The Beautiful Game Indeed

FIFA 19.

byKenny Yeo

FIFA 19.

FIFA 19 has some of the most significant updates in recent years. To begin, it includes UEFA club competitions for the first time. This means players can play in the UEFA Europa League as well as the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. Not only that, UEFA games in FIFA 19 will feature commentary from the new commentary team of Derek Rae and Lee Dixon. Not that longtime commentators Martin Tyler and Alan Smith are bad, but Rae and Dixon are a breath of fresh air for veteran FIFA players.

Gameplay has been significantly reworked with FIFA 19 introducing the new “Active Touch System.” The result is more authentic first touches, with players now reacting more realistically when receiving the ball. More skillful players like Neymar, for example, will be able to bring the ball under control and play it more quickly while less gifted players might take a couple of extra touches. This forces players to adapt the way they play too. You will be punished if you try to play like Manchester City or Barcelona with a lower division squad with less skilled players.

FIFA 19 introduces a host of new tricks and moves too. One of the most significant new additions is Iniesta’s signature La Croqueta, in which he quickly shifts the ball from one foot to another. These new tricks and moves give advanced players more options to open up the game, create space for themselves, or simply bamboozle their opponents.

There are other changes to gameplay. Shooting has been tweaked with a new component called “Timed Finishing.” If you play with the FIFA Trainer, you will see a bar with sliders now when you shoot. To achieve a Timed Finish, simply hit the shoot button a second time when the sliders meet in the middle. This increases a shot’s potency and makes it more diﬃcult for the keeper to save.

Fans of The Journey from previous FIFA games will be both happy and sad to know that this year’s edition of the story-based campaign is the best yet but also the last.

In FIFA 19, players will be able to continue the story of Alex Hunter but also swap between him, his friend Danny Williams, and his half-sister Kim Hunter. The story is engaging and players will want to play through as quickly as they can to find out what happens to the characters.

All in all, FIFA 19 makes a bigger step forward in terms of overall presentation and gameplay than its predecessors. One might argue that the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and it all makes FIFA 19 the most entertaining FIFA game yet.