Few things I am looking forward to in Madden 16 - bigdooky15's Blog

bigdooky15's Blog

Few things I am looking forward to in Madden 16

Posted on August 12, 2015 at 02:52 PM.

With the impending release of Madden NFL 16, sports gamers everywhere are all aboard the "Madden HYPE Train" as more and more details, features, screenshots, and videos are revealed. But, there a few things in particular I am looking forward to come release day.

Enhanced WR/DB Interactions

The most obvious addition that you will notice this year will be the numerous animations and interactions the Receivers and Defensive Backs have with each other. From fighting for position at the line of scrimmage to playing for the ball forty yards down the field, this year's passing game will actually feel dependent on the receiver's skills as well as the quarterback.

Along with the addition of how you can play the ball while in the air, such as an Aggressive catch or Go for INT on defense, this helps the WR/DB matchup become a small chess match every passing down. It's pretty much safe to say that this is the number one thing a lot of Madden fans are looking forward to this year, since it has been a long-requested feature for many years.

Gang Tackling makes a return!

For years, hardcore Madden fans have been wondering what happened to the special gang tackles that would occur in-game. After basically disappearing once physics were introduced in Madden 13, Gang Tackling is making a triumphant return. From footage I've seen hands-on, along with the various E3 videos posted, Gang Tackling couldn't have looked more organic and lifelike. It is completely momentum-based, if your safety is zeroing in downfield at full speed to help your cornerback finish a tackle on the running back; expect a big hit to bring him down.

My personal favorite part of this feature is now when the pile is going down, no longer will players coming toward it stumble awkwardly to the ground like in Madden 15. Those same players will dive toward the pile to get a last minute hit. Just a small detail that adds to the immersion.

Presentation changes, or the lack thereof...

After the presentation deep dive was finally revealed, many fans, including myself, were a bit underwhelmed at the changes made. But nonetheless, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The 'On The Field Cameras' is definitely a nice touch; one example of this is when scoring a touchdown the endzone cameraman can sometimes be seen moving around and film the celebrating player. Probably the most obvious visual difference players will notice are the monoliths that drop in on the field. Showing various stats (and sometimes advertisments), the 3D structures give a sort FOX Presentation feel which feels organic to the game as players on the field walk around it.

Living Worlds is there but nothing near as what was promised a few years back. Crowds have improved slightly, but sidelines remain the same as previous Maddens featuring the same number of generic player faces. As mentioned before the steadicam operator is a nice touch, as well as the team-specific audio chants and themes which I felt disappeared for some teams the past few years.

Commentary still feels the same, which I know some people will absolutely hate, with comparisons to other sports titles such as NBA 2K and FIFA, Nantz and Simms just feel robotic at times. I believe their contract has them on Madden for a few more years so this should be better implemented and fixed rather than abandoning them until the next commentary duo is introduced in the next 3-5 years.

Sidenote for Presentation: Most OS Users know me from the Uniform Error thread, so in regards to the uniforms this year: Kane has done an amazing job of fixing most of the uniforms errors that were forgotten last year. Although there may be a few errors here or there, he has done an excellent job of what he was given with. Some things are out of his power so please don't take the leftover errors out on him since he has no control over some of those things.

These were just a few things I wanted to talk about that I am looking forward to come August 25th. The hype can be heard 'round the world and I am just more than excited that football is finally back. This is also my first blog write up on OS so I'm looking forward to talking about more and more things that interest me in sports gaming. If you took the time to read this, thank you and if you have any opinions or criticisms about what I said, feel free to let me know!

Keep Calm, it's almost Madden Season.