Madden NFL 25 Run Free and Infinite Engine 2 Playbooks Available Now

[BV11]

EA Sports have released two Madden NFL 25 playbooks today, which detail the Run Free mechanic and Infinity Engine 2.

Playbook 1: Run Free

There are few things more exciting than watching the grace and power of NFL ball carriers. Sure, everyone loves a 60-yard touchdown bomb, but there’s something special about watching Adrian Peterson lower his shoulder to bowl through a defender, or seeing Larry Fitzgerald catch the ball in space, make a quick cut and then race untouched into the end zone. The one constant in all elite players is control, and this year Madden NFL 25 is putting all that control right at your fingertips.

Playbook 2: Infinity Engine 2

Last year, Madden NFL 13 introduced physics to the franchise with the Infinity Engine. It was a big step forward and a huge feature at this point in the current console cycle. However, as with any new technology, there is always room to grow. This offseason, it was a major priority for the Madden dev team to add new features, fix known issues andcreate a smoother, more realistic experience. With that in mind, it's time to introduce Madden NFL 25's new feature, Infinity Engine 2.

[secondsolution]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

.... wow.The run free feature is such a gimmick! 'String together devastating combos' makes it sound like I am going to buy Killer Instinct, not Madden.

The hype train has now left, and I'm not on board.

[tfer717]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

.... wow.The run free feature is such a gimmick! 'String together devastating combos' makes it sound like I am going to buy Killer Instinct, not Madden.

The hype train has now left, and I'm not on board.

and don't forget about the NEW stumble recovery animation! wow! SMFH. I hate ea.

[KANE699]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

Glad to see they didn't fix uniforms, at all.

[ch46647]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

.... wow.The run free feature is such a gimmick! 'String together devastating combos' makes it sound like I am going to buy Killer Instinct, not Madden.

The hype train has now left, and I'm not on board.

Exactly my thoughts... Wow, just wow. Sounds like something you would see on the back of a Mortal Kombat box.

[tfer717]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

these are the ONLY gameplay playbooks. WTF. EA has officially jumped the shark. 2k save us.

[californ14]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

Interested in this part from the run free news, "The dev team has added more powerful defensive pursuit and tackling behaviors that will be revealed in future articles. You’ll need all these new tools to get by the smarter, more aggressive defenders."

[californ14]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

Also interesting from the IE2 article, "With a renewed emphasis on the running game, serious attention was paid to blocking assignments. So this year, former NFL offensive lineman and current Madden NFL designer Clint Oldenburg took a look at every single offensive and defensive front in the game in order to script proper blocking assignments. Clint’s work results in guards and tackles now taking on the correct defenders and behaving more realistically during plays. Lead blockers will now seek out actual threats instead of peeling off to take on a linebacker that is already out of the play. The improvements are most apparent on screen plays where guards, wide receivers and others will do a much better job of creating space."

Lets hope it is what many have been imaging in our heads...

[Flabbergast]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

This form the Infinity Engine 2:

"Furthermore, heat-seeker tackling makes it much easier to hone in on the ball carrier and wrap him up"

Heat-seeker? What?

[The_Balm]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

"Another new mechanic this year is the stumble recovery. Players will have a chance to break out of a stumble, regain their feet and continue down the field."

Are you kidding me!?

From a Madden 13 blog for the Infinity Engine:

"Balance System

Balance is another key area we worked on. Every character in the game has a balance score that we calculate based on several factors including physical attributes, actions, and where contact is made. This balance system takes these factors into account and causes characters to stumble and fall in appropriate directions with appropriate momentum. All of this seems straightforward; HOWEVER, when you consider the fact that falling forward into someone else can stop you from hitting the ground and may actually help you recover, things get very interesting. For me there are two very important things to remember with this system:

1. Watch where you run- Wait for holes to open up rather than crashing through characters that are in your way. Watch your feet so that you don’t stumble over fallen characters. Make smart cuts and hurdle when necessary.

2. Fight for every yard – Forget the days of predetermined two-man tackles. You need to continue to run and find ways to stay on your feet.

One of the coolest things about the balance system is how it affects players based on their body type. It’s a lot of fun to devise new defensive strategies by trying to take out the legs of smaller players who may not be able to recover from a stumble as well as a guy with longer legs. Suddenly it makes sense to go after a guy like Maurice Jones-Drew differently than you would Calvin Johnson."

This is ridiculous.

[KANE699]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

and don't forget about the NEW stumble recovery animation! wow! SMFH. I hate ea.

This actually is a good thing, especially if you read where it says you can also use it to dive for a few more yards, this is the closest we have come to a sticking the ball out for more yards feature so I actually really am a big fan of this.

[ch46647]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

No talk of proper footplanting, locomotion, or the much needed new running animations. No talk of the "new" sprint button the NCAA has implemented. This is pretty much a gimmicky feature allowing you to string moves together. The only thing I liked was the new stiff arm news. The stiff arm has been awful all generation so atleast they are addressing it.

As far as infinity engine 2.0, pretty much just cleaning up the bugs from last year. No talk of physics effecting OL/DL, DB/WR's, etc..

Very dissapointed, but not surprised. This seems like EA has pretty much given up on this generation and has done very little to the gameplay. Hopefully they are hard at work on the gameplay for the next-gen engine. HARD AT WORK

[secondsolution]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

The issue with the oline wasn't really with the assignments. It was things such as the RT constantly being beaten, blocks being let go after a set amount of time and no pocket being created. It sounds like all they have done is improved the screen game so people can call it 50 times.

I'm predicting the defensive upgrades to be minimal and most scores to be above average again. Its completely ridiculous, I just hope the Connected Franchise upgrades are better than this.

[TreFacTor]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

"heat-seeker tackling"

[SageInfinite]

Re: Madden 25 Playbooks - Run Free and Infinite Engine 2

After laying the lumber with the Hit Stick and Force Impact for the first time, it will be hard to go back to normal tackles.

Sounds great. *end sarcasm*