For the past two and a half decades, the Madden franchise has mostly dominated the virtual sports world, overcoming such competitors as Sony’s NFL Gameday and 2K Sports’ NFL 2K franchise to become the dominant champ, year after year. To celebrate the legacy of the franchise, EA Sports is ready to deliver Madden NFL 25 to store shelves next week – and it’s a whole lot more than just another number on the box.
Many improvements have been made to the overall game, mainly with its flow, because of EA Tiburon’s new Infinity Engine 2 technology, which makes the football action more realistic than ever before. Now, when players juke, you actually see all the motion that goes into dodging an incoming player and stepping forward to continue the run, or trying to gain enough momentum to get past a few defenders for that all-important first down. It’s not just a technical upgrade – you can actually feel it with the way you perform, both offensively and defensively.
A number of the “power” moves from previous years return, taking full advantage of this technology. The Truck Stick, Hit Stick, dive tackle and more are at your fingertips, and it’s up to you to decide which offensive and defensive move you’ll want to use for each play. You’ll want to think wisely, too – not every team will fall for your tactics, especially if it’s a championship caliber team like the Baltimore Ravens.
Madden NFL 25’s running game has also undergone some heavy improvements, as there are over 30 new moves that you can use to try and gain some yardage, as well as the option to string them together. Now you can put together a spin move on one defensive player, then use a stiff arm to hold off the other as you make a dash for the end zone. Practice makes perfect, but the more you learn about the offensive running game, the better chance you’ll have of tacking six points on the board.
A precision modifier also comes into play, and you can tweak just how well these moves come off. Whether you prefer to go for a quick, hard spin around an incoming defender or a well-timed leap over someone trying to grab your feet from behind, all of these moves can be tweaked so that you get the most performance out of them.
If you’re more of a passing guy, you’ll like the small but necessary changes to passing. You’ve still got your targets clearly marked with button icons, but now you’ll see passing lanes offer a bit more leeway than before, so the opposing team doesn’t always have some sort of play for the ball. Granted, your QB could still make a mistake, so make sure your receiver is wide open before you go passing a bullet across the field.
Fans of the classic kicking system, which utilizes the analog stick for quick downward-then-upward motions, will be happy to know it’s still intact in Madden NFL 25. It works very accurately, even reading just which direction you push the analog stick, in case you want the ball to sail to the left, the right, or even out-of-bounds.
Those of you seeking a more intricate “guide your team to victory” sort of game will be thrilled with the new Connected Franchise feature. This ties directly in with the new Owner Mode, where you balance everything to make your team a successful one, from the stadium to keeping the fans happy to getting on the right page – literally – with your marketing. You’ll manage day-to-day stuff with your current team, and even have the option of creating something new if you feel something isn’t working properly.
If managing isn’t your thing, you can still guide a player’s career to glory days, while at the same time earning experience points through practice drills and within games, improving certain aspects and helping them perform better all around. The more your player changes, the better his teammates will become as well, either motivated by an increase in performance, or upset over making too many mistakes. Remember to keep your team in mind, and don’t develop too much of a “crazy ego.”
Being a coach plays a big part in Madden NFL 25 as well, as you manage your team, make key trades to help them improve, and follow up with the media to see how you’re faring in terms of public view. You’ll also see Fantasy Football recommendations, for those avid players who can’t get enough.
We’ll have helpful tips throughout next week to help you get more into your Madden NFL 25 experience. Make sure you bring your A-game, though – some of these teams put up quite a fight.
Madden NFL 25 ships on August 27th for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and later in the year for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
