Madden 19 Review: 5 Ups & 2 Downs

1. Franchise Mode's Depth

As decent as Longshot: Homecoming is, and as fun as tinkering around online in Ultimate Team can be, there's a unique joy to be derived from picking a true-to-life NFL team and guiding them towards Super Bowl glory. Franchise Mode, complete with different roles to play as, is football bliss.

From the off, you'll be able to choose from playing as a coach, individual player or the owner of a franchise. In the latter, day-to-day business decisions are the main task, and it'd be remiss not to note that on-the-field gameplay is clearly secondary here. If you want more of that, go for the first two options.

Particularly coach.

There, the depth of Franchise comes to the fore. Whether playing with actual NFL rosters or drafting fantasy ones (because why not see what kind of catches the Giants' Odell Beckham Jr could make if Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers was throwing for him?), there's so much to see and do beyond the actual game days.

Trades have been simplified by in-game suggestions that plug gaps in your roster, and it's relatively easy to get up to speed on where experience points should be spent. Perhaps the mode's main charm is that it doesn't take longer than a few regular season games to lose track of time, and you'll spend more hours in menus than at first glance.

What have you made of Madden 19 so far? Is it a significant enough improvement over 18? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!