I’ve got a lot to thank the Madden NFL franchise for. My first copy of it was the 2002 edition, featuring Daunte Culpepper as cover star, Kerry Collins as quarterback for my now beloved New York Giants and a host of other athletes now labelled ‘vintage’. It was the perfect way to learn and appreciate the complex rules inherent to American football and it sparked an appreciation of the sport that has only grown stronger over the years.

Such is my respect for it, and because Madden enjoys a monopoly over digital editions of the sport, I expect a lot from each annual release. It’s a little disappointing, then, that this year’s edition, Madden NFL 19, adopts a feeling of conservatism; setting out not to lose as opposed to doing everything it can to win.

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