STACK #167 Sept 2018

GAMES FEATURE

visit stack.com.au

KickOff

It’s FIFA time again. Let the games begin. Words Paul Jones

“I t looks the same as last year.” This is a new FIFA each year. From an outside observer it’s probably a fair comment, but for a FIFAologist, it’s bordering on blasphemy. Mention the acronym FIFA to anyone in 2018 and most people will immediately connect it to EA’s blockbuster sports title and not the international governing body of football. FIFA completely ruled the last generation of consoles and has made no concessions halfway through this cycle. In June we got our first glimpse at FIFA 19 at EA Play in Los Angeles. The power of Frostbite is pushing the borders of authenticity to a whole new level, without sacrificing the exciting gameplay that FIFA is known for. “The big news is the UEFA Champions League is back,” reveals creative director Matt Prior during our annual catch-up in Los Angeles, when prompted on what to expect this year. “It is one of the most requested features from our community. We’ve brought it back throughout the game to facilitate all the many different types of users that play FIFA. You’ve got the FUT guys – the guys that like to play through the Journey single-player – and then we have the users who play all the modes. We’ll have it linked to live updates in the real standard response from my wife after I ask her what she thinks when I bring home the

Prior talks about is the Active Touch System. “Active Touch System is a whole new system of the way the player approaches and touches the ball, fundamentally changing the way they strike it as well as react to it”, explains Prior. “It will have big implications on the overall gameplay, and from a user perspective, what that means is you’ll see a lot more variety. And while we’re on the subject of volleys, another new mechanic introduced this year is Timed Shot, which adds an extra level of control to shots. “Shooting remains unchanged in FIFA if you want it to, but there is now a kind of a risk-reward mechanic we’ve introduced,” Prior explains. “If you have a shot and you press the button a second time using a visual cue as the player’s foot kicks the ball and get it right, you’ll get more power, accuracy and curve on it." Finally, Prior talks about how the tactical system has been totally revamped for the new game, revealing that many of the new features implemented by the team come directly from community requests. Dynamic Tactics is one such example. “We’ve completely rewritten the tactics in the game, and this what we’re calling Dynamic Tactics; this is literally a rework of the entire tactics system,” he explains. “What that offers now is a much more unique level of customisation, so you can really tune the tactics to your style of play, and also the team you’re using. That’s a big change!”

world Champions League, too.” With the power of the Frostbite

• FIFA 19 is out Sept 25

Engine, now in its third year, FIFA 19 will introduce many new features and the first

Kick-Off Mode Something new to FIFA 19 is the new Kick-Off Mode. This is essentially five newmatch types for FIFA players, all with a twist.

UEFA Champions League – Users can customise their own Champions League game from the group stages, or even just the final, with their own rules and even visuals. House Rules – Here you can set up a game with custom rules including using the following: In Survival

Mode , each time a user scores, a player is deducted from their squad to a maximum of four to create a challenge. No Rules means just that, and Long Range awards two goals for any goals scored outside the box. FirstTo lets players set perimeters such as the first to one goal, or three goals, etc. And finally, Headers &

Volleys means you can only score goals with a header or a volley. Best of Series – Here you can play classic matches in a three or five match series to decide who’s top dog. Home & Away – A two- legged match played home and away. The aggregate

score decides the winner. If the teams are level on home and away score lines, the dreaded penalty shootout comes into play. Featured Cup Finals – Here you get to choose your final. Champions League? Europa League Final? FA Cup? It’s all there for you to chase the silverware.

018

SEPTEMBER 2018

jbhifi.com.au