Madden NFL 15

Editor's Notes

360 version reviewed.

Introduction

Each year a handful of games standout across the different consoles with Madden usually being on the top of the list. After celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2013, EA Sports looks to piggyback on Madden 25 with a few tweaks and improvements being introduced to this year’s version. Defense appears an area of emphasis for what is already a solid foundation. Last year, EA Spots improved the offense and, following a defensive minded Super Bowl Champ, now turns their attention to the defense in the hopes of giving gamers a well-rounded and realistic experience.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

Before last year, 'Madden' could never have been considered a favorite of mine.  It almost seemed to be second or third choice, falling behind other addictions such as 'FIFA.'  But last year I found myself putting down other sports games in favor of this addicting football franchise.  'Madden NFL 15' continues this trend.  After a quick orientation on the changes from last year I was quickly hooked and began racking up wins online.  Even before learning the ins and outs of the game, I was looking forward to finally playing Madden with Johnny Football leading my team to glory (hey, what can I say, the dude was electric in college).

'Madden' is designed to cater to a wide ranging audience, from the casual gamer to the technical experts who purchase it every year. Loading up the game, the user is welcomed by crisp menu screens that are easy to navigate and give access to several of the game modes and areas to be discovered. While 'Madden' may be easy to pick up and play, becoming a pro can take some time. This is why the inclusion of the off season OTAs and training camp mode is crucial. The user now has an integrated reason to practice the drills and exercises that help refine the basic skills such as tackling and juking.  I spent a decent amount of time going through each section to pick up little tricks that might be able to give me an edge over my opponents.

Moving into actual gameplay, Madden emulates last year’s release, but with better cut-aways, camera angles and overall game flow. What really stood out after a few games was the inaccurate passes by the QBs, which made the game feel much more realistic than the normal high completeion ratio that I was used to in previous outings. I like seeing botched passes that aren’t extremely over or under thrown, I mean Tebow is out of the league for a reason.

On the defensive side, EA adds a tackling cone to aid players in making the correct choice and to help time your tackle just right.  This is definitely an upgrade over last year's game and in fact is an entirely new way of handling defensive football play. Previouse iterations in the series relegated defense to just spamming the sprint button and then hitting tackle when you get close.  Now with the cone and minigames, the entire process of shedding your blocks, reading the gaps, and working with your fellow lineman seems connected to your actions and not just the stats of your players. A similar concept has been given to kickers and punters to predict how accurate they will be.

Last but not least, the play-calling menu has also been upgraded with more options and a myriad of ways plays are organized and understood. A minor change yes, but hardcore 'Madden' players will make the most of it when picking the perfect play.

While many veteran 'Madden' players will dive right into the online modes, spending their time playing against their friends or someone else online, EA makes sure not to overlook the other features of the football title. Connected Franchise and Ultimate Team also receive some upgrades, but for me, still do not take demand a significant amount of time away from normal gameplay.