In these uncertain times of economic crisis, terror and Donald Trumps it’s hard to find something to hold on to… Some of us put faith into religion, others in the small things of life. Yet only a few things in life are certain: Christmas is on December 25th, Harambe died and EA brings a new improved Madden NFL game every year. EA Sports… What’s in this game?
The Madden franchise has a very core audience and just like Fifa in Europe, over the Atlantic Madden is a system seller and surely one of the most anticipated games among our US brethren. There is no denying that American football is huge in the US. Some companies pay MILLIONS to show ads during the Super Bowl events. Fans of this exhilarating sport no longer have to wait to see the best matches, they can actually take full control and boast of their skills in this game that is both action-packed but is getting more and more strategic with every iteration.
Visually the game stands out using a blend of great physics, Super Bowl worthy camera angles and of course the best character models to date, that is probably until the `18 version is released but let’s enjoy this one first shall we? When performing tackles and dodging the game masters the art of making the camera angles and visual effects dance into a realistic performance to your Super Bowl hungry eyes. The menus are streamlined and everything is satisfyingly crisp and smooth.
Whether you’re playing, browsing the menus, watching a super realistic replay or looking up some information or summoning a graph on your favorite Ram player! I also love how dynamic the in-game camera works. It can create this shallow depth of field that is just so amazing and throwing the important moments in your face without becoming plain and 2D’esque. It just works!
Now if you’re like me and like to play your games using surround sound, be it with headphones or home cinema, you know how much sound can make or break a potentially good game. Now Madden NFL 17 has rerecorded most of their sounds and boy is it a symphony of realism. Close your eyes during a replay, listen to the crowd, the thumping of your team, your Quarterback diving into action and all of it topped by a magnificent commentary voiced by Gaudin and Davis. It is a score “Madden” in heaven! The sound really gives this game the edge in terms of realism and immersion compared to others blatantly trying to dethrone the Madden! I am so glad this is not that Vuvuzela sport to be honest.
Something I forgot to mention is that the voicing commentary is updated as the real life counterpart is going on so you will hear new phrases and expressions as you play every week.
That is just one of the small additions that make this game interconnected to the real NFL. There’s actual popups of other matches’ scores while you play yours for example. It’s all connected. You can still form your Fantasy team and battle other players to move up the ladder and claim items and other collectibles.
Now for newcomers to the series it all sounds weird and scary but be aware that the game has a great graded tutorial explaining step by step how to avoid concussions and how to wipe that smug smile of your friend’s face. It is by far one of the better games to start your NFL adventure if you have no idea what NFL actually is. Or even if you know your stuff but never got to play before.
There’re plenty of new modes and older modes that just got renamed or streamlined. But the core mechanics stay the same. So if you’re a veteran to the series this will be more of a (WORTHY!) update from previous iterations. If you want to go more tactical there’s the Franchise mode where you can actually work on your team before they play a game so you can get the advantage over your friend. You can train different aspects and put some more defense or offense where needed to take down the opposing team next time you play that ranked match!
Conclusion:
Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie to the series EA Sports delivers a game that is an improvement and where they did listen to the community in terms of streamlining the experience. The game does a great job of being interconnected be it online or even with the real life NFL world most fans of the series are part of as well. It isn’t the best-looking game on today’s consoles (not that it has to) and even though player movement has been improved we are already dying to see NFL 18’s release just to see how they can further improve this already beastly NFL experience! CONCUSSION TIME!
