Madden 25: Is this the best commentary Madden has ever had?

[GisherJohn24]

While I know that's not saying much, but I Did hear it's much better. When they had Gus for 11, they could have had the BEST but it just sounded so unnatural. Terrible effort on their part.

[GruffyMcGuiness]

All I know is that every injury is an upper body injury...

[Slayer525]

And in October, at the beginning of every play practically we are told its pink for breast cancer awareness.

[jmurphy31]

Quote: Originally Posted by GisherJohn24

While I know that's not saying much, but I Did hear it's much better. When they had Gus for 11, they could have had the BEST but it just sounded so unnatural. Terrible effort on their part.

You're right it isnt saying much, but so far I do feel it is the best MADDEN commentary we have had this generation. They are using players names more frequently in the play by play. There is some banter and for the most part the commentary is correct.

However, the real test comes in year 2. Do all those same stories from 2012 keep reoccurring. Will they talk about 2012 as if it was last year and pay no attention that you already played the 2013 season and things have changed in your franchise.

I am not there yet in my season, but year one isnt all that bad. (Also, I have only played 6 games). Though it is still very repetitive.

[CM Hooe]

From a technical perspective, absolutely. Tiburon's audio stitching tech is better than ever, there are conversation set pieces broken up into multiple conversations over the course of a drive, and there is more situational audio in this year's game which suggests more complex backend logic to the system.

I don't think there's enough audio content in the game for the system to really shine as well as it could, however. In addition there are still instances where the commentary doesn't keep up with what's happening on the field and on occasion too much dead air.

Progress is being made, however, and that is good.

[Datninja619]

I would hope it gets better every year haha. It's nice that they acknowledge a TE in the slot, RB at WR, a #1 or #2 WR in the slot etc.

[jmurphy31]

I would also like to note that having both members of the commentary crew record together has helped greatly.

[CarryTheWeight]

Not going to lie, I really like the commentary. It's gotten a lot better, and I hope they improve on it. So many "little things" compared to the stale, lifeless commentary of years past. Even Danielle Bellini offers really specific observations.

Yes, they repeat lines. Yes, Nantz often sounds like he's reading a story book to fifth graders. Yes, Phil Simms hates your awful quarterback and your awful playcalling. But apart from all that, I really like what the Madden team has done with audio in the last few years. It's not on the level of NBA 2K or MLB The Show but it's finally inching up to EA's FIFA and NHL games...and that's completely fine with me (for now).

Love the specific observations on key players, team analysis and some of the dynamic elements. It's not entirely specific, but Nantz mentioning the previous week's performance during key drives is really cool. I hope next-gen improves on the specificity of it and introduces even more dynamic lines with the increased Blu-ray disc space.

One "little thing" I thought was AWESOME as a Bills fan: I decided to build the Bills a new stadium and had a Week 16 matchup against the Dolphins at home. Nantz began the game saying "it's a bittersweet day because this will be the final regular season game the Bills will play at their beloved home." During the first drive, they talked about the fact the Bills were moving into a new stadium, while recounting their personal memories of the Ralph. Simms namedropped Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Jim Kelly and the "college-like" tailgating atmosphere, how the stadium was "the last of its kind", et cetera. Was really, really awesome to hear.

I was never expecting anything that detailed to make it into the game, so it was a nice touch. I'm pretty sure they recorded similar lines for the 49ers final game at Candlestick and the Vikings final game at the Metrodome. Major props to the audio team. If you're reading this, make sure to constantly improve --- commentary is the best in the series, but not the best on the market. I hope they don't return to the drawing board anytime soon.