Madden NFL 19

Madden NFL 19 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed and published by EA Sports. An installment in the long-running Madden NFL series, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on August 10, 2018, the first time it released for the latter since Madden NFL 08.

Madden NFL 19
Standard Edition cover art featuring Antonio Brown
Developer(s)EA Tiburon
Publisher(s)EA Sports
Director(s)Michael Young[1]
Producer(s)Ben Haumiller[2]
Composer(s)John Debney
SeriesMadden NFL
EngineFrostbite 3
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 10, 2018
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is the cover athlete of the standard edition of the game, while Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens is on the cover of the "Hall of Fame" version, featured in a Dallas Cowboys uniform.

Madden NFL 19, along with the preceding installment's online services were shut down on March 7, 2023.[3]

Development

In May 2018, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Terrell Owens was announced to be on the cover of the "Hall of Fame" edition of the game. Owens is featured in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, a move which was questioned by some as Owens played eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, compared to just three with the Cowboys.[4][5] The game's standard edition cover features former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.[6]

The soundtrack for the game features over 30 tracks from artists such as Migos, Pusha T, Post Malone, T.I., Fat Joe, Anderson .Paak, Young Thug, Cardi B, Lil Skies, and Nicki Minaj, among an original score by John Debney. EA added several more tracks to the game over the course of the 2018 NFL season.[7]

Gameplay
Players are able to take part in interactive touchdown celebrations

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 interactive touchdown celebrations for the first time since Madden NFL 09 including team celebrations, which were made legal by the NFL for the 2017 season.[4] 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.[8] The game also featured a sequel to Longshot, Madden NFL 18's single-player story-driven mode, with more focus on football gameplay and NFL-related events.[9]

Longshot: Homecoming

In continuation of the Longshot story mode in Madden 18, protagonist Devin Wade is revealed to be playing in training camp for his hometown team, the Dallas Cowboys. On the other hand, Devin's best friend Colt Cruise is a struggling country singer living in his hometown Mathis, 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 the Miami 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 the Houston Texans, donates money along with Deshaun Watson and newly-acquired receiver Antonio Brown, who both appear as themselves.

Devin, in his first game as a starting quarterback, defeats the New 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 includes JR 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 from Tom Brady and Bill Cowher playing themselves.

Release

The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on August 10, 2018, with the Windows release being the first for the series since Madden NFL 08 in 2007.[10][11] A "Hall of Fame Edition" was released three days early for subscribers of the EA Access program.[12]

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Madden NFL 19 received "generally favorable" reviews from game critics despite receiving "generally unfavorable" ratings from users.[13][14][15]

In a review for IGN, 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."[20] Bradley Russell of GamesRadar+ praised the updated catching and running mechanics as well as the Longshot: Homecoming mode, calling the game a "stunning return to form" for the series, and one of the "finest" in years.[19] GameSpot praised the animation and updates to the commentary, although noted the changes to Longshot were disappointing.[18]

Before its release, the game was criticized for censoring quarterback Colin Kaepernick's name from the song "Big Bank", which appears on the soundtrack. The verse came from Big Sean, who called the action "disappointing and appalling".[23] 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 the NFL Players Association, it does not apply to him being mentioned elsewhere.[24] Before the game was released, EA released an update to restore his name in the song.[25][26]

2018 shooting
Main article: Jacksonville Landing shooting

On August 26, 2018, a shooting occurred during a livestreamed tournament event for the game at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida.[27][28] 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.[29][30]

References
  1. "Madden NFL 19 (PlayStation 4)". MobyGames. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  2. Khan, Asif (24 July 2018). "Madden NFL 19 Producer Ben Haumiller Talks PC, Switch, MUT, Franchise, & Browns' Overall Rating". ShackNews. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  3. EA_Blitz (December 1, 2022). "Title: Madden NFL 18 & Madden NFL 19 - Online Services and Product Support Retired". EA Answers HQ. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  4. Will Brinson (May 25, 2018). "LOOK: Terrell Owens on Madden cover in Cowboys uni, first look at 49ers' Richard Sherman". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  5. Brian Mazique (May 8, 2018). "'Madden 19' Tracker: Release Date, Trailer, Cover Athlete, Ultimate Team, Story, Franchise Features". Forbes. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  6. Fowler, Jeremy (18 July 2018). "Steelers receiver Antonio Brown featured on Madden cover". ESPN. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. "Lock In with the Madden NFL 19 Soundtrack". EA Sports. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  8. Stefanie Fogel (May 25, 2018). "'Madden 19' Officially Announced, Gets Xbox One/PlayStation 4 Launch Date". Variety. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  9. Good, Owen (9 June 2018). "Madden NFL's Longshot comes back with a more intense sequel". Polygon. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  10. Good, Owen (9 June 2018). "Madden NFL 19 returns to PC this August". Polygon. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  11. Good, Owen (9 June 2018). "Madden's latest trailer promises greater realism for video game football". Polygon. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  12. Orry, Tom. "Madden 19 Release Date, PC Specs, Cover Star, New Depth Chart Positions, Franchise Mode, Early Access - Everything we Know". US Gamer. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  13. "Madden 19 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  14. "Madden 19 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  15. "Madden 19 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  16. Goriff, Michael (August 9, 2018). "Madden NFL 19 review". EGMNow. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  17. Kato, Matthew (August 1, 2018). "Madden NFL 19: The Ups And Downs Of Another Gripping Season". Game Informer. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  18. Makuch, Eddie (August 12, 2018). "Madden NFL 19 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  19. Russell, Bradley (August 1, 2018). "MADDEN 19 REVIEW: "EFFORTLESSLY MAKES ITS WAY ONTO THE SERIES' MOUNT RUSHMORE"". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  20. Toms, Dustin (August 1, 2018). "Madden NFL 19 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  21. Winkie, Luke (August 1, 2019). "Madden NFL 19 Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  22. Bailey, Kat (August 10, 2018). "Madden NFL 19 review". US Gamer. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  23. "Big Sean's Colin Kaepernick Lyric Censored in "Madden NFL 19"". Pitchfork. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  24. Schilken, Chuck (3 August 2018). "EA Sports apologizes for editing Colin Kaepernick's name out of a song on 'Madden NFL 19'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  25. Rollins, Khadrice (7 August 2018). "EA Sports Adds Colin Kaepernick's Name Back on Madden 19 Soundtrack After Originally Editing it Out". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  26. Bogage, Jacob. "Colin Kaepernick continues to haunt NFL after Madden 19 song censorship gaffe". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  27. Lam, Katherine; Fedschun, Travis; Darrah, Nicole (August 26, 2018). "Gunman at Jacksonville Landing gaming event kills 2 before killing himself, investigators say". Fox News. FOX. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  28. Kalvapalle, Rahul (August 26, 2018). "Gunman kills 2, fatally shoots himself at video game tournament in Jacksonville, Fl". Global News. Corus Entertainment Inc. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  29. Micolucci, Vic; Purdy, Joy; Calloway, Ethan; Piggott, Jim; Patrick, Steve; Tyler, Roxy (August 26, 2018). "Gunman among 3 dead in mass shooting at Jacksonville Landing". News4Jax. Graham Media Group. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  30. Stewart, Emily; Lopez, German (26 August 2018). "Shooting at Jacksonville, Florida video game tournament: what we know". Vox.com. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
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