Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

[RaychelSnr]

It's release night of Madden NFL 15, and so far it seems like release day is going about as planned. As our official review says, on the field Madden may play the best brand of football you can find. And while there are still some nagging issues, it seems the franchise is more than on the right track. However, it seems that when you get to the facade around the on-field gameplay that the title shows some weakness.

Most of our staff have gotten just as much playtime as most of you at this point, so here are some initial thoughts from the guys who will be covering the game in the coming days and weeks...

Read More - Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

[MAGboyswifT27]

Great reviews guys. I've felt the same as what you have posted, I'll be able to have more of a grasp on the game as I get to play more but for the most part this is a good foundation to build off of.

[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.

[thaprofessor33]

Re: Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

The menus and play calling are really clumsy but enjoying the game play.

[STLRams]

Re: Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

I've been very critical about Madden the past 7 years, but I will honestly say, I am really enjoying Madden 15 so far. The graphics the gameplay, lighting, camera angles, all kind of shocked me the first game I played. The game really looks like your are watching a CBS NFL game broadcast. Really liking the presentation, great foundation to build upon for future games. Need to play some more games to delve deeper into the game, but I was thinking to myself, as silly as it sounds, maybe NFL2K5 can finally rest in peace in the back of my mine and be replaced with Madden 15......

[JKSportsGamer1984]

I'm enjoying the game so far. My biggest issues are the constant player clipping/morphing post play & the sloppy physics. Too often I'm seeing players walk right through players laying on the field post play. I know it's probably challenging for EA being that there's so much going on the field at once, but if they can clean up the physics & eliminate the clipping/morphing it would make the game so much better. It really kills the immersion when I see it.

Gameplay is definitely better. Time for EA to really start to differentiate how players feel & animate. Signature animations are a must going forward.

[DrYCeLL]

Aside from a hilarious 10 ft high backflip a DE did once, this Madden is awesome. Everything just feels so much better. Sure, there's always a list of things that could be done better(broadcast cam should be default for halftime shows, and should be on the right side of the field, for one), but I finally love getting into a game again. This is a great foundation to build on going forward. Still only 16 gigs, so there's plenty of space for better commentary and improved half-time shows and wrap-up shows and all the other glitz and glam. If they can make another leap like this next year, Madden will finally re-join the ranks of top-tier sports titles. This one is already well on its way.

Still haven't heard Manning's "Omaha" yet through the three games I played.

[cmo9711]

No joke! I threw a 40yd pass to a post rout to beat one of the safeties from the 49rs and scored a TD. The safety was upset sitting on his hands and knees in the end zone. One of his teammates came over to help him up and the guy shoved him. That small detail about the frustration of the guy getting beat immediately pulled me into the emotion of that moment!! I have to say ..... Best madden in a LONG time!!!

[trey2k198003]

Been playing it for 13 hrs and I have fallen in love with the game it isn't perfect but I man it is still pretty to look at the confidence aspect to he cfm is looking pretty cool and adds another layer of things to keep me entertained also I'm loving the new training system in the cfm I've got teddy bridge on my bench and in 3 games with no playtime he has 3000 do more than anyone else because I've put the most time into him I love it and it's really fast and easy to do.....scouting points have been redone you don't need nearly as many and it's kind of the same but eh all in all great game

[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.

[LorenzoDC]

Re: Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

I don't have an impression of the game, just a reaction to all the OS comments and impressions.

So far, this is the first Madden I have not bought at release since I started in 2008.

I'm REALLY glad to see the positive gameplay feedback. It has hit two of the marks for me that I had after last year's game: better core gameplay and better CPU AI.

As an offline franchise player, I can't buy the game while CFM stats are so far from anything reasonable, which messes up how CPU teams manage their rosters. If that gets fixed, I'll buy. If not, I'm afraid I won't.

I'd like to reward Rex and the gameplay team for all they've done with my dollars, but if the only mode I play is jacked, I just can't do it. It's really about the use of my time more than the money.

[lmsedia]

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.

1. Yes with non-elite qbs. I haven't messed with sliders yet, but I've heard that adjusting accuracy sliders really reinforces this.

2. Absolutely.

[Demoncrom]

The game is not perfect by any measure. But so far I feel they have finally nailed the defense. Prior to exclusive deals I've been a big fan of playing rock solid D to win games and finally this year I can play like that and its effective. The QBs can still be OP, like Robert Griffin when 11 for 12 at one point on All Pro vs me last night which is inaccurate since he is only hit 65% of his throws in real life, but things happen.

There is a propensity for the AI to complete 3 and long too often and WR to DB mismatches seem to only be exploitable by the AI once again. There are simply too many time that I see a DB matching a superior WR step for step even when I am mixing up routes.

Legacy issues still are all over the place, from the pathetic rag-dolling on tackles and the RBs falling over the Olines feet, which other than Mark Sanchez and the Butt fumble - never happens in real life. But overall I am enjoying the games win or lose as they at least feel mostly competitive on All Pro.

[Gorilla Glass]

Re: Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

I think this is the Best version of Madden NFL, the team has put out.

The graphics are beautiful and immersive.The gameplay on both sides of the ball is challenging, but rewarding.

It may not be perfect, but it sure is fun.

[NDAlum]

Re: Madden NFL 15: Your First Impressions (Roundtable)

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.