Madden NFL 19 Review – Still Reign Supreme

Madden NFL 19 is here and that means the season is near as well! Every year EA Sports find a unique way to deliver the most loved sports franchise, promising each year something innovating. You have to wonder however after so many years of developing Madden, is EA Sports  and Madden NFL 19 still up to par?

At this point you think EA Tiburon has done all it can with Madden NFL. But the research that the team continues to find genuinely pushes gameplay to a whole new level. And Madden 19 is no different.

Stepping away from the pre-game situations, Madden 19 dives right into the action by presenting a more simplified menu board compared to its past few predecessors. Gameplay is everything this year and that’s where we’ll begin.

Gameplay & Presentation

Presentation is perfectly coinciding with authenticity this tear. From the sound of the stadium to the look of it, the players and their movement, one can’t help but to smile at the realism. Thinking over the last several years at how Madden focused on both the defense and offense read and react system, tweaking the camera angles and implementing motion blur, tightening the defensive A.I. and more, this year felt more like the icing on the cake.

One of Madden’s biggest focuses this year was real player motion, which truly allows player responsiveness to feel more natural rather than a normal button input transition which slightly offset players momentum. It’s now all controlled based on your players burst of speed, weight, height and rating (especially in MUT).

Running into the end-zone has become a more personalized celebration in Madden 19 as well. As you run in for the touchdown you can now choose whether you spike the ball, celebrate with your team or even steal your opponents touchdown celebration. To some it may not be much, but I can appreciate EA Sports letting us choose how we choose to release our swagger. The grind to get there is real, and now a thing of beauty, unless you’re on the opposing team.

Longshot Returns But…

As for Madden NFL 19’s story mode, Longshot: Homecoming continues to share an impactful and inspirational story with Devon Wade and Colt Cruz. After the Longshot (Madden NFL 18) Devon has made the questionable rise and fall again while best friend Colt watched his dreams ultimately crumble. It’s now Wade’s 2nd year with the Cowboys and the odds appear to be stacked against him. Meanwhile Colt is refusing to give up on his career as an NFL player.

For anyone that’s played the original Longshot story, Homecoming will feel quite underwhelming. The story is much less around Devin and more about Colt, which isn’t bad. However considering the dialogue is more linear with less choices that can be made, the formula that made the Longshot as good was has been ripped out leaving Homecoming to feel more like shortcomings.

What Else Is There in Madden NFL 19?

Franchise Mode doesn’t have many changes this year in terms to gameplay, however I did appreciate the small, newly added features like the coach feedback before and after scrimmages.

For those new to Madden, Franchise Mode allows you to take over the role of an NFL Player (created or on a team), NFL Coach (calling the plays and looking to achieve victory with your team) or Team Owner; positioned with everyone’s fate, including the stadium, sales and more in the palm of your hands.

Madden Ultimate Team, the biggest mode in M19, let players create their own fantasy teams through player MUT packs and challenge other teams online for rank, recognition and more MUT coins, players and packs. This year MUT is introducing Solo Battles which allows you to play AI based on other player MUT skill and overall ratings. Each player ranking can be upgraded by increasing their chemistry and completing challenges.