful experience. Never having played a management sim game before (unless FTL counts) and not following the sport, it's safe to say I was overwhelmed within my first ten minutes with the game. Even a bare-bones in-game tutorial pointing players in the right direction could have provided some assistance to newcomers to not only the series but the sport as well.

With the series originally launching in 2001, it wasn't until 2005 when "Pro" was added to the game's title, with the release coinciding with the Tour de France. You'll never feel the thrill of being in direct control of a cyclist competing across Europe; instead, you'll be in control of every aspect of a team of cyclists, from responding to daily emails, setting training regimens, handling sponsors, booking races, and choosing the right equipment on a per-race basis.

I don't want to dissuade newcomers to the series from trying Pro Cycling Manager Season 2013, but be aware that the interface isn't user-friendly, which will give major headaches in the game's massive Career Mode. It may take a few attempts and a lot of trial and error, but eventually, you will learn the ins and outs of all the menus and how things work. The game will test your patience before you even see your first fully rendered race.

Being in complete control of a team of my choosing – which are fully licensed down to the last detail – I was finally ready to lead them into their first race of the season. The racing has been beautifully rendered, featuring a large number of individual cyclists all moving in real-time across detailed and varied landscapes. If you stare long enough at the sheer number of characters on-screen, you will notice minor annoyances, such as riders bumping into each other or unnaturally sliding to the sides, but neither of these hinders the overall life-like feel of the races.

After some trial and error trying to figure out each of the on-screen icons, you'll be commanding your team to maintain pace with the pack, attack (pedal their hearts out), reach for the sky to refill their virtual water, or use an energy gel pack. Not sure what they put in those energy gels, but hopefully, it won't land your team in hot water, Lance Armstrong style.

The career mode is certainly where you will be spending most of your time with Pro Cycling Manager Season 2013, as there are over 700 races to compete in, but Cyanide has also included an ambiguous online multiplayer mode, as well as a single cyclist indoor Track mode. In Track mode, you gain more control over a single rider as you race around a circular track at high speeds. The online portion of the game, named Armada, allows you to take your team online and compete against players around the world in daily events and stages.

Simply Put

As someone who came into Pro Cycling Manager Season 2013 with zero experience with the game series and only basic knowledge of the sport (I know what the Tour de France is), I initially felt lost without a sense of direction. Perseverance certainly pays off, as watching the races unfold is a delight, even without any direct control.