| Madden NFL 19 | |
|---|---|
 Standard Edition cover art featuringAntonio Brown | |
| Developer | EA Tiburon |
| Publisher | EA Sports |
| Director | Michael Young[1] |
| Producer | Ben Haumiller[2] |
| Composer | John Debney |
| Series | Madden NFL |
| Engine | Frostbite 3 |
| Platforms | |
| Release | August 10, 2018 |
| Genre | Sports |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Madden NFL 19 is anAmerican footballsports video game based on theNational Football League (NFL), developed and published byEA Sports. An installment in the long-runningMadden NFL series, the game was released forPlayStation 4,Xbox One, andWindows on August 10, 2018, the first time it released for the latter sinceMadden NFL 08.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiverAntonio Brown is the cover athlete of the standard edition of the game, whilePro Football Hall of Fame wide receiverTerrell Owens is on the cover of the "Hall of Fame" edition, featured in aDallas Cowboys uniform.
In May 2018,Pro Football Hall of Fame memberTerrell Owens was announced to be on the cover of the "Hall of Fame" edition of the game. Owens is featured in aDallas Cowboys uniform, a move which was questioned by some as Owens played eight seasons with theSan Francisco 49ers, compared to just three with the Cowboys.[3][4] The game's standard edition cover features formerPittsburgh Steelers wide receiverAntonio Brown.[5]
The soundtrack for the game features over 30 tracks from artists such asMigos,Pusha T,Post Malone,T.I.,N.O.R.E.,Schoolboy Q,Fat Joe,Anderson .Paak, Berner,2 Chainz,Young Thug,Cardi B,Lil Skies, andNicki Minaj, among an original score byJohn Debney. EA added several more tracks to the game over the course of the2018 NFL season.[6]
Madden NFL 19 featured "real player motions," allowing players to push blockers to gain more yards while running and make realistic cuts up-field after the catch, as well as take part in interactivetouchdown celebrations for the first time sinceMadden NFL 09 including team celebrations, which were made legal by the NFL for the 2017 season.[3] There were also changes to the Ultimate Team mode, introducing three vs three online matchups as well as a "Solo Battles" game mode, a leaderboard-driven reward system that measures players' performances in daily single-player challenges.[7] The game also featured a sequel toLongshot,Madden NFL 18'ssingle-player story-driven mode, with more focus on football gameplay and NFL-related events.[8]
In continuation of theLongshot story mode inMadden 18, protagonist Devin Wade is revealed to be playing in training camp for his hometown team, theDallas Cowboys. On the other hand, Devin's best friend Colt Cruise is a struggling country singer living in his hometownMathis, Texas. Colt runs into his long-lost father who reveals Colt has a half-sister, Loretta, and forces Colt to take care of her.
Colt still dreams of becoming an NFL wide receiver and tries out for theMiami Dolphins before getting cut after the first preseason game. When Colt and Devin's high school football coach Hank Jamison dies from illness, Colt decides to step up as the Mathis Bullfrogs' head coach. With Mathis High School fearing a merger with a rival school due to insufficient funds, Devin, now a member of theHouston Texans, donates money along withDeshaun Watson and newly-acquired receiverAntonio Brown, who both appear as themselves.
Devin, in his first game as a starting quarterback, defeats theNew England Patriots while Mathis comes up with enough donations with the help of the Texans and Colt to save the high school as Colt remains the coach of Mathis High School.
The voice cast includesJR Lemon as Devin Wade,Scott Porter as Colt Cruise,Joey King as Loretta Cruise,Ron Cephas Jones as Earl Coates,Rob Schneider as Donnie Marks,Chris Sullivan as Mack Mcglinn, as well as cameos fromTom Brady andBill Cowher playing themselves.[citation needed]
The game was released forPlayStation 4,Xbox One, andWindows on August 10, 2018, with the Windows release being the first for the series sinceMadden NFL 08 in 2007.[9][10] A "Hall of Fame Edition" was released three days early for subscribers of theEA Access program.[11]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (XONE) 81/100[12] (PS4) 80/100[13] (PC) 80/100[14] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7/10[15] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[16] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[17] |
| GamesRadar+ |   [18] |
| IGN | 8.9/10[19] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 75/100[20] |
| USgamer |  [21] |
According toreview aggregatorMetacritic,Madden NFL 19 received "generally favorable" reviews from game critics despite receiving "generally unfavorable" ratings from users.[12][13][14]
In a review forIGN, Dustin Toms wrote: "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."[19] Bradley Russell ofGamesRadar+ praised the updated catching and running mechanics as well as theLongshot: Homecoming mode, calling the game a "stunning return to form" for the series, and one of the "finest" in years.[18]GameSpot praised the animation and updates to the commentary, although noted the changes toLongshot were disappointing.[17]
Before its release, the game was criticized for censoring quarterbackColin Kaepernick's name from the song "Big Bank", which appears on the soundtrack. The verse came fromBig Sean, who called the action "disappointing and appalling".[22] EA responded to the criticism by saying that it was a mistake by members of their team who misunderstood the fact that just because they did not have rights to include Kaepernick's likeness in the game as a player because he is no longer in theNFL Players Association, it does not apply to him being mentioned elsewhere.[23] Before the game was released, EA released an update to restore his name in the song.[24][25]
On August 26, 2018, a shooting occurred during alivestreamed tournament event for the game at theJacksonville Landing inJacksonville, Florida.[26][27] It resulted in numerous injuries and two deaths, as well as the suicide of the shooter, who had participated in the tournament but had lost earlier in the day.[28][29]
