MADDEN NFL 1

Lead gameplay designer Clint Oldenburg enjoyed a four-year NFL career spanning six professional teams

PUBLISHER EA / DEVELOPER EA TIBURON / FORMAT XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £54.99

Madden NFL 19

A SPORTS SIM FIT FOR ANY GIVEN SUNDAY BEN WILSON

In recent years EA’s once-dominant gridiron series has turned itself into a videogame imitation of the San Francisco 49ers: consistently inconsistent, and seemingly happy to live off past glories. Madden 19, however, sees an evident shift in developer ambition – one which doesn’t drastically change its fortunes for the current season, but puts in groundwork which should bear fruit down the line.

Take franchise mode. In the early 2000s no contemporary could touch Madden for the sense that you were in charge of a real NFL roster, responsible of the draft, trading, and strategies which would take you to Super Bowl glory. The intervening years have seen it become a mess of convoluted, half-baked ideas, but it’s recaptured its mojo by focusing on a handful of fresh concepts delivered well, rather than a throw-everythingand-see-what-sticks approach.

Take the draft: a critical element of every NFL season, as the best college players are selected to turn pro. It’s transformed in the build-up by the ability to edit and import draft classes, enabling you to have authentic college prospects in the game, or turn yourself into a plucky, musclebound rookie. And for the event itself, all picks are broadcast on a big screen in a venue that’s the spitting image of the real-life version.

Also critical to franchise mode’s brilliance is the addition of situational depth charts – so you can now specify a third-down running back short cut

WHAT IS IT?

The official game of the National Football League, produced by EA since 1993. WHAT’S IT LIKE?

Full of licensed bells and whistles, with a few neat surprises - such as the excellent Longshot: Homecoming. WHO’S IT FOR?

Both ardent and casual fans, with myriad options enabling you to switch between ‘sim’ and ‘arcade’.

LEFT AI decision-making is improved, making for competitive matches in franchise; although its two-minute-drill offense remains patchy.

“The best feature is its story mode Lon shot : Homecomin ”

or slot cornerback – and a ‘team fits’ mechanic, where players who naturally suit your offensive or defensive systems score an attributes boost. Yet none of that would matter if the onpitch action eschewed realism or fun. Thankfully, new Madden demonstrates strides in both areas.

A revised physics model, for instance, sees players turn and foot-plant more realistically, and adjust contextually to what’s going on around them – so run your halfback close to an offensive guard and he might lean on that team-mate’s shoulder for leverage. It all looks much more realistic, but sadly doesn’t always feel it: too often receivers are so focused on the ball they lose track of the sidelines and complete a catch out of bounds, and certain tackle animations lack the heft of past years. Generally, though, it’s an upgrade. Cruise control

Madden 19’s best feature is its story mode, Longshot: Homecoming. The sequel to 18’s tale of fictional upstarts Devin Wade and Colt Cruise, it again centres on those two characters but swaps dialogue choices for a more linear, cinematic experience. That received criticism in previews but actually makes for a speedier narrative, where last year’s felt drawn out for the sake of it. Maturely written and heartfelt – it even features the death of a key character – its five hour mix of cutscenes and onfield action trumps everything FIFA equivalent The Journey has offered so far.

That whisper of Madden’s soccerball stablemate is timely because to our eyes, FIFA and NBA 2K are the sports sims to beat in the current climate. Madden still falls short of both – partly because its take on Ultimate Team feels even more payto-win than FIFA’s, mostly because its presentation lacks those games’ polish – but there’s no question it’s moving in the right direction. Much like a certain scarlet-and-gold squadron from Santa Clara, past glories may finally be realised come 2019.

OXM VERDICT

EA’s touchdown sim gets plenty right, and leaves behind some fallow seasons.