Madden 19: Cover, Player Ratings, Roster Info and Modes Preview

Madden Season has returned.

Gridiron gamers are either counting the hours until release day (August 10) or enjoying the early access afforded by their Hall of Fame editions (August 7).

Wide receivers seem to be the headliners this year, with the position claiming the covers of each version.

Antonio Brown gets the regular game:

And Hall of Famer Terrell Owens naturally gets top billing for the Hall of Fame game:

Another iteration of Madden means a brand new set of player ratings, a fresh batch of rookies and several gameplay enhancements.

While we'll dive into the game modes and new features a little later, let's start by running through the 28 players rated 95 or higher for launch day.

The 95-And-Up Club

• Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots, 99
• Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, 99
• Aaron Donald, RE, Los Angeles Rams, 99
• Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots, 99
• Luke Kuechly, MLB, Carolina Panthers, 99
• Von Miller, LOLB, Denver Broncos, 99
• Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers, 99
• Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons, 98
• Khalil Mack, LE, Oakland Raiders, 98
• J.J. Watt, LE, Houston Texas, 98
• David Bakhtiari, LT, Green Bay Packers, 97
• Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars, 97
• Harrison Smith, FS, Minnesota Vikings, 97
• Bobby Wagner, MLB, Seattle Seahawks, 97
• Le'Veon Bell, HB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 96
• Eric Berry, SS, Kansas City Chiefs, 96
• Travis Frederick, C, Dallas Cowboys, 96
• Sean Lee, ROLB, Dallas Cowboys, 96
• Zack Martin, RG, Dallas Cowboys, 96
• Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants, 95
• Lavonte David, ROLB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 95
• David DeCastro, RG, Pittsburgh Steelers, 95
• Damon Harrison Sr., DT, New York Giants 95
• Rodney Hudson, C, Oakland Raiders, 95
• Earl Thomas III, FS, Seattle Seahawks, 95
• Cameron Jordan, LE, New Orleans Saints, 95
• Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs, 95
• Tyron Smith, LT, Dallas Cowboys, 95

There are no major surprises in here, so we'll instead just give two quick thoughts.

Sorry, Patriots and Steelers fans, but picking your favorite team will again equate to cheating. Brady and Gronkowski are the only 99-rated teammates, and their connection will surely reflect that. As in real life, Brown and Bell are an absurd pair of skilled players, plus Pittsburgh has an elite blocker in DeCastro.

Speaking of offensive linemen, any gamers who struggle with quick decision-making as passers should probably make the Cowboys their default team. While quarterback Dak Prescott isn't elite (82 overall), he doesn't need to be with Frederick, Martin and Smith all keeping the backfield obstacle-free.

Ultimate Team Additions

Part card-collecting, part roster management, part gridiron action and all the way awesome, Madden Ultimate Team is back with improvements that should only strengthen what was arguably already the best part of the game.

There are Solo Battles for virtual footballers who prefer battling the CPU. Each week will have 13 full-game challengers, with gamers competing for the highest "battle score." Wins, stats and difficulty all factor into the score, which equates to one of 14 reward tiers up for grabs.

Continuing with the theme of CPU collisions, there are also Squad Challenges for three gamers to face the CPU together and earn rewards for weekly challenges. This should be a good way for players to practice together before facing live opponents, all while being rewarded for those tune-ups.

The player upgrade system has been overhauled, which should make it a more streamlined process. A handful of new position designations have also been added—like slot cornerback and power half back—to make it easier for gamers to have their preferred personnel on the field in specific packages.

Connected Franchise Updates

Connected Franchise Mode shifts gamers between the front office, the sidelines and the field as they take complete control of an organization. Since the on-field stuff is mostly the same as any mode, let's focus on the new off-field goodies.

The importance of fitting players into coaching schemes has been increased, so developers have broken players down into positional archetypes. Each spot has two to four styles, with quarterbacks being designated as either field general, scrambler, strong arm or West Coast. Ideally, teams will have as many stylistic fits with their head coach as possible to maximize everyone's impact.

Those who've been asking for this next addition will say we're burying the lede, but yes, what you've heard is true. Gamers can finally create draft classes and share them with the Madden community. This potentially increases the game's playability, as players will surely assemble realistic versions of the next several draft classes for everyone to keep their franchises moving.

The new position designations are also seen here, along with 11 fresh rating categories to give greater depth to the archetype system. Among the additions are new break tackle and break sack ratings.

Real Player Motion Technology

Already seen in other EA Sports titles, Real Player Motion will make its Madden debut this year. The hope is this technology not only gives gamers more control, it also moves their virtual players in more authentic manners.

Momentum will play an even bigger role in movement, as indicated when former NFL lineman and current gameplay design team member Clint Oldenburg explained the Locomotion system for EA.com:

"The new Locomotion system delivers the precision of making sharp cuts vs. rounded turns based on button inputs. Want to make a sharp cut up the field before stepping out of bounds near the sideline? Let go of the RT/R2 Acceleration Burst and move the LS in the desired direction to cut sharply on a dime. Want to run at full speed, making minor movements to avoid losing momentum? Hold down the RT/R2 Acceleration Burst to carve through the defense."

Masters of changing both speeds and directions should keep the Madden highlight reels rolling this year.

Specific moves have also been implemented as part of the Real Player Motion system. One-cut changes of direction, strafe bursts and pushing the pile are all new options at gamer's disposal. In addition, the technology allows players to chain multiple moves together with smooth transitions between them.

And to save the best for last, gamers can now choose how to celebrate touchdowns, sacks or safeties by using the right stick. As a testament to the game's authenticity, Oldenburg reveals the game developers spent "dozens of hours watching film" to capture every detail of the NFL's most popular happy dances.

Unless otherwise noted, information obtained via EASports.com.