Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

[Armor and Sword]

First Impressions from a pioneer console sports gamer.

Pioneer you say? Yes. I played Atari 2600 football. Yeah you know the one with three guys moving in unison kicking and throwing a square ball. And then we got Intellivision NFL Football. We were talking about a play book on your game pad!!

Well you know the drill. I have been playing console sports games since Pong. So I have played and seen it all in regards to the virtual gridiron. 1991 was when I first played John Madden Football on the Sega Genesis and it has been quite the journey with this series ever since. From incredible high's like Madden 93, Madden 99 and Madden 2005 to incredible lows like Madden 97, Madden 2006 (360/PS3) and Madden 13 (yes I consider that a low overall but a necessary one) to now Madden 15 on the new generation of consoles.

I was not going to take the leap till next summer. I am a Show junkie and was waiting for a true next gen version of the game as this years was a very solid and polished port. But then the videos started coming out and what I was seeing was the makings of a truly great football game. My video game sickness started kicking in to overdrive. Can this be the Madden I have always wanted but never got since the PS2 days? A focus on defense, something that seemed to get lost in translation after the glorious and ground breaking Madden 2005.

I have always loved playing Maddens brand of video game football. Is it the most sim? Oh no of course not we know that. But is it a lot of fun? Yes. When they get it right (and they have several times in the past) they get it right. You have to approach Madden knowing a few things going in. It is a game made for the masses in mind. It is a game that is rich in modes (CFM, MUT, Online CFM etc). But something was different with this next gen Madden. It seems like they really focused on the AI. And that to me is the biggest key and greatest success of this years game.

You better understand real football strategy if you want to win against the CPU and against a Sim minded human opponent. You gotta understand there are many different "Madden" players.

1. Sim approach players offline solo CFM - guys/gals looking to try and emulate what you see on Sunday with playcalling, stats and just a real table top (Strato-matic/Statis Pro) approach to sports video gaming.

2. Arcade approach - Hey...this is when your buddy comes over and your trash talking all over the place and your going full tilt to win. It's fun, furious and Madden allows you that flexability to do just that.

3. Online CFM Leagues - Madden has a great online league set-up IMO. probably the best next to NHL's EASHL (which NHL players will see again i am sure on the new gen consoles).


Madden player number 1 has felt like the wicked step child for a while now. It was not until Madden 12 that a light started to shine. But that game IMO fell so flat on the field. In my opinion it is overrated because of the offline love in it's customization features, but the sterile and awful presentation, and lifeless and souless interface for franchise made the game....feel stale within one year for me personally. Madden 25 was a good attempt to get the offline player engaged again. It certainly did that for me. It was the first Madden I had a total blast playing in 10 years. Well the team that started this new journey on Madden 13, cleaned up on 25 has now brought us what I feel is the best version of Madden football ever.

From the moment you slip the disc into the console and get into the introduction....you knew something different was taking place. We are talking about a huge presentation revamp. This is NFL broadcast quality football. Visually Madden 15 is a stunning game. Easily the best looking football game ever made to date bar none. Audio has been revamped as well. Crowd swells have come to life. The timing of those crowd swells has been tuned and now it feels like your in an NFL stadium. I dare you to crank up your 7.1 and let the sounds of Madden reverberate in your game room. It is pretty awesome.

So audio and visual upgrades are very prominent and jump right off the screen and speakers immediately.

But what about the gameplay stupid!!!


Gameplay - For the first time since Madden 10 but to a much higher degree and with far more quality players look and feel as real as they ever have. Players have momentum and weight. The difference between a RB like LeSean McCoy and bowling ball Giants rookie Andre Williams are clearly felt and seen on Madden 15. With McCoy you have speed and shakes while with Andre Williams your a wrecking ball without much wiggle. WR's like Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson are physical and can snatch balls out of the sky but then you play with Randal Cobb or Mike Wallace and you get fast agile post runners with deadly sprinters speed after the catch. Gameplay for the most part feels smooth, intuitive and more lifelike than any football game I have ever played before it by far. The lead passing system works really really well and with adjusted QB Accuracy sliders I can say with a lot of certainty pass inaccuracies are in. Knowing your QB's strengths and weakness's is vital in how much or little you will use certain trajectories. By using the full arsenal of pass trajectories you open up a world of animations for the WR's as well as open the door to a more life like sim of QB's having either a great or bad day. And the new player confidence will play into the hands of QB Accuracy.

Tackling and physics - The Ignite engine has taken the next step with Madden 15. I have seen some glorious 4-5 man pile ups, some consecutive hits and stumbles (again I have adjusted my sliders on All-Pro and am working on a sim set) some crushing hits, some big whiff's etc. The new tackling controls and cone are great great additions and makes tackling a mini game in of itself. The new DL controls are also fantastic and are another layer of a game within a game. Playing defense has never been better on any video football game ever made than on Madden 15. I did have to tone down the sacks (simply by finding a sweet spot with CPU and Human pass blocking) but gone are the days of your LE getting all the sacks. Now they come from all over the place. And if you think rushing 4 will net you sacks on a regular basis...think again. You will have to take some calculated chances. The physics still have some wonky animations here and there, but are really good this year overall. YOu can see how this game has really evolved from Madden 13 to Madden 15. Truly it is showing tremendous progress on the field in player interactions (line play is just really solid now) as you are getting real pockets forming and running the ball takes skill in being patient and flowing with the pile and hitting the hole if it opens. Running the ball is highly rewarding and really fun. Having a power back is different from having a dynamic back like Jamal Charles. You see and fell the difference now. Speed ratings are not king anymore in regards to production.

A.I 2.0 - This is where you now know your playing a next gen title. It's all about the vastly improved A.I. The CPU is no joke on All-Pro. The great defensive teams are just that. They can lock you down. They can easily pick up on your play calling tendencies. They will jump curl routes and slants are no longer automatic. Also you better make your reads. So far I have seen the CPU typically cover 3 out of 4 targets and if you do not progress through and recognize who is going to be covered quickly....you will get pressured into a bad throw, a dump off and yes a sack. Defense is back and better than ever. As far as on offense, the CPU is also a lot better. Sliders are needed to boost their running game (which is fine) and pass protect (again that's what they are there for) and once you settle in you will see elite offenses scorch you if your not calling a good game. Which brings us to play calling. YOu better have a good working knowledge of football. This is a football fans game IMO. Having a gameplan, being able to find the weakness and right match-ups (the match-up wheel menu is a great addition as well to see how your slot WR matches up if your #1 is being covered by Sherman). The level if pre play information has gone to new heights.

Playcall menu - Yes...it has been overhauled. And yes at first it is quite daunting and may I say overwhelming. But once you get into a rhythm and understand all the different options you will be calling all the plays you want easily in no time. Trust me it is a great system. The only real draw back is having to always back out from the previous formation, or type of play call screen to get the main menu up again. It is a tad cumbersome...but again once you know that..it becomes an automatic button push to circle (PS4) out to the main play call screen. Another con is CPU offenses call their plays quick and snap the ball a little too quick....if I know exactly what adjustments I want to make once the huddle breaks I can maybe get in 2-3 max with a 25 sec runoff. So that is a little bit of a let down. That hopefully can be patched of offline gamers. I understand why they did it for online games...but offline we should be able to make adjustments a little bit easier. Don't get me wrong...I don't mind it a little quicker to simulate real life but this is a tad too quick by about 7-10 seconds and that is a lot.


CFM - I am doing my beta CFM right now and I love the game prep feature that was added. It adds a whole new layer of team building strategy and I look forward to really diving in deep into that new CFM feature. We all know the simulated stats need a patch and hopefully we get it soon. But overall I think CFM is a deep and immersive franchise mode that is only evolving and getting better with each release.


Skills Trainer - it is a really cool feature and quite frankly if you want to get the most out of all the play calling, new controls and new defensive options you have at your finger tips, I would encourage everyone to do all of them.


Overall - Madden 15 is the most complete package on the field we have ever seen, from next gen visuals and sound to the best AI this game has ever had to date, to life like player models, TV quality broadcast presenetation, Madden 15 for me rates a:


8.5/10

EA really worked on this game. It shows in so many ways. This is a fresh new football game and the dawn of hopefully a foundation that the PS4/ONE generation dev team can keep expanding on.

I took away points for legacy issues that still remain like.

1. A fully functioning sim like penalty system
2. Fully functioning replay system
3. Formation subs menu like the NCAA series still missing and mass subs
4. Auto subs in CFM still bugged and not allowing us to set the values like we can outside in play now
5. WR/DB interaction still needs to be improved like the DL/OL has.

But from all indications many of these legacy issues are being fixed for future releases. Judging how well Madden 15 plays I do believe EA is committed to fixing these issues that were basically and obviously unfix-able last gen.

[SIR924]

Madden 15 is a good game! Graphics are very nice and stadium sound is very realistic. Game play is best madden I've played, but still room for lot's of improvements better running animation. Give this game a few fixes:
1. Better running animations
2 .Tighter physics
3. Multiple commentary teams that can be selected manual or random. This would give the game a different presentation and sound.
But overall this is a good and fun game.

[statum71]

Good reviews.

While not perfect (and no sports game is), this is the best Madden yet in my humble opinion.

[BlackSheep2910]

Quote: Originally Posted by NDAlum

I'm still in the honeymoon phase but my initial impressions are nothing but positives. I think we're going to see many frustrated members here because the players finally have weight to them. You can't cut on a dime and just run around like a crazy person and expect to do well. That's the biggest positive I've seen so far.

I echo these comments. I was hell bent on not buying Madden this year. I rented from Redbox and tried my hardest to cheese the game. I am shocked at how balanced it plays. I didn't find anything OP or borderline impossible to stop.I played 3 online random games. All three opponents quit in frustration after their Madden 25 cheese strategies failed. I actually HOPE and get happy when some fool goes for it on 4th down now. I hope these impressions hold true with more playing time.

One glaring negative thou. I really despise the new play calling menu. Hopefully it grows on me with time.

In conclusion, i have changed my mind and decided to get purchase.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by RexDEAFootball

"It feels like EA wants us to learn how to play Madden like real football, and are finally giving us the gameplay to back it up." "As someone who loves watching football, but doesn't understand 100% of the intricacies, I appreciate that I'm learning while I play." This means a lot to us guys. Thanks.

Rex, I haven't been that fond of Madden in a while. I thought Madden 12 was the only one since PS2/PC days that was worth having and that had it's own franchise issues. Now I am pretty darn impressed with the Madden 15 on field stuff which is what you and your team have worked on. I think the on field is the best Madden to date. Major kudos.

My biggest issues and problems now are with the CFM off field stuff. I know that's not your area or your teams. But it pains me to see, while you and your team are moving the needle in the sim direction, that the CFM team has moved in such an arcade direction. And with the simmed stats being so far off, and how much it is effecting progression in a negative manner, it leaves me again frustrated and disappointed with the purchase.

But you and your team I give big props to. My opinion is the on field stuff is the best Madden so far.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor & Sword

Overall - Madden 15 is the most complete package on the field we have ever seen, from next gen visuals and sound to the best AI this game has ever had to date, to life like player models, TV quality broadcast presenetation, Madden 15 for me rates a: 8.5/10 EA really worked on this game. It shows in so many ways. This is a fresh new football game and the dawn of hopefully a foundation that the PS4/ONE generation dev team can keep expanding on. I took away points for legacy issues that still remain like. 1. A fully functioning sim like penalty system 2. Fully functioning replay system 3. Formation subs menu like the NCAA series still missing and mass subs 4. Auto subs in CFM still bugged and not allowing us to set the values like we can outside in play now 5. WR/DB interaction still needs to be improved like the DL/OL has. But from all indications many of these legacy issues are being fixed for future releases. Judging how well Madden 15 plays I do believe EA is committed to fixing these issues that were basically and obviously unfix-able last gen.

I'm glad you said "on the field" above. I would give this game's on field portion a pretty high rating and would not argue with your 8.5. But CFM I rate more like a 6.

Rex is making me a believer in his team. I don't have the same faith in the CFM team.

[Mos1ted]

Quote: Originally Posted by fpliii

Haven't played Madden in a few years, strongly considering picking this up for PS4. Couple of quick (closely related) gameplay questions: 1) Is passing more difficult? That is to say, is it more challenging to consistently complete passes? 2) Are users punished enough for attempting difficult passes and failing to complete them? Apologies for my ignorance, only been following the leadup to the release loosely.

I would definitely say that the improvements to the defense have made offense as a whole more challenging -- in a good way.

I play on All-Pro, and I'm loving the fact that my running back's abilities actually matter. When I'm playing with a good back, I can eat up yards on the ground. With an average to below average back, I'm lucky if I can manage to average 2 yards a carry.

The passing game requires you to approach the line of scrimmage like a real QB. You have to really look at the defense, analyze your receivers' routes, make adjustments if necessary, and really go through your progressions once the ball is snapped -- all while counting to 3 in your head to make sure you get rid of the ball before the pressure gets there. Also, some of the money plays from previous years aren't as effective. For example, four verticals is no longer the guaranteed first down/touch down that it used to be -- for me at least.

[CuseGirl]

Gameplay is pretty good. The feel of it is what I like the most. I feel like the players are running, not skating or gliding.

The main issue I have is the lack of customization of my individual player. I still can't help but compare it to NBA 2k, where I can choose my pre game ritual, my introduction dance, and how I shoot/dunk/look. All madden has is the throwing style. There should be a list of TD celebrations I can add to my arsenal. Even a special routine during important timeouts.

Also, I still don't like the user interface, particularly when upgrading my players abilities. Just give me a ratings slider. Is it that hard?