FIFA 19 – review

Late September is a dreaded time of the year in my household; it’s when the new FIFA is released. Regrettably, family obligations have made a serious impact on the time I can sit in front of a console these days, but when fifa ultimate team coins comes out, I can clear the room like a poodle with diarrhoea.

The best-selling sports game on the globe, its broad appeal and accessibility extends far beyond passionate adherents of the world game. Outside of basketball, no other sport works better as a video game.

Among diehard football game fans there still remains a deep divide between Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA, although EA’s procurement of the Champions League license for this iteration is a carrot some might not be able to resist, and it forms the tentpole for FIFA 19. From The Journey right across its new Kick Off modes, the Champions League has a dominant presence.

At the time of receiving and writing up our review copy there was little action in FUT or Online Seasons, so here I’ll centre the words around the new gameplay features.

Timed Finishing is the first noticeable inclusion in our opening games, and it might pay to leave the ‘trainer’ mode on just to get a hang of it. By no means the imposition we first thought it would be, it offers up a less automated shot mechanic. Timed with the animation of boot to ball, if you get it right, the ball will thunder into the back of the net. However, mistime it and your potential Real Madrid glory strike becomes a Gillingham slice of the boot in the blink of an eye; I find it more useful when taking a speculative shot. This feature can be disarmed but there’s little point – you can easily play with or without using it.

Passing feels less automated, too. Hit it hard to a player and it will bobble before coming under complete control, allowing the opportunity for the opposition to intercept; and the reliance of being able to pass to an attacking player while facing in a slightly different direction will often result in an inaccurate pass. This goes some way towards eradicating the reliance on predetermined play styles – I had to change my approach here.buy more fut coins Click Here