Sports games often harp on about big, big changes year-upon-year to make an annual purchase worth it, but the FIFA 19 Timed Finishing changes, which transforms the way you’re going to try and score this year, may actually be one of the biggest new features in years. The new shooting mechanics, including the slightly-tweaked new low shot, can take some getting used to, however. Below, we’ll run down some top tips we’ve gleaned from the demo to help you hit the back of the net every single time. Unless you’re Christian Benteke. There’s just no saving him.
FIFA 19 Timed Finishing Tips
While it’s not a necessity when shooting, the new FIFA 19 Timed Finishing mechanic, which lets you press shoot (Circle on PS4/B on Xbox One) as a ball is being played into you and then shoot again just as you want to hit it really affects the game. It results in a sort of timed minigame just before you want to actually shoot and actually masks one of the most egregious failings when it comes to prior FIFA games, and that’s the lack of real ability to accurately shoot first-time.
The first thing you’re going to want to do, to get a handle on things, is keep the FIFA Trainer, which puts the game’s inputs above your player during matches, on for the first dozen or so games. Yes, it’s annoying, but it’s going to help immensely with Timed Finishing because the swing-o-meter that’s working in the background for first-time shots now becomes a very literal part of the game. After practicing (and, of course, Skill Games such as the Advanced Shooting drills are a great environment to do this in) for a while, your muscle memory will eventually kick in. But, before that, the FIFA Trainer is the ultimate safety net. It’ll allow you to see that the period of time between the first button press and second one is roughly a second. It’s all in the timing for FIFA 19.
Whisper it but, if it’s allowed to be turned on for online play, it could give you a sly edge over your opponent… but you didn’t hear that from me.
Your main takeaway should be that, this year more than ever, things are contextual. If your player is facing side-on from the goal, even a well-timed shot isn’t going to test the ‘keeper. You have to always look at where both your player and the ball is at every given moment. It’s not an exact science but it’s one you will eventually get to grips with.
Again, keep the FIFA Trainer on for as long as possible until you get things down pat. It’s also worth noting that playing on different difficulty levels doesn’t actually make the process of Timed Finishing and the like any easier or harder. Much like real-life footballers: repeating things over and over again until you get it right is, unfortunately, the best method but, when combined with the FIFA Trainer and knowledge of contextual player you should be slapping home worldies in no time. Trust me.
How to do a Low Shot in FIFA 19
The low shot has also undergone a slight renaissance this year. No longer is it awkwardly mapped to double-tapping the shoot button. Instead, the L1 + R1 + shoot (and Xbox One/PC equivalent) which used to take up the underused finesse chip technique is now home to the low show. This year, it appears that the low shot is, shock, horror, actually useful, particularly in one-on-one situations. Simply hold both shoulder buttons and the shoot button down, (for however long you want, depending on how much power you wish to put into the shot) and let go. All done! Here’s hoping it’ll be a useful part of players’ repertoire this year rather than an afterthought.
What Else Should I Know About the FIFA 19 New Shooting Mechanic?
You don’t just have to figure things out as you go along in-game. The replay feature is the game’s best teacher now when it comes to Timed Finishing. In it, you can see exactly when and where you should’ve pressed the shoot button for a second time thanks to the color-coded system.
Red is, obviously, terrible, yellow is pretty good, and can often yield decent results, but pales in comparison to green. Hit the sweet spot and, at the very least, you’re getting your shot on target, if not outright scoring more often than not.
