FIFA 19

FIFA 19 is the 26^th title in EA Sports FIFA pay-to-play football simulation video game franchise. It was released on September 28, 2018 and is EA Sport’s first game to include both the UEFA club competitions and the Chinese Super League as playable options. Some of the UEFA options include the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Championship League and are available for 1-2 players.

Gameplay

FIFA 19 allows players to build their own teams to us to play against either AI bots or other real players. There are three different play modes, thousands of collectable football players and consumables for players to choose from.

During matches, players can switch between their football players, either automatically when the ball changes feet, or by toggling between the football players. There are a variety of tackles, skills and tricks that players can pull off once they have mastered the controls. This includes various fake shots and ball flicks, the soul trap and knee juggling.

All gameplay will be commented by the broadcaster, whether they involve simple name mentions as the ball is passed, or by bigger exclamations when impressive passes or goal plays are made. Whenever a goal is made or missed, of the ball goes off-side, a voice-commentary, close up replay and reaction cut-sequences, such as celebrations or frustration will be shown.

The game now features a mini map at the bottom of the screen, with the player’s characters being demarcated with triangles. This allows players to identify the possessions of their various champions more easily.

Modes

FIFA 19 – The Journey: Champions

This is the third installment of the FIFA series’ story mode. Here, players will have the opportunity to play as one of three characters: Alex Hunter, Danny Williams, and Dany’s half-sister, Kim. All three have their own journeys and decisions to make as they attempt to live out their dreams of football stardom, with players receiving various rewards as they progress through the story arcs. The ramifications of the decisions that the characters take will vary from minor choices such as advertising campaigns to bigger choices like selecting the character’s team. Rewards are standardized, unlocking player cards, balls and player loans.

FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT)

FUT allows player to build their own ideal team out of any of the players in their arsenal. This is pretty challenging when playing online against real players who may have access to better champions than you do, but there is also an option for offline solo play. Positive performances on the field can result in the football team’s stats being boosted. There is also a matchmaking tool that will automatically set players against others of equal skill.

When players start out, they will receive a starting pack, and will then earn new packs to upgrade their team as they progress through the given objectives and winning matches. There are a few sub-modes for players to choose from as well, namely Squad Battle solo-play games and Division Rivals, which will pit players against real world competitors online.

FIFA 19 – Career

This mode allows players to play their championship teams from the smaller leagues right up through the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and Europa League. All matches are overlaid with broadcasting commentaries, and winners will receive badges and other achievement awards as they progress through the series.

FUT Packs and Cards

This is either the fun or frustrating part of FIFA 19 for FIFA fans. There are thousands of items and football players available within the game, with more being released weekly. In order to build their teams, they will need to open FUT packs in order to acquire football players with the best stats. Packs are prices according to their types, so while a Bronze pack will cost 400 gold, a rare gold pack costs 25,000 gold. However, you also get what you pay for. While there is a minimum ranking for players contained in packs, there is also a maximum ranking. For example, in a Bronze pack, the highest ranking that a player can hope for is a champion of with a 64 ranking. Gold packs, on the other hand, have a starting point of rank-75 champions.

There are currently 19 different types of packs that players can buy, as well as some limited-edition packs that come out every now and then. Each pack contains a set number of items, comprising of a mixture of football players and other consumable items, including training cards, healing, contracts and fitness cards. Many of the item cards can be used to enhance either a football player’s or manager’s stats. Fitness cards are the only card-type that can be applied en masse to a group of football players.

Packs can be earned through grinding through matches achieving various objectives, and as daily login rewards, but the easiest way to acquire them is by paying real-world cash for them. This is obviously frustrating for players who have already paid for the game itself and leave many of them feeling that this feature has turned the game into a pay-to-win experience.  

Each pack will include a player card, as well as various consumables. The level of the pack will also dictate the type of football champion that the player is likely to get. For instance, in a Gold or Premium Gold pack, players are guaranteed to get a Gold Player that is rated at least 75 or higher. Each pack provides the probability of each ranking category appearing. For instance, again, in a Premium Gold pack, there is only a 20% chance of getting a player that Ranks at 82 or higher and a 4.5 chance of an 84 or higher player. If players get duplicates or undesired players, they can always sell them pack to the game for a varying amount of in-game gold. Many, but not all cards, cards can also be sold to or traded with other players.