For many gamers, their first FIFA experience was probably a head-to-head matchup with a friend, on the couch, in a dorm room or childhood bedroom. Kick Off mode is traditionally a pure FIFA experience in which two (or four) people pick teams and face off in a straightforward, two-team, 90-minute match. Bragging rights are achieved after every win, until the next match occurs.
But this year, Kick Off mode is getting a makeover. The new Kick Off experience in FIFA 19 opens local multiplayer for everybody, providing a wealth of customizable options for every match, as well as a system for tracking your stats and record against friends on any console.
Aside from the traditional match, now called Classic Kick Off in FIFA 19, there are five new types of matches that can be played: UEFA Champions League, House Rules, Best of Series, Home & Away, and Featured Cup Finals. Most of those are self-explanatory, but players will probably be the most intrigued by the House Rules option.
If you’ve ever played a Kick Off match and wanted the change up the rules a bit, or play without any rules at all, you’ll enjoy the House Rules match type. Right now, there are five different sets of rules that you can select for your match:
- Survival Mode: When someone scores a goal, a random player from the scoring club is taken off the pitch (except the goalkeeper)
- No Rules: No offside calls, fouls, or bookings; pure chaos
- Long Range: Goals scored in the box count as normal, but anything scored from outside the box count as two goals
- First to…: Set up a custom win condition, whether it’s golden goal (first to score), first to three goals, etc. The match will play to the clock as normal, unless the condition is met
- Headers & Volleys: Headers, volleys, free kicks, and penalties are the only ways that you can score goals in this match type. Any other type of goal will be disallowed
In addition to the different types of matches that you can play in FIFA 19 Kick Off, a new stat tracking system has been integrated into the mode on Xbox One. Wins, goals scored, average possession, and shots on target are among the stats being tracked for every match you play in the mode.
This also means that you can track head-to-head stats with friends, using a new Kick Off ID system that you can create and link to your Microsoft account. Log in to your Kick Off ID on your friend’s Xbox One (and vice versa) to track and view all your stats and records.
Thanks to all these little details, Kick Off mode is finding new life in FIFA 19, ready to impress an entirely new generation of gamers. Pre-order FIFA 19 on Xbox One today so you can jump right into this exciting new feature as soon as the game is released worldwide on September 28.