Author: Trafficblast

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.

• Game: Madden NFL 19
• Developer / Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Release date: August 10
• Price: 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]

The next RPG in the Persona franchise, titled Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, just received a new Japanese trailer (see below) that revealed plenty of new details. Casts from the past three mainline games are brought together in what appears to be a charming, yet mysterious adventure with cinema as the central motif. Cinematics and gameplay were shown off, as well as adorable chibi versions of Persona 5‘s Phantom Thieves to fit the Persona Q aesthetic.

Like the first Q spin-off game–with Rei and Zen–new characters are thrown into the mix. The currently unnamed character is shown standing in front of a theater screen and later falling from a building; there’s also shadow-like figure standing in a film room. During the brief gameplay clips in the trailer, you can see a party made up of the three main protagonists, Makoto Niijima, and Yukari Takeba. Afterward, you can see the Persona 3 protagonist casting a spell with a Persona 5-style graphical cut-in for effective attacks. A dialogue sequence also shows Ann Takamaki talking with Teddie and Yu Narukami, Caroline and Justine tripping over themselves, and Ann with Goro Akechi investigating the theater.

It seems there’s a misunderstanding as the Persona 4 and 5 main characters; they’re seen fighting each other hand-to-hand. Lastly, a wonderful surprise comes at the end of the trailer which shows the optional female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable.

The long-running franchise is known for its stellar character development and dynamic turn-based combat. As spin-offs of Shin Megami Tensei, Persona 3, 4, and 5 in particular merged elements of social simulation genre and traditional RPGs to create unique and powerful experiences. Persona Q adopts the dungeon-crawling exploration and modified turn-based combat style seen in the Etrian Odyssey franchise while staying true to the spirit of the core Persona games.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth launches in Japan on November 29, 2018 for Nintendo 3DS. Details on a localized version for the West has not yet been revealed. More information on the game will be given on August 6.

We consider Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth one of the best 3DS games available; it unites the Investigation Team and SEES for a challenging and charming RPG. We also awarded second place to Persona 5 in our best games of 2017 list. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Persona 4, be sure to read our retrospective feature in celebration of the game’s impact and legacy.

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Not only can you play as a good boy in this new title from Spooky Squid Games, you can help save some real good boys too. With each purchase of Russian Subway Dogs on PC and Mac until August 8, $1 will go to Save Our Scruffs, a charity dedicated to finding rescue dogs safe homes around the world.

From the team that brought They Bleed Pixels to life comes a new pixelated arcade game. In Russian Subway Dogs, you’ll play as one of man’s best friends just trying to live another day in the Moscow Metro, swiping food from Russian commuters.

In the game’s campaign, you’ll follow Proletaricat and her chaotic kittens in 100 levels inspired by real-world train stations. But in order to get those sweet treats, your good boy will have to dodge vodka, rival pups, and an elusive subway bear. If stories aren’t your jam, there’s also an endless mode complete with leaderboards.

You can wag your money at Russian Subway Dogs right now via Steam on PC and Mac for $15. During its launch week, you can snag a small bonus treat in the form of 10 percent off.

Patrick Stewart has announced that he will once again portray Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series. As reported by CNET, the announcement was made during a Star Trek convention being held at Las Vegas. Stewart later posted a lengthy statement on Twitter, saying that it is “an unexpected but delightful surprise” to be returning to the role.

“I will always be very proud to have been a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with Star Trek had run its natural course,” he said. “It is, therefore, an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Seeking out new life for him, when I thought that life was over.

“During these past years, it has been humbling to hear stories about how The Next Generation brought people comfort, saw them through difficult periods in their lives or how the example of Jean-Luc inspired so many to follow in his footsteps, pursuing science, exploration, and leadership,” he continued.

“I feel I’m ready to return to him for the same reason–to research and experience what comforting and reforming light he might shine on these often very dark times. I look forward to working with our brilliant creative team as we endeavor to bring a fresh, unexpected, and pertinent story to life once more.”

According to the Star Trek: Discovery Twitter account, the new show “tells the story of the next chapter in Picard’s life.” In June Alex Kurtzman, who has worked on recent Star Trek movies and TV show Star Trek: Discovery, signed a five-year deal with CBS Television Studios to release several new Star Trek shows. The series focused on Picard is the first to be confirmed since that announcement, and the show will air on CBS All Access.

Disclosure: CBS is GameSpot’s parent company.