Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions - Operation Sports Forums

Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

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  • RaychelSnr
    Executive Editor
    • Jan 2007
    • 4846

    #1

    Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions



    I have spent quite a bit of time over the last couple of days playing the retail release of Madden NFL 15, which is set to release in a limited format to EA Access customers later today. To put it simply, this is probably the best Madden ever from a technical perspective and may be some of the most fun Iโ€™ve had with the franchise in years.

    Here are my pros and cons after about ten full games:

    Pros

    โ€ข Defense is fun again โ€” There are multiple mini games you can now effectively partake in on each play on defense. Beating the OL is a timing mini-game of sorts which requires you to jump the snap and then make an effectively timed and directionally smart move to get to the QB. You can tell when you are facing an elite OT, because he will feel like a brick wall on many/most plays.
    โ€ข Quarterbacks feel different โ€” I donโ€™t have enough info to safely say the pass accuracy is fixed, but playing Peyton Manning feels like you are playing a more elite level QB versus, say a Matt Cassel. Defensively, I found that it was even more of a rush to get to the QB when he was better, because you knew he was going to make decisions faster.
    โ€ข Good news, the tackle cone doesnโ€™t suck โ€” From my initial play-sessions with Madden, it appears the tackle cone is not a major in your face type of addition many feared. The new tackling system adds a risk/reward setup to what used to be a very boring aspect of the game.
    โ€ข Defenders are smarter โ€” Zone defenders are much smarter this year, with players reacting to the ball much faster resulting in much narrower throwing lanes. This is going to make a lot of people used to soft zones very angry initially.
    โ€ข The New Connected Franchise Options Are Great โ€” Setting up a weekly gameplan or repairing your teamโ€™s busted up confidence is such a great series of decisions to have to make each week. Alex Smith had a horrible game against the Broncos and his confidence sank, so I had to spend valuable preparation points to raise his confidence back up. These are the things you donโ€™t see in the NFL, but things coaches have to do to ensure players are at the top of their game.
    โ€ข Community Playcalling is surprisingly good โ€” The playcalling feature which I thought was nothing more than a gimmick actually seems to be pretty good at both conveying information that you would find relevant in both how users and how you use it. It makes the whole experience feel more connected.
    โ€ข Thank goodness for the new cameras โ€” Seriously, the new cameras and how they've been implemented (fast switching) is something which should be universal in sports games. It's that good -- it doesn't hurt the camera angles themselves are quite good, including the new over the shoulder defensive angle you can switch to on defense. Major kudos EA.
    โ€ข The graphics, audio, and in-game broadcast presentation have arrived โ€” It has long been a dream to have Madden look and feel like the rest of the major sports games in our genre, it always lagged behind. This year, at least to me, I feel like the presentation and graphics are both up there with anything you can find on store shelves today. Itโ€™s not perfect, but itโ€™s definitely gotten to a point where itโ€™s clearly quite good.

    Cons

    โ€ข The playcalling menus really need to quit defaulting to the community playcall screen โ€” I swear the amount of manpower and hours Iโ€™m going to spend backing up one menu layer to get to my preferred playcalling screen is going to make me sad. Bonus points for the playcalling menus not having that weird lag where I literally miss my option a lot.
    โ€ข QBs may still be too accurate out of the box โ€” I need to run more tests, but Iโ€™m pretty sure QBs may be more accurate out of the box than realism would suggest is possible. The good news is, slider combinations are going to fix this largely.
    โ€ข The gameโ€™s first boot takes too long to get to action you care about โ€” We can do without this nonsense.
    โ€ข The new kick meter is hit or miss โ€” At first, I actually missed a couple of field goals, but now I seem to be automatic again. I need to test this out more.

    Initial Thoughts

    Thus far, Madden NFL 15 is really shaping up great. I still have a lot to check out within the game before I end up posting my final review. However, my initial thoughts are pretty strongly in favor of this yearโ€™s Madden. This is still Madden football, just a better and more true to life version of it. Itโ€™s too early whether to say Madden belongs amongst the discussion with the traditional great games in our genre, but I would be lying if I said it wasnโ€™t tempting to suggest its possible at this point.

    Look for my full review in a day or two here on OS. Madden NFL 15 releases later today (noon) for EA Access users in a limited six-hour demo, and will be out next Tuesday in stores.
    OS Executive Editor
    Check out my blog here at OS. Add me on Twitter.
  • ryan36
    7 dirty words...
    • Feb 2003
    • 10182

    #2
    Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

    Wait, so one hand QB accuracy/differentiation seems realistic, and on the other QB's are too accurate? Chris, can you clairfiy?

    Comment

    • GiantBlue76
      Banned
      • Jun 2007
      • 3301

      #3
      Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

      Good review initially, and encouraging. However, if there is one thing we've learned over the years is that you can't really rate madden until you've spent at least a couple of weeks playing. I've heard "this is the best madden ever" a million times. It sounds like some things are greatly improved off the bat, which is great, but ill wait for a month or so to see how it holds up and see then what everyone thinks.

      Sent from my KFAPWI using Tapatalk

      Comment

      • MAGboyswifT27
        Rookie
        • Sep 2012
        • 206

        #4
        Good review, it gives me more hope as I get ready to purchase this game next Tuesday. MMChrisS was this played on the XB1?

        Comment

        • tss
          Rookie
          • Jun 2014
          • 17

          #5
          Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

          I know this isn't probably the most important thing about Madden NFL 15 but what about the commentary this year? Is it improved comparing to Madden 25?

          Comment

          • Mr.Smif
            Banned
            • Jun 2014
            • 797

            #6
            Really, is that all the cons you can think of? I've seen more cons than that just by looking at videos. You sound like they type that accepts Madden for what it is, and ignore and accept most of the flaws in the game and it's legacy issues long as the game is fun.
            im sure the game is better than its been in a long time, but if those are the only cons you can find then I cannot trust your preview, thanks for the write up though.
            Last edited by Mr.Smif; 08-21-2014, 04:44 AM.

            Comment

            • raiderphantom
              MVP
              • Jul 2012
              • 1550

              #7
              Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

              Originally posted by ryan36
              Wait, so one hand QB accuracy/differentiation seems realistic, and on the other QB's are too accurate? Chris, can you clairfiy?
              I thought he meant the gap was wider between QB accuracy just not as much as we would hope for. That's what I took from it anyway. I'd like further explanation as well.
              Student of the game. #Fundamentals

              XBLGT: tjor24

              Comment

              • thakaliway
                Rookie
                • Aug 2014
                • 18

                #8
                Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                This game should be the best Madden ever made or its a fail.

                Comment

                • tss
                  Rookie
                  • Jun 2014
                  • 17

                  #9
                  Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                  Originally posted by Mr.Smif
                  Really, is that all the cons you can think of? I've seen more cons than that just by looking at videos. You sound like they type that accepts Madden for what it is, and ignore and accept most of the flaws in the game and it's legacy issues long as the game is fun.
                  im sure the game is better than its been in a long time, but if those are the only cons you can find then I cannot trust your preview, thanks for the write up though.
                  I do not understand. First you've wrote a different message than you've changed it to this one. Why you so mad at him? These are his private feelings after a few days spent with this game. He has the right not to pay attention to details. Does this mean that his review is not reliable? No and remember that these aren't his final thoughts (and wrote it at the end of this article).

                  Comment

                  • thakaliway
                    Rookie
                    • Aug 2014
                    • 18

                    #10
                    Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                    This game will be fun as hell we all know that.

                    Comment

                    • dsk1317
                      Rookie
                      • Jun 2013
                      • 204

                      #11
                      It's so sad, a game changer has already posted 2 easy setup nanos, and they are screaming fast. Rex Dickson said straight up, there would be no nanos in the game, but he obviously lied.

                      Comment

                      • Mr.Smif
                        Banned
                        • Jun 2014
                        • 797

                        #12
                        Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                        Originally posted by tss
                        I do not understand. First you've wrote a different message than you've changed it to this one. Why you so mad at him? These are his private feelings after a few days spent with this game. He has the right not to pay attention to details. Does this mean that his review is not reliable? No and remember that these aren't his final thoughts (and wrote it at the end of this article).
                        Its not fair that Madden get praised when they come out with a decent effort at a lower standard and other games get bashed because they have a higher standard. For example, FIFA has foot-planting, realistic running, jostling, and ball physics. Madden has non of this, so imo you can't judge Madden on the same scale, its on a lower scale til it catches up to other sports games.

                        Comment

                        • tss
                          Rookie
                          • Jun 2014
                          • 17

                          #13
                          Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                          Originally posted by Mr.Smif
                          Its not fair that Madden get praised when they come out with a decent effort at a lower standard and other games get bashed because they have a higher standard. For example, FIFA has foot-planting, realistic running, jostling, and ball physics. Madden has non of this, so imo you can't judge Madden on the same scale, its on a lower scale til it catches up to other sports games.
                          Yes and you're right. But I was talking about subjective assessment of one of the persons who were familiar with this game earlier than we did. As for me, he has the right to write whatever comes to his mind while playing the game. Simple as that. And when we're talking about the standards - yes, it shouldn't be like that but a lot depends on the specifics of the game. Fifa is not Madden. It is no secret that FIFA is one of the leading positions of EA. And perhaps the most profitable. I think that over time, they'll bring these changes to Madden but at this moment we can't judge Madden by the standards of FIFA or NHL.

                          Comment

                          • Russell1983
                            Rookie
                            • Aug 2014
                            • 16

                            #14
                            Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                            Let that man give his assessment of the game some of you on here sound like divas if you don't like madden don't play it..... We all know madden has some ways to go but if that's his opinion let it be all the sports games have some type of cheese or glitch in it hopefully they can put out a patch...
                            Last edited by Russell1983; 08-21-2014, 05:52 AM. Reason: Made mistake

                            Comment

                            • Sheba2011
                              MVP
                              • Oct 2013
                              • 2355

                              #15
                              Re: Madden NFL 15: Retail First Impressions

                              Originally posted by Mr.Smif
                              Its not fair that Madden get praised when they come out with a decent effort at a lower standard and other games get bashed because they have a higher standard. For example, FIFA has foot-planting, realistic running, jostling, and ball physics. Madden has non of this, so imo you can't judge Madden on the same scale, its on a lower scale til it catches up to other sports games.
                              No one is comparing it to Fifa or even saying it is anywhere near it is level. The OP was comparing it to past Madden games and in his opinion it is one of the best Madden he has played. He never said the game was perfect or without flaws but is his opinion that it is a fun and rewarding game. It is your opinion that nothing has been changed, we all have a different one.

                              Comment

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