FIFA 19 Gearing Up For September Launch
It’s World Cup year so we can expect an even greater global interest in the beautiful game than ever before, and not just in the 32 countries that have earned the right to perform on the biggest stage of all. Naturally, an event of this size is also going to attract a great deal of interest in everything around the sport, not least the video games that give us all the skills and expertise we need to take on the best in the world, albeit on a two-dimensional pitch.
As to the video games themselves, two have been battling it out for some time now, the FIFA series and Pro Evolution Soccer. To date, the former has always been the dominant one with PES, while having some strong points of its own, following in its wake. Although there are alternatives. Companies within the gambling industry have been quick to try and attract football fans through developing online slots with the football theme. As with most football games, the target audience is predominantly males, however Roseslots specifically target female gamers and they feature football online slots on their site. The nature of the games ensures that there is a unique feel about them, they are played more with the idea of having fun rather than the seriousness that is often associated with both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer. The players don’t need a knowledge of the football to play along, ideal for an audience that may not have a love of all things football.
When FIFA 18 was launched in late 2017 it left a number of fans disappointed that there had not been more developments over its predecessor. They felt that it was more of an evolution than a new game while others were indignant that features that had been included in the demo version of FIFA 18 had mysteriously disappeared when the full game was released. It even went as far as a campaign group being set up to persuade EA Sports to put matters right. So it would be fair to say that there will be a great deal riding on the latest iteration of the game, FIFA 19, when it is released later in the year.
In common with Apple who tend to release new products in the Autumn, the traditional time for EA Sports to unleash the year’s FIFA game is in late September in good time for Christmas sales and just as many of Europe’s top football leagues are just getting into their stride.
As you’d expect, a great deal of secrecy surrounds the launch of each new version of FIFA although information is fed to the eager public on a slow drip. This acts to heighten anticipation without giving too much a way in the process.
Ronaldo’s the star
Instrumental in this approach is the calculated release of a series of trailers. The first of these is already out there and it confirms a number of things. The first is the release date of the game which is given as 28th September 2018 and the second is that Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be the cover star for this version of the game. So no doubt officials at EA are very much hoping that he’s going to have a successful World Cup to really maximise the link.
But the third, and for many people the most important, nugget of information that we can glean from the trailer is the big news that the Champions’ League will be featuring in the game for the first time ever. For over a decade UEFA had only licensed the makers of PES, Konami, to feature it in their games. But now EA Sports have the rights this opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Early reports say that every element of this part of the game very effectively re-creates the atmosphere of a midweek European clash and the final is a suitably spectacular affair.
Along with the Champions’ League there is also now a Europa League too, plus fans of Italian football will also be pleased to hear that Serie A and Coppa Italia feature as well.
Now, on to some of the in play changes that have been reported by reviewers who have been lucky to have a sneak preview of the new game.
Improved gameplay all round
One of the most noticeable improvements will be the minimap that gives an overview of where players are on the pitch which has been changed to show your players as circles and the opposing team as triangles which makes it far easier to differentiate the teams than previously. There are also a number of new animations in the game that help to make it more realistic all round including chest control and the competitive jostling between players as they both chase for the ball.
There have also been big developments in the way that you can adjust the tactics of your team as you play, issuing instructions to the team as a whole as well as to individual players. So if you’re also a fan of the Football Manager style of game this could be a great feature for you. The sort of instructions you can issue include being able to tell players to seize upon a weak first touch by the opposition, up the pace in attack and to all head up into the opponents’ box when your team’s in possession of the ball. There’s also a great new defensive mode that can be deployed when you just need to close the game down.
Better passing, more clinical finishing
There have also been great leaps forward in the precision that you can bring to through balls. Whereas before it was hard to have any real accuracy now it’s easier to thread them between defenders directly to the striker’s feet, ready for the devastating finish.
On this subject, ‘Timed Finishing’ gives players the chance to have a better shot, whenever they get the opportunity. To activate this you simply need to press “shoot” a second time just as your player’s about to strike the ball and if you get the timing just right then the shot will have greater speed, curve and accuracy. Get it wrong, though, and the result will be a scuffed shot and a loss of possession.
Where next for The Journey?
As yet there’s been no official confirmation about whether The Journey will be being carried over into FIFA 19 but the story of Alex Hunter’s footballing career has been so popular that it’s unlikely it will be abandoned at this point. This is especially true as the new inclusion of the Champions’ League will give him even more to aim for.
This, like many other features of the game, will probably only be fully revealed at the time of its launch. So why not start counting down the days till we find out for sure?