The tail end of summer is here and autumn is on its way, and that can only mean football is back. Likewise, video game football is back, as EA's annual addition to the Madden franchise helps kick off both the football season and the busy release season for new games. Madden NFL 19 is coming next week, and reviews are already rolling in.

　　The consensus is that this year's Madden is an iterative improvement on last year's installment. Reviews run the gamut from the strongest franchise entry in years to a solid but unspectacular sequel, but all seem to agree it's dependable for some gridiron action. Our Madden NFL 19 review in progress praised the wealth of Ultimate Team activities and more precise control, but found that some changes to Longshot and Franchise XP may irk longtime fans. Read on for a variety of critical responses, and check out GameSpot's sister site Metacritic for even more reviews.

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　　Now Playing: Madden NFL 19 Early Access PC Gameplay Live

　　Game: Madden NFL 19Developer / Publisher: Electronic ArtsPlatforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneRelease date: August 10Price: US $60 / £60 / AU $69

GameSpot (Review in Progress) -- 8/10

"Madden 19 is an excellent football game that improves on last year's entry in almost every way. There are problems, but there has never been a football game that more authentically represents the NFL than this in terms of presentation, controls, and depth. Madden 19 servers go live on August 10, and GameSpot's final review will be published after we've thoroughly tested their stability." -- Eddie Makuch [Full review]

　　

GamesRadar -- 9/10

"Despite a few niggling issues, Madden 19 is going to be a game you'll be playing well into the Super Bowl and beyond. It effortlessly makes its way onto the series' Mount Rushmore; every swaggering step and ankle-breaking shimmy all the more reason to want to return and replay a game at the peak of its powers on the pitch. Madden has never been better in terms of cleats-on-the-ground nitty-gritty gameplay. Its periphery content, such as Longshot: Homecoming, shouldn't be overlooked, either. Care and attention has been poured into the game from opening coin toss to final whistle--and you're going to love every minute of it." -- Bradley Russell [Full review]

　　

IGN -- 8.9/10

"Madden 19 returns the primary focus where it belongs: that moment-to-moment gameplay between the end zones. It's only true stumbling point is the lackluster story mode that fails to recapture the magic of the first, but that's entirely offset by the new player handling that once again leverages the power of the Frostbite engine. Most importantly, 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." -- Dustin Toms [Full review]

　　

Digital Trends -- 8/10

"Madden NFL 19 offers an accessible Ultimate Team mode, a welcome player progression change, and minor gameplay tweaks that make the game ever so slightly more realistic. Longshot: Homecoming, however, is an unmitigated disaster." -- Steven Petite [Full review]

　　

Game Informer -- 8/10

"Madden 19 doesn’t have earth-shattering features that draw me in. Some new features don't shake out how I hoped they might, and other problems haven't been fixed. But I'm still going to spend hours with this title for the way it captures the sport and puts me in the center of it with some fantastic gameplay moments. Like when the real life team you root for loses in the playoffs, you rue the mistakes but smile at the victories that got them there. Being a video game sports fan and a fan of real-life sports is no different. Sometimes things don't always go the way you think they might, but if you can't find joy in being a part of it all, then perhaps you need to find something else to invest your time into." -- Matthew Kato [Full review]

　　

USGamer -- 3.5/5

"Madden 19 is a solid, if occasionally ragged, follow-up to last year's big transition to Frostbite. The improvements to the animation and franchise mode stand out, but Longshot: Homecoming feels like a step back from last year's ambitious introduction. The multitude of interesting but mostly subtle updates ultimately make this an entry that is primarily geared toward hardcore fans of the series." -- Kat Bailey [Full review]