Anthem may more or less be borked, but Electronic Arts’ still has other offerings that are definitely worth looking into. The publisher is currently holding a sale for a number of its PC titles on Origin. Discounts go up to 80 percent, with the sale ending on March 19^th, 10 AM PST. These include titles like Titanfall 2 (75 percent off), The Sims 4 (63 percent off), Madden NFL 19 (67 percent off), and Battlefield 5 (50 percent off).

You can even pick up some bundles, like Titanfall 2 Ultimate Edition and Battlefield 1 Revolution for 80 percent off. If you’re more interested in the glory days of BioWare, then perhaps the Mass Effect Trilogy is worth a look at 50 percent off. You can even pick up Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, each a whopping 75 percent off from their original asking price.

However, our personal recommendation is Command and Conquer: The Ultimate Collection, discounted by 50 percent and including pretty much every major C&C title ever made. Command and Conquer, the Red Alert series, Generals, and Tiberium Wars are all bundled together. Just pretend that Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight isn’t there and all is good.

If investing in Origin Access Premier for early access to full-games like BioWare’s Anthem or DICE’s Battlefield 5 doesn’t seem appealing, then don’t worry- there might still be more incentive. Electronic Arts has added several new games to the Origin Access Vault, which is fully accessible to Basic subscribers (at $5 per month, or $30 per year). The biggest is perhaps Madden NFL 19 – it released in August 2018 and made several improvements, while adding a new Longshot story (it has its shortcomings though, so keep that in mind).

Gone Home is the next best option, offering a compelling first person narrative that’s equal parts creepy and insightful. The Fullbright Company’s newest title Tacoma is unfortunately not available in the Vault, but that might change down the line. If you’re a Star Wars fan though, there’s plenty to keep you covered.

LucasArts’ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1 and 2 have been added to the Vault. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, a compilation of the first three games, along with LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars and Star Wars TIE Fighter Special Edition are also available. Overall, in addition to the dozens of other titles in the Vault, these are some pretty good offerings overall.

If you needed any more evidence on just how well the video gaming industry as a whole is doing, no matter how much certain quarters of the video games fanbase may want to get into pointless arguments about who’s “winning” and who’s not, the NPD Group’s newest report is just the thing for you.

In Q3 2018 (I.e., from July to September), customers spent a staggering $9.1 billion on video games in the US. The success is attributed to games such as Fortnite, Madden NFL 19, NBA 2K19, and of course, Spider-Man.

Hardware and accessory sales also saw growth, and according to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, this increased spending bodes very well for spending on video games come the Holiday quarter this year (which we are right in the middle of right now, as a matter of fact).

“The video game market in the U.S. continues to thrive with compelling gaming content expanding the market, driving higher spending of hardware, accessory, and software,” said Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at The NPD Group, in a statement sent to GamesBeat. “And with the sales strength of recent releases such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and NBA 2K19, combined with cross-platform titles such as Fortnite, there appears to be no slowing down as we head into the final stretch of the holiday shopping season.”

On the whole, it’s great that, in spite of not too uncommon assertions decrying console gaming, and proclaiming it was at an end, the market seems to be doing just fine now, with three healthy consoles, and a whole lot of great games for everyone to enjoy.

The NPD Group’s report for video game software sales in the United States for the month of August is now out, and Madden NFL 19 topped software charts to the surprise of absolutely no one, getting, in fact, its best opening since 2012’s Madden NFL 13, VentureBeat reports.

But it’s after Madden that things get so interesting- you see, in number 2 is Monster Hunter World, which all of a sudden saw sales jump after having mostly quieted down over the last few months. I have to presume a lot of this has to do with the just released PC port of the game. Elsewhere, Rainbow Six: Siege, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continued to exhibit extraordinarily strong legs.

Go further down the charts, and things get interesting again. God of War continues to leg it out, as do The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey (with the former outselling the latter, as you have probably come to expect by now). And, incredibly enough, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – yes, the 2009 game – is in the top 10 charts, with its recent inclusion on the Xbox One backward compatibility list being attributed to this sudden spike.

So, it’s been a very interesting month. With most big game releases stacked in the final four months of the year, the next few should be even more so. You can check out the full top 20 for the month below.

Top 20 best selling games of August

1. Madden NFL 19
2. Monster Hunter: World
3. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
4. Grand Theft Auto V
5. Mario Kart 8
6. Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker
7. God of War
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
9. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
10. Super Mario Odyssey
11. Minecraft
12. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
13. Far Cry 5
14. Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate
15. Call of Duty: WWII
16. Mario Tennis Aces
17. Overwatch
18. Lego The Incredibles
19. We Happy Few
20. The Crew 2

If you’re ready, then let’s get started!

GENERAL TIPS AND TRICKS

Getting Training Points

You can upgrade your players’ stats by spending training points which can be gained through buying Packs, with Coins, or through completing Solo battles. You can also sell cards for your Binder to get Training Points.

Player Upgrades And Custom Chemistry

Once you earn enough Training Points, these can be used to upgrade your players. Once you upgrade items, you can then unlock Chemistry slots. You can then choose an appropriate Chemistry based on your player’s position, playstyle, and abilities.

Pick The Best Playbooks

While all of the playbooks in the game are viable, some clearly stand tall over the others. The five best playbooks in the game belong to  the New York Jets, the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans, the Seattle Seahawks, and the San Francisco 49ers. Each playbook has its own advantages and disadvantages, so play around with them until you find one that suits your  playstyle.

Use Passes Based On Player Position

Bullet Passes are used for really fast passes and it is also very precise. Lobbed Passes on the other hand take longer to reach the destination  but they also have a greater angle and path of movement. Even though lobbed passes are slow, they can be advantageous when you need time for a player to close the gap and get to the ball.

Run Towards The Receiver When Passing

Whenever you’re passing a ball, try not run away from the receiver when it can be helped. This helps close the distance and also increases the likelihood of the pass being successful. Running in the opposite direction of the receiver increases the chances of messing up the pass.

Pressurize The Quarterback

The blitz tactic is very useful when trying to deal with the opponent’s quarterback. Just take as many players as possible to swarm the Quarterback and this will lead to him making inaccurate passes or to make a rushed move, or he will leave himself open to be tackled so that you can get your hands on the ball.

ACHIEVEMENTS/TROPHIES GUIDE

You can find below a list of all of the achievements that can be earned in the game.

All the Marbles: Finish the Week 12 game.

Beat the Bearcats: Beat the Beeville Bearcats.

It’s only the Preseason: Finish the Preseason Week Four Game.

Triple Crown: Record a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery with the same player on a single play.

Going For Gold: Earn gold from a drill inside the Skill Trainer.

Beat the Rattlers: Beat the Rancho Banquete Rattlers.

Colt’s Grade: Finish the story with a grade of 80 or higher in Randy’s fansite for Devin.

Audibilizing: Learn to Audible.

This is My Ultimate Team: Create a MUT Team.

Tom Brady Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 27,000.

John Madden Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 10,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7IMn-ay2bk

Richard Sherman Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 7,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8m6TfSi_Rk

Aaron Rodgers Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 8,300.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIoL53h_HgI

Comeback City: Comeback and win when trailing by 17+ points at halftime.

Full Set: Win a game with each of the 32 NFL teams – wins count across all game modes.

Not OP:Successfully use the swat mechanic to force an incomplete pass.

Lockdown Corner: Win 3 presses in a single game with the same CB.

Jerry Jones Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 12,500.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrRcjNT7cfc

Grindin’ Solos: Win a MUT Solo Challenge.

Team Building 101: Activate two Chemistries at the same time.

Living in the Past: Finish the Flashback game.

Return to Sender: Return the punt for a touchdown in the State Championship high school game.

Beat The Brush Hogs: Beat the Bloomington Brush Hogs.

Beat the Skeeters: Beat the Skidmore Skeeters.

Devin’s Grade: Finish the story with a grade of 80 or higher in Randy’s fansite for Colt.

Antonio Brown Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 2,750

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji0I6iMSaz0

Step Up: Finish the Week 10 Game.

Negotiator: Win a MUT auction.

7 on 7: Finish the 7 on 7 game.

Alvin Kamara Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 750.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI-K6RwXH0c

Move Master: Successfully fake-out a defender when prompted to perform a ball carrier special move.

Situational Awareness: Make a Coaching Adjustment in the 4th quarter or OT.

2nd Rounder: Make game-winning FG under 10 sec. after missing 2 or more previous kick attempts.

Throwin’ Dots: Throw a Passing TD using the low throw mechanic.

Todd Gurley Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 2,200.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SN_r0DjM_E

Von Miller Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 3,100.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoIIvwZbM_I

Aaron Donald Legacy Award: Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 1,800.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq8p6SiIT5U

FARMING COINS FOR ULTIMATE TEAM

Keep an eye out for the objectives and daily challenges and these will give you a variety of tasks which reward you with different amounts of coin. As you complete these challenges, your MUT level will go up and you’ll earn rewards which can range from Training Packs to card packs, so this is a great way to earn some coins as well. As your MUT level goes up, you will also be able to make use of some great discounts which  can help you save coins in the long run. You should also complete Solo Battles and other events as these  will also reward you with coins.

There are a number of ways to farm coins in the game. First of all, when you play through the solo challenges in the game, you will receive  cards and these can be of different types: Gold, Silver, and if you’re really lucky you can also get Elite cards. You can sell these cards off through an auction to get your hands on some coins.

Look out for cards which you can Quicksell because their  values won’t change, so they’re useful to make a quick buck. Make sure you check into auctions to see if any valuable cards are being sold cheap, but make sure these are valuable first and you can then trade these for  a nice profit.

FRANCHISE MODE GUIDE

In the franchise mode, the aim is get your franchise to the superbowl but there are a number of ways you can go about doing this. You can choose to play as a single player for any team that you choose and you will start off as a rookie and then work your way to the top. You won’t have to worry about suspensions, injuries that end the player’s career, charity, or endorsements.

As a coach, you will be in charge of an entire  team and you will be in charge of sending scouts to find new players, customize playbooks to your liking, and more. As an owner, you will have be in control of not only the team, but also of the finances. Additionally, there are also XP sliders that you can adjust to earn a set amount of XP every week, make sure you try  out different settings until you find one that works for you.

Player Upgrades And Schemes

Schemes are relevant only when you are playing as a coach or owner. Basically, you can select certain schemes which will determine the kind of direction you want your franchise to move in. However, a scheme will not apply to all players so it’s best to just pick the scheme that fits a lot of players. However, players can also fit into multiple schemes. You can train your players to improve them in particular ways, but  it’s always best to train them as per the schemes. You can also change the archetype of a player by just training them for a long enough time.

Building Your Team

Scouting is how you will be able to discover new players to eventually draft them. You will be given scouting points which you can use to watch rookies for a maximum of 3 times. In the Draft mode, you will finally be able to select players for your team. There is a player grade out of 10 and a rank to watch out for when selecting a player. However, if a player’s combined grade is not very high, but his rank is still good, then pick the player. In other words, rank is a more important factor to consider than grade. At the end of the day though, no matter what player you pick, you can improve their stats by just training them.

When building your team, always make sure you have enough substitutes for the different roles in your team because injuries can last for quite a few games. You can also choose to place a player on the Injury Reserve list which will render them unable to play for the remainder of the season, but it can be beneficial because their presence won’t count in the salary cap. This is especially useful if you have a player you’re spending a lot of money, but he’s injured so he can’t contribute to matches. Alternatively, you can just choose  to turn off injuries altogether if you don’t want to deal with the unpredictability.

Team Management

When playing a coach or owner, you will have to negotiate players’ contracts. Essentially, just focus on getting some good players and also renovating your stadiums when required. When you’re planning on signing  a new player, play attention to their salary. You can’t just buy all of the best players because there is a Salary Cap to keep in mind. However, you salary cap grows larger with each year, so eventually you won’t have to care too much about this.

You can check out your finances under the ‘My Owner’ section to check how your money is being  spent. In general, there’s not much to worry about since you will never go  bankrupt  in the game. If you’re losing games, then fans will spend more money which can help you get back up on your feet. The game will advice you how to spend your finances when pricing  items and all teams mostly have an equal share in the market. However, states with a larger number of people can charge for more items, and while it’s definitely something to consider, it doesn’t have a major impact on the game.

SOLO BATTLES GUIDE

In solo battles, you will face off against AI and you will be able gain a rank worldwide based on your performance in this game mode. You can check out your opponents for the week and view their formations, rating, and other such information pertaining to their style of play. This gives you time to prepare in advance for your match against them.

If you end up in the top 100 ranks in the world, then you will receive some great rewards. You will also earn rewards based on your battle score. Your rewards can consist of coins, trophy packs, and more.

When selecting a difficulty setting in the solo battle mode, keep in mind that the higher the difficulty setting, and you will earn a percentage of those points as battle score depending on the chosen difficulty setting. For example, at the highest difficulty setting, you will earn 100% of points as your battle score while at the beginner setiing, you will earn 0%. To earn a high battle score, you should try and play a realistic and balanced game. Try and have variety in your  style and don’t depend too much on a few particular moves.

LEVELING UP GUIDE

Pretty much all of the matches you play in MUT will grant you XP and will help you level up. You should also check out Solo Challenges and objectives as these remain a great way to earn lots of XP. Head over to the Campaign Preseason Section under Solo Challenges and you will be able to find a number of challenges and completing these will grant you XP. You will also earn packs of cards which will help you in your overall performance, and power packs which can help increase the stats of a particular card.

There are also the Daily Challenges which you should keep an eye out for as these will also grant you decent amounts of XP. There are also level caps in the game respective to the difficulty level, so you should always try and picka higher difficulty setting if you can handle it as you will then be able to gain higher  levels. Of course, you will also earn coins as you play the game which you can then spend on cards and training packs.

ULTIMATE TEAM GUIDE

Before you start off with Ultimate Team with your beloved team, you should know that picking a team also means you’re picking their particular playbook.  Later on, you will be able to unlock different  playbooks but it will take a fairly long time. So don’t just pick a team that you love, but also make sure that the team’s playbook is suitable with your style of playing the game.

You upgrade your players in Ultimate Team with a currency known as training. You can just sell off cards and items you don’t need to earn this currency. You can participate in Solo Battles and try to make it somewhere to the top of the ranks. The higher your rank, the better your  rewards will be. Additionally, at the beginning of the game you can have a PowerUp card, so you should ideally focus on a star player and you’ll also be able to level these up easily. Finally, don’t ignore the Daily Objectives as these will go a long way in helping you earn the rewards that you need.

Madden NFL 19 works fine for the most part on PC, but there are a few prominent issues in it which can sour your experience with the game. The most common issues players have encountered is a black screen that pops up all of a sudden. If you’ve been having  any problems running the game on PC, then this guide may help you out.

First, the specs:

Minimum Requirements: 

• CPU: Intel Core i3-4350, FX-4330, or equivalent
• CPU SPEED: Info
• RAM: 8 GB
• OS: Win 7/8/8.1/10 64bit
• VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 660, AMD Radeon RX 460
• FREE DISK SPACE: 48.5 GB

Recommended Requirements

• CPU: Intel Core i3-4350, FX-4330, or equivalent
• CPU SPEED: Info
• RAM: 8 GB
• OS: Win 7/8/8.1/10 64bit
• VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 670
• FREE DISK SPACE: 48.5 GB

Please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the system owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems that may arise or issues that may occur from trying the below. Always remember that official support is always the best support. 

GENERAL FIXES

Generally speaking, some basic troubleshooting tips should always help you resolve whatever issue you are facing with the PC version of any game. If you are running into problems, maybe first attempt the following steps, and if they don’t work out, look into some of the more specific fixes we have below.

• Make sure the drivers on your PC are updated
• If you have two GPUs, make sure you are using the discrete GPU instead of the integrated one
• Set Madden NFL 19’s priority to High in the Task Manager Turn off any background programs, including firewalls, chat clients, video recorders, and overlays
• Try lowering visual settings on the game to see if that improves game performance
• Make sure you have Windows updated before you attempt to play Madden NFL 19.

FREEZING ERROR

Some  players have reported that their game randomly freezes in the middle of a match. The solution to this is quite simple and all you have to do is disconnect any unnecessary USB device from your PC. Hopefully, this will resolve the issue for you.

“Dx11Renderer::tryMap” ERROR

If you encounter this error when trying  to launch the game, you can try reinstalling your GPU driver by opting  to do a clean install. If that doesn’t work, then try running DirectX from the game’s folder, and this should fix the issue for you.

STUCK AT BLACK SCREEN

Ideally once players change the game’s graphical settings or change from DirectX 11 to DirectX 12, then the game must restart. The problem is that it won’t restart and will instead be stuck at a black screen. You can fix the issue by either:

• Changing the graphical settings in the config file
• Or by deleting the file itself.

AUDIO STUTTERING

One prominent issue with the game that players have experienced is that the sound stutters randomly. This can be resolved by:

• Open up ‘Playback Devices’
• Navigate to the properties of the device you are using.
• Navigate to the Advanced tab and you will be able to see a bunch of options for bit depth and sample rate.
• You will just have to keep trying each one until one of them  fixes the problem.

MENU NOT SHOWING

You may encounter an error where you can’t see the menu once you start up the game. This issue can be fixed by clearing the Origin cache.

A Redistributable Package (DirectX) Was Not Installed Successfully

Some players have reported  that they encounter this error when trying to install the game but the installation ends up failing. You can fix the error message by going to the DirectX folder inside of the game folder . Here, delete all of the .CAB files and once you’ve done that, just repair the game via Origin and this should lead to the game being installed successfully.

Note: Given that the wide range of PC hardware out there, the fixes mentioned here may or may not work for you. But it’s worth giving them a shot since these have worked for players who own the PC version of Madden NFL 19.

In Madden NFL 19, we get to see where the stories of Colt Cruise and Devin Wade go next. While this story mode doesn’t really matter if you just want online competition, it’s still a great way to learn the game’s basics. This time around, Longshot will also feature a lot of gameplay as compared to what we had seen in Madden NFL 18’s version.

The first chapter of the story was critically acclaimed with the main feedback  from audiences being that they wanted more gameplay. If you’re one of those people who wanted more gameplay, then you will be happy to know that there is four times as much gameplay this time around.

Furthermore, the drama will also rise sky-hgih  as Devin Wade and Colt Cruise play for rival teams, but both characters will be playable. If you need any help with any section of this story mode, or if you just want to see what it looks like, check out the video walkthrough below.

The latest iteration in Electronic Arts’ Madden franchise, namely Madden NFL 19, became available on August 10th. Given the success of the franchise in the past, it should perhaps come as no surprise to hear that it had a “strong opening weekend”, according to the publisher. Perhaps an even bigger achievement is the fact that the series has sold over 130 million copies till date. John Madden Football was the first game in the series and released in 1988 for MS-DOS.

Specific sales for Madden NFL 19 haven’t been provided, but it’s insane to think of the series hitting that milestone. The next best comparison would have to be series like FIFA, The Sims and Need for Speed. Even more interesting is the fact that the Madden series passed 73 million installations on mobile devices. With Madden NFL Overdrive releasing on August 15th, that number could very well increase in a short time-span.

EA Sports executive Cam Weber issued a recent statement, saying, “It’s incredible how many people have enjoyed Madden NFL over the years, and the impact it’s had on not only teaching the sport of football but growing the love of it as well. Every year Madden NFL is the game that kicks off our season of EA Sports games, and it continues to be one of the titans of the game industry.”

You can check out GamingBolt’s review for Madden NFL 19 here to see how its new Longshot mode shakes out, among other new features.

That’s not necessarily a knock on the game however. It’s still going to be football, which is what you’re going into one of these games for in the first place. Madden 18 did an awful lot right with the game, and the modular gameplay options, snappy controls and the continuation of the Longshot mode introduced last year have all found a place within the new game. Having played several games with someone far more experienced in the series than I am, even finding the gameplay more responsive in general.

"While 19 adds a handful of new mechanics to the defence and offence …, the controls feel tighter as a whole on both sides."

While 19 adds a handful of new mechanics to the defence and offence that we’ll touch on in a moment, the controls feel tighter as a whole on both sides. Jukes, Stiff Arm and Hurdle maneuvers are more consistent to pull off, and changing your controlled player seems to more intelligently select the one you would want. New maneuvers have made their way in for further strategic options, and feel just as tight to pull off.

On the defensive side, the Strafe Burst allows a player to more deftly react to the ball-carrier, asking a bit of timing on the triggers to not take skill out of the equation. Meanwhile, as the ball-carrier you can more accurately control your direction at a moment’s notice and burst through an opening with One-Cut, or fake out the defence with a momentary stutter. These additions, particularly during PvP matches give a few extra layers to mind games and helps differentiate a game that otherwise looks and feels nearly identical to the last title.

The modularity of the game that I praised to highly back in Madden 18 returns in full force as well, and is still much appreciated as someone who still barely knows what a down is, and thinks a runningback should probably be looked at by a doctor. You get to decide what your Madden looks like, from an arcade experience that removes many of the penalty calls and injuries to give a lighter experience, all the way up to a hardcore simulation where a single mistimed flick of the stick could spell disaster. Madden 19 can be many things depending on who’s playing it in the moment, and that’s nothing but a good thing. 

"Devin’s and Colt’s problems rarely seem to intersect, and the game loses a bit in the loss of their dynamic."

The single-player Longshot from last year was great at telling a heartfelt story that gave players real consequences for their decisions, but much of the time didn’t include a lot of actual football. This year concludes the story of Devin and Colt, who didn’t quite hit the long shot odds of becoming NFL draftees. Now subtitled “Homecoming”, we pick up with Devin Wade struggling to make his mark as a Cowboys draftee and to stand out within the highly competitive world of the sport, while Colt is stuck back home, reminiscing about high school glory days and dealing with more personal problems. 

Longshot continues to feel a lot like a Telltale game, with similar story segments, animations and performance based branches in the story to last year. The continuation mostly feels natural, though a little stilted with the changed stakes. Devin’s and Colt’s problems rarely seem to intersect, and the game loses a bit in the loss of their dynamic. That’s not to say that each of their own stories isn’t engaging and kept my attention for far longer at a time than I had thought, but the conflict of Wade’s dreams against staying loyal to his friend drove much of the drama last year.

A conscious effort was made to bring more play to the mode, which back in the original Longshot would feel nearly Metal Gear like in how long it would drag the story on before you would be back to throwing some handegg. Objectives are also given to mix it up as well, such as needing to complete a drive with a certain player in order to recreate a scene. The early parts of the mode also manage to weave in decent tutorial elements without feeling too frustrating or out of place, which is appreciated. Longshot is probably still not what you’re coming to the game for, but it remains at worst, inoffensive. 

"the game still looks very visually clean with a readable UI, and about as photorealistic as current hardware is going to get. But hey, welcome to Madden."

Visually and audibly, it’s difficult to pin down any real differences over last years game either. As much as anything else, Madden 19 seems fairly happy to just build off of what came before just like in the rest of the game. It’s not a huge fault, per say, since the game still looks very visually clean with a readable UI, and about as photorealistic as current hardware is going to get. But hey, welcome to Madden. 

With the Madden gameplay and formula nailed down to such a tee over however many successive entries, and how much this title appears to be built directly off the old one, the one major knock I have against the game is just how unstable it seems. Reviewing on a PS4 Pro, I would experience several crashes and errors with some alarming level of frequency. It would consistently boot me out to a crash screen trying to access the Skills Trainer for example, while it happened only occasionally while loading into exhibition matches.

"Really, the best and worst thing I can say about this game is “Yep, it is in fact a Madden.”"

In game errors prevented me from accessing anything to do with MUT at all, leaving me unable to speak to the apparent Player Upgrades and Solo Battles introduced to the mode. As of the time of publishing, EA has not commented on whether this issues will be ironed out on day 1 with a patch, but time will eventually shore it up. In the meantime, it’s hard to forgive these kinds of oversights when you are the football game in town, and not even drastically different from the previous title.

You really don’t need me to tell you if you want Madden NFL 19. You already know from playing a previous title. Really, the best and worst thing I can say about this game is “Yep, it is in fact a Madden.”. Aside from some really strange, hard to forgive crashes for such an iterative series, the team has polished up the previous year’s game even further. Longshot isn’t worth writing home about, but probably also not why you’d consider the game anyways. Meanwhile, control being finer tuned and additional options for both offence and defence refine the gridiron game just that small increment further.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

If you want to play this year’s edition of Madden NFL, EA Sports’ long running American football simulation franchise, a bit early ahead of its launch, you’ll be happy to know that you can do that now- at least, if you game on PC or Xbox One, and if you are correspondingly subscribed to Origin Access or EA Access.

EA Access (and Origin Access) are Microsoft Game Pass style services (though they predate Game Pass by quite a bit), which offer you access to an ongoing catalog of EA games, as well as access to EA’s games for a limited, “trial” version a week or so ahead of launch. EA’s presumably had quite a bit of success with the model, because they’re doubling down on it with a more premium tier of the service announced at E3, and now available.

Back to Madden NFL 19, the game will offer a story mode that continues the narrative of the story mode in the first game, as well as requisite updates to the other modes and mechanics. It launches on August 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC (and will be the first game in the series to launch on PC in a decade, actually).