by John Winfrey 

Football season is quickly approaching, which means a new installment of Madden is here. The question is pretty much the same every year, “what has the series done to earn my money this time around?” Since the switch over to the new Frostbite engine in Madden 18, players can see the game has taken on a new level of hyper-realistic graphics and resolution. Gameplay is even more detailed than ever before; almost to a fault.

The same popular game modes are back, new and improved for the most part. The newer Longshot campaign mode that began last edition continues the stories of Devin Wade and Colt Cruise as they attempt to defy the odds and work towards their big break by landing on a professional football team. Their personal journeys on and off the field make for a compelling look into behind the scenes of underdogs in the NFL. As a Cowboy fan, I was happy to see the story revolves around Texas football and the Dallas Cowboys. I didn’t get to play last year, so this was new to me. At first, I thought I was just on the Cowboys because I picked them as my favorite team when the disc initialized.

Colt Cruise is a poor musician who finds himself with an unexpected responsibility and has to find a way to provide for a new mouth the feed. Eventually, he decides to help his former high school squad and lead them back to glory. Devin Wade is on the cusp of becoming a quarterback for the Cowboys, and he has a long way to go to be ready.

I found Franchise mode to be a lot more enjoyable than in the past. The Fantasy Draft was fun and the games can be streamlined for quicker progression. Every play counts towards players’ individual progression and decisions are made in a General Manager sort of way. There really aren’t that many big changes though, and I feel like they could easily incorporate more real life off-the-field decisions for players that feel more immersive.

I put in about 500 hours and way too many dollars towards building my team in Madden Ultimate Team in Madden 17, and this year’s MUT is just as enthralling as I remember. The amount of challenges at launch are far more than I remember from before. They’re also a lot more harder and prevent the fatigue of finding the same 3 plays that work and running the enjoyment into the ground. I’ve already got a squad I’m proud to see and what’s even cooler is the Hall of Fame players that are available right from the beginning. I mean really, whoever thought Mike Vick would be a playable guy right at launch? Never.

Gameplay is challenging. I love it and hate it. You will too. your feet have to be set and it really pays off to learn the catching maneuvers and use them properly. There’s also an option to play in Arcade, Simulation, and Competitive Modes. I haven’t had the bravery to up the ante to Simulation Mode, but it’s supposed to be even more challenging and geared towards players who have expertise knowledge in real time football and game mechanics.

The Madden franchise is still going strong and won’t be going anywhere for a very long time. EA hasn’t had a game this big released since the Battlefront II debacle, so it’s good for them to have a game release without so much controversy. They have a formula and they’re sticking to it. Although we would love to see more big changes made, the masses will still buy it. I’ll be playing this one for a while. I give it an 8 because it’s a great game with beautiful graphics and great gameplay, but lacks new and original content. If you love Madden, you’ll love this edition and I recommend picking up this game.

If you really feel confident in your skills, add me on PSN and let’s run em. Jwin1401. Catch ya in the endzone!

by Marcus Blake

Last year’s edition of Madden made a big Improvement when it went to the frostbite engine. Things were more realistic and we all praise the game for being one of the best additions in the last 5 to 10 years. I honestly didn’t feel like there be that much improvement, but I couldn’t have been more wrong… Man, this year made big improvements within the frostbite engine and it has made this year’s Edition probably the best in at least a decade if not more. Madden 19 was definitely made for 4K TVs and the newer consoles with faster processors, but it’s still fabulous on the first generation Xbox one and PlayStation 4.

I will be honest that I love and hate this game. I know that’s weird for me to say when I’ve already said that this is one of the best versions in a long time, but hear me out. The game can be frustrating because it does challenge your skills. For players who solely rely on the CPU, it won’t be that easy anymore. Because Madden is trying to make it more and more realistic with player movements, you do have to rely more on your own skill when it comes to the running game and especially the passing game. One of my biggest frustrations is not having my quarterback plant his feet and just throw up the ball hoping that the receiver will catch it. You actually have to make your quarterback plant his feet, especially when rolling out to make a good throw. When playing the Bears, I pretty much had to customize my own Playbook to best suit second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky so we can make more accurate throws and have better accuracy. It’s also the same for the running game. Knowing when to juke at the right moment and not just running in a straight line hoping that the CPU can’t tackle you. Using the sliders is one thing, but again, you have to have better skills with this year’s Madden. It’s frustrating, but it’s also a good thing because Sports video games should be more and more realistic with the better technology.

Madden 19 is gorgeous on an HD big screen TV. The graphics are even better from last year. Some of the other notable Improvement is your draft class within the franchise mode. It had been lacking in years past, but they made serious improvements to where you can really manage your team through the draft. It’s almost like they are taking MLB the show as the perfect example how to draft and trade to put together a winning team.

I do think that older users will be frustrated in the very beginning, but like all great video games if there’s a learning curve that you have to go through to have the best experience. And with all the improvements with Madden going to the frostbite engine and from the 2018 to the 2019 version, it does make for a more realistic game with better skill sets than we’ve had in the past.

Probably the biggest disappointment is the long-shot story and its second year. Doesn’t have the same feel to it and is not really that exciting compared to his first year, but most sequels never capture the Magic in the first one.  And despite all the improvements with the Frostbite engine, making the gameplay more realistic, which is fantastic,  really this is just the same Madden from last year. The biggest improvement is in the game play.

Overall, this year’s Madden is probably the best version in 5 or 10 years. While you will be frustrated in the beginning getting used to how realistic it is and don’t get me wrong, it feels like it’s buggy, that’s just you having to compensate from relying on the CPU so much. But this is a fantastic version and is definitely worth the money, especially with the Hall of Fame class and being able to put together an Ultimate Team. I also think that half the fun of this year’s Madden will be having to put together your own Playbook that’s going to work best for your team. Like for me, it’s all about simplifying everything for a second-year quarterback and making sure my defense is top-notch. After all, that’s the only way that I can beat Tom Brady and the Patriots and it come from behind.

I definitely give this year’s madden a 8 and would gladly pay $60 for it. And it just might be the best sports game of the year.