Blame Ronaldo. The moment I saw the then Real Madrid superstar score that overhead kick against Juventus in the Champions League quarter finals, I knew it would dominate the FIFA 19 experience. It was too high-profile a goal in too high-profile a match for EA Sports to ignore. The fact it was scored by FIFA 19’s cover star helped, I’m sure.
Overhead kicks are in vogue. They’re down with the kids, and when something in the world of football is down with the kids, EA Sports takes note. FIFA 19 isn’t here for the hipsters who fork out for the Bundesliga on BT Sport. Nor is it here for the football historians, those who lament the loss of the good old days of shin-smashers and £150-a-week wages. FIFA 19 is here for the next generation – never the current, always the next. It’s here for the Messi and Ronaldo rivalry keyboard warriors, the Neymar shirt-wearers from Peckham and the Paul Pogba dabbers (who have all moved on to the Floss, but hey-ho).
And so, overhead kicks. Yeah, there are a lot of overheads in FIFA 19. Your players want to do them – really want to do them – so much so that they seemingly float in mid-air to force the bicycle kick animation to connect with the ball. Hold on, you’re a 55-rated bronze. What are you playing at? All I did was press shoot. Who do you think you are? Ronaldo?
Source: Eurogamer FIFA 19 review – the spectacular, troubling video game modern football deserves