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Madden NFL 17 Review

The calendar has flipped to August, which means it’s time to renew the gaming subscription that is Madden NFL Football. Madden is the singular football experience many gamers yearn for year in and year out. Not to mention, gamers get excited because each new iteration promises bigger and better things. Although, it doesn’t always deliver on that. Madden NFL 17 looks to place its name on top of the football gaming mountain with its new additions and extra features. If it doesn’t keep you coming back to collect virtual cards, Madden NFL 17 hopes to keep gamers around with all of the variety as well.  However, I believe the best change is in a place you never expect. It is truly something I’ve been wanting in a sports game for a long time.

Madden NFL 17 Review

Madden NFL 17 box art

Title: Madden NFL 17
Platform: PS4 [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Football Simulation
Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Players: 1-4 (Local) (1-8 Online)
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Price: $59.99

The Dramatic Opening

Drama and emotion are two things Madden NFL 17 strives to deliver this year. The best thing is, you don’t have to wait too long to see it.  The opening gameplay begins with a NFL Films style presentation of a Wild Card playoff game. It’s the Washington Redskins against the Los Angeles Rams.

The focus is on Rams rookie quarterback, Jared Goff. Goff led his team all the way to the playoffs in their first year back in Los Angeles.  It begins with the Redskins having their game clinching field goal blocked, even featuring the crazy coaching fad of icing the kicker.  The gamer is put in control of Goff and the Rams as you try to guide them to a comeback win. You have to complete a 62 yard drive with just three minutes left, and then follow it up with a two-point conversion to move on to the next round.

Jared Goff

Past Moments

The way the entire sequence is shot is what’s so impressive.  It shows everything from conversations on the sidelines, to the team psyching themselves up to get the big stop. As a result, this makes the final drive feel much more impactful.  Certainly, it creates the tension that a close playoff game always has.  It allows the player to get lost in the moment.  Unfortunately, this is the only time this happens.  I remember old versions of Madden where you could complete multiple scenarios that happened in the past.  They would ask you to either recreate past moments, or rewrite history. Hopefully, There is more of this down the pipeline, it would really add another great mode to the game.

New Voices on Commentary

Keeping with the production theme, is the change in the booth. Many veteran Madden players should instantly notice that Phil Simms and Jim Nantz have stepped down. Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis take their place, and do a wonderful job. I welcome this, as hearing the same voices each and every year gets old fast. This forces the developers to record new lines and helps make the commentary feel fresh. EA Sports even took it a step further this year, by seemingly having Gaudin and Davis record new dialogue for each week of a season.  That means if Eddie Lacy has a monster game on Sunday, you will hear them talk about it next week.  Normally, I turn the commentary down and listen to something else playing sports games. However, the change in audio play-calling had me paying attention to what was being said.

Madden, Cam Newton

It’s all in the Presentation

Another change this year, is the focus on more of a television broadcast feel. Players have more camera angles and stats available to them this time around. The camera angles can be easily adjusted before each play as well. So, if you wanted to zoom-in for a run, or pull back to see the whole field, it only takes the press of a button. The graphics truly help give the game a real-life feel to the atmosphere in the stadium. The experience feels very immersive with all of the movement on the sidelines and in the stands.

The New Features

Plenty of features are available for your football needs this season.  Two of the bigger changes affect Franchise Mode and the Ultimate Team Mode.  In Franchise, you can now play a special simulation mode where you only take control during crucial moments of a game.  Allowing you to still have a say in what happens, but giving players the freedom to decide when to get involved. This way, gamers can experience all of the details added to franchise mode. Since more focus has been put on off-the-field game planning.

The new addition to Ultimate Team is a mode called Draft Champions. Draft Champions works pretty much like a draft in card form. You are given a basic team and players have three different cards to choose from in each round. Ultimately, this is meant to be a way for players to quickly setup a team and start playing right away.  The strategy comes from trying to decide which positions to focus on first. Especially, since there always seems to be a better card available in later rounds.

Madden NFL 17 Review

Gameplay Changes

The key changes to game modes in Madden NFL 17 aim at streamlining the overall experience. There’s a major focus on giving players opportunities to get right into the action. While also providing multiple ways of play, which keeps it from feeling stale. On-the-field, Madden NFL 17 is the best in the series. Furthermore, players can make better cuts, fit through gaps and power through a tackle with ease. The action is fast paced and could possibly overwhelm new players. Thankfully, difficulty levels and the speed of play can both be changed in the options menu. The Defensive AI seems to have been fine tuned. I noticed there are way less times where AI players are missing assignments.

Some Slight Gripes

The only issues I have are based on how the RNG works periodically on the catches.  Many times, you will see the same receiver drop an open pass on one play, and then make a one handed catch in double coverage on the next.  This obviously can happen in a real game, but it’s just a little frustrating how often this happens in Madden.  The other issue I have, is with how bouncy the football feels at times.  Passes batted in the air seem to go much farther than they used to. This puts a greater emphasis on making smarter passes and not trying to fit it into tight spaces.  I’m not saying these gripes need to be fixed, it just takes a bit getting used to. Both of these things actually add to the randomness of a real game. Perhaps, they are a bit cumbersome in Madden.

tyler-eifert

Pros:

New commentary updates make the game feel fresh

Great atmosphere

Opening cinematic and tutorial game is very well done

Cons:

Still not enough different to warrant $60 price tag

Catches seem fluky at times

Game modes don’t give much variety once the actual football game starts

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 Madden is an improved football experience in comparison to last year.  Yet, I do feel Madden could use more story experiences like the opening Redskins/Rams situation. Certainly, this would help make it feel worth the $60 price tag.  Madden NFL 17 is one of the best Madden games in years. Whether you are a yearly subscriber, or a every two or three year purchaser, you will not be disappointed with Madden NFL 17.

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