Madden 17: Is It Ready to Hit The Gridiron

August 25, 2016 0

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With summer coming to an end, and school starting back up there is always one positive aspect that will cheer you up; a new Madden title is released. Providing new display gameplay mechanics, updated presentation, and changes fan favorite game modes Madden 17 offers a lot to die hard players and those trying Madden for the first time. The question is whether or not this year’s Madden will continue the success of the prior year’s Madden, or will it fumble?

The Madden has seen positive feedback in past years’ games, and this year continues the trend with numerous changes to the way you play. While last year Madden focused on providing advancements to the passing game, which make a return this year, Madden 17 focuses on the rushing game. With Madden’s new Ball Carrier control, the rushing game gains a lot more depth not seen before. Giving the rushing game special moves based on the players rating, you have more options in terms of how you make it to the end zone. With new ball carrier path assist, you can now see the project route of the runner allowing you to find the holes in the defense. Speaking of defense, Madden 17 has made massive improvements in the defensive AI to counter the offensive mechanics. The defense will fill gaps like never before, auto-align to properly cover the offense, and even block field goal kicks; the latter happening a little too much though.

More options that ever before on the offense.

On top of the gameplay mechanics seeing updates, Franchise mode has seen numerous upgrades changing the way you run your team. From setting season goals, to lingering injuries you are tested with season altering decisions that can make or break you. The biggest addition to franchise mode is the new Play the Moment feature. To allow you to complete more in less time, Play the Moment lets you simulate the franchise game, allowing you to play the crucial moments of the game such as 3^rd down plays or when the other team is in the end zone. This feature does save a lot of time, cutting game time down to under 30 mins, but from my experience the play the moment feature was only showing up when the other team was about to score. Though a nice addition it is one that you have to be careful with, or you franchise could end up with an L.

While Madden 17 focuses on changes to the gameplay, the display also sees some enhancements. Ditching Phil Simms and Jim Nantz, Madden 17 brings Brandon Gaudin as the new play-by-play commentator and Charles Davis as the analyst. Providing a more natural and entertaining commentating already gives this new commentary team an edge over prior Madden titles, but adding in ongoing updates to keep the commentary relevant by bringing up current events goes a long way. Besides that, the presentation looks almost identical to last year’s installment; but it’s clean and easy to navigate so we can’t complain. We can only hope EA cut’s the load time in half next year because they tend to be rather lengthy.

Madden 17 is a solid installment in the franchise bringing more than enough new content to stand out. The inclusion of new ways to play mixed with the new commentary team makes this year’s Madden feel fresh even with the few bugs the game has. If you’re looking to fulfill your need for some football Madden 17 is just what you need.