Madden NFL 19

The addition of Real Player Motion to the package improved Madden 19 dramatically. The controls felt great because of it and the gameplay felt tightly woven, which translated to one fun experience playing football in a video game.

Necessary changes to gameplay and Franchise Mode make it feel fresh and the improved visuals help complete the updated experience. There are still some issues with gameplay on the defensive side of the ball, but having the Real Player Motion helps in adding new ways not only to move the ball down the field, but celebrate. Longshot: Homecoming is an entertaining sequel while Madden Ultimate Team introduces new ways to play. Hardcore Madden fans will appreciate the changes this year and skeptics need to give it a try before judging this as just another roster update.

A stunning return to form for the annual football franchise – and one of the finest all-round Madden packages in years.

This year’s entry is a very solid football game. It includes some notable enhancements on the playable side, and it also looks great. A safe bet for football fans.

Most importantly, Madden 19 has finally cracked that slightly repetitive feel that can make it tough to go on, game after game. With Real Player Motion delivering a fluid on-the-field experience, and Franchise mode customization offering another level of realism, Madden is in a great place.

This year’s mastery of the Frostbite engine offers an impressive visual experience with players represented close to reality. Visually and audibly its a success. At the same time, improvements in important game modes, Franchise and Ultimate Team, guarantee weeks of fun that will be driven by the start of the regular season and endless interaction with the community. Madden NFL 19 is a satisfying experience, one of the best entries in years. But is it like winning a game with a Hail Mary pass? Not yet, but it's close to happening.

They’ve made strides forward on many fronts, including more realistic controls, new ways to interact with lineups in franchise mode, and several additional Ultimate Team experiences. Sure, there still might be the occasional physics quirk, but Madden NFL 19 still cements itself as the premier football simulation on console.

Madden 19 does not redefine the series but it's a great game nevertheless.

Madden NFL 19 is a sublime example of what can be achieved with a sports title. The Real Player Motions generates that feeling of not 'controlling' players, but rather living as the players instead. Seeing how lifelike all the players are within a match, and how they communicate with each other before and during plays, and then watching them seamlessly get into the next play, is freakishly uncanny.

Madden NFL 19 is the best Football game on the market. EA Sports added technical and realistic details taking the game one step further.

Boasting two exceptional modes in franchise and Longshot, it mightn’t have the cult following of its PS2 years, but this is as good as EA’s veteran NFL series has ever been. [Issue#153, p.88]

For returning players, Madden NFL 19 does exactly what you’d expect, offering a fantastic rendition of the NFL experience with improved graphics, tweaked modes and other minor improvements. However, if you’re not a franchise devotee, 18’s introduction of the new engine, full training mode and Longshot’s superior first season makes it the better option for newcomers.

I came away from this year's version of the game convinced that the development team put its focus on the right area. That is to say, the gameplay. The results are obvious, and for those who decry the annual release cycle as nothing but a roster update, they are not giving enough credit to the locomotion improvements and continuing Longshot story.

Outside of the visuals boost, Madden NFL 19 feels more iterative than last year’s entry of Madden did. The series’ dedicated and interested fans that buy the game yearly and sink hundreds of hours into its game modes shouldn’t have any major issues outside of some glitchy menus, but not enough has changed to make Madden NFL 19 a worthy entry for newcomers or casual players who picked it up last year.

While the new foundational changes are awesome and it’s more fun than ever to play Madden, it almost feels like it isn’t enough in comparison. It especially stings that the Longshot sequel feels so unsure of itself, despite its high production values. It’s easy enough to recommend Madden 19 to sports fans, but if I’m trying to get someone new started, it feels like last year’s game is required reading to get the most out of this year’s entry.

Madden NFL 19 is much more than a roster update, but if you were hoping for sweeping changes off the field you will be very disappointed.

Madden 19 is a great football game. In the basic gameplay is better and feels much more intense. There are also more resources to take advantage of and various ways to enjoy it. If you have been outside the series for a while, or want to enter, it is a good starting point.

You’re right to be sceptical of EA Sports’ buzzwords by now, but Madden NFL 19’s headline Real Player Motion really does result in a more fluid game of football. The presentation may be familiar, but the game feels great on the field, and that consequently enhances all of its headline modes. Longshot: Homecoming may be short, but Tiburon’s teen drama is well-presented and well written, while Franchise mode includes some oft-requested features, like draft classes. Ultimate Team, meanwhile, continues to be a grind – but it’s an addictive one that’s made all the more compulsive by the roster of gameplay improvements made elsewhere.

Madden NFL 19 offers an accessible Ultimate Team mode, a welcome player progression change, and minor gameplay tweaks that make the game ever so slightly more realistic. Longshot: Homecoming, however, is an unmitigated disaster.

Madden 19 doesn’t have earth-shattering features that draw me in. Some new features don’t shake out how I hoped they might, and other problems haven’t been fixed. But I’m still going to spend hours with this title for the way it captures the sport and puts me in the center of it with some fantastic gameplay moments.

Another step forward, even if it isn't exactly a big one. Real Player Motion and a couple of other subtle improvements ultimately outweigh the dragging Longshot mode and some strange happenings on and off the pitch.

EA Sports' latest offering doesn't really bring a whole lot of new elements to the table, certainly nothing as ground-breaking as the new catching mechanics that Madden 16 brought. The game is smoother, and with a few minor positive tweaks, and overall is still a fun, solid football sim. But the continuation of the story mode Longshot, which was a big deal in 18, is a huge let down here.

Madden 19 is much like Madden 18 before it.

Madden 19 has the kind of defense that makes this game worth buying, and spectacular plays are more spectacular than ever. Uncomplimentary menus and peculiar gameplay simulations keep this year's Madden from being something profoundly special. Still, there's plenty here to feed the need for more football.

Madden NFL 19 is, in pretty much every way, less exciting than its predecessor, at least on a conceptual level. Last year’s game had a new engine and a completely new mode to boast. This year’s biggest selling point—Real Player Motion—definitely makes running a more viable offensive option. Otherwise, all you’re getting is part two of what’s becoming an unnecessary trend in EA’s sports-related telenovelas and a whole lot of advertising for Madden Ultimate Team.

Madden 19 is a solid, if occasionally ragged, follow-up to last year's big transition to Frostbite. The improvements to the animation and franchise mode stand out, but Longshot: Homecoming feels like a step back from last year's ambitious introduction. The multitude of interesting but mostly subtle updates ultimately make this an entry that is primarily geared toward hardcore fans of the series.

The changes and tweaks to Madden NFL 19 aren't enough to make it a must-buy, but it's still a solid entry in its own right.

If you already own Madden 18 and you’re a casual football fan, you’d be hard pressed to find anything in here really worth the $60 price tag, especially when you can download the current roster via the community downloads. But if you’re looking for your way back to Madden or have not ever played the series, this is a great jump on point as the visuals are amazing and it’s a near perfect football simulation.