jaymo76's Community Review of Madden NFL 16

[jaymo76]

My TEN HOURS of EA ACCESS for Madden 16 has now officially expired. First off, a huge “thank you” goes out to MICROSOFT for offering EA ACCESS. Though I would prefer more time for the programme (15-20 hours would be perfect) ten hours has given me enough information to make an informed decision on whether or not to purchase this title. Shame on Sony for not allowing its customers access to such a quality programme!

I. Initial Thoughts:
There are a lot of great aspects to the game this year, mainly gameplay related. There are also some very noticeable warts, some of which are legacy based and some all new issues with the game. At the end of the day, Madden is still Madden. At its heart the game is fundamentally the same as previous versions. If you can accept that, this game is for you. If you cannot then move along as the things that have always bothered you about this title will continue to bother you this year.

People who purchase this game should find large amounts of enjoyment, especially people new to the series and people who have taken a few years off. Returning Madden players who are gameplay first will find this a decent title. Franchise mode people and more specifically, people who love customization will be disappointed. Outside of scouting and combine stats nothing has been done to improve the mode. As a matter of fact, it has actually been dumbed down to appeal more to casual fans.

II. Gameplay:
As to the biggest feature…. WR/DB interaction. Well, it has added a lot to the game. That being said, all the button pushing is cumbersome and from what I have seen through testing, completely unnecessary. You will be perfectly successful passing the ball like you did last year. I’m not really convinced that using the passing icons is necessary or purposeful. However, the DB’s and receivers finally interact in a way that is appropriate and realistic. However, the Tiburon teams seems to have gutted the OL/DL interaction to the point that there is very, very little pressure. This combined with incredibly weak zone defense allows for a lot of robo-QB tendencies. Sliders should be able to address this situation. Speaking of sliders I strongly suggest turning down interceptions to 30 as the default 50 produces on average between 3 and 7 interceptions per game.

The cpu run game is pretty brutal this year and the user run game is focused on runs up the gut as the vast majority of outside runs are blown up in the backfield. Don’t be surprised to see the cpu running back average less than two yards per carry on default all pro. Significant attention to the sliders will be necessary to address the run game issues.

As for penalties, they work incredibly well. When I maxed out penalty sliders in a 6 minute quarter play now game, the cpu and I combined for 30 penalties or the equivalent of over 300 negated yards. There is an encroachment glitch and hopefully that will be patched soon.

Auto subs don’t seem to work particularly well again and injuries are few and far in between. I did not play around with these settings so I don’t know if they can be improved upon. Injury slider worked well last year but auto-subs did nothing. I suspect that is the case again with Madden 16.

I find the speed of the game to be a little too fast this year. However, changing the game speed to SLOW has made a huge difference to the overall gameplay experience. I would highly recommend changing the default speed to slow. I did not change the speed threshold this year as frankly the game doesn’t seem to need me to. 50 for threshold feels just right in my opinion.

I’m cognizant of the fact that much of the above sounds negative. Please keep in mind though that the game this year really is a lot of fun to play, regardless of the issues. At the end of the day that is most important right…?

III. Visuals:
As is the norm for Madden, visuals and player models are excellent. The stadiums pop, especially night games. Domes are a little dull but still look good. Sadly users still do not have the option to open retractable roofs. Sidelines still have a long way to go to live up to the “living worlds” mantra but they are moving in the right direction. I know EA/Tiburon hyped a more diverse crowd but in all honesty I have not noticed it. The only thing I really want to see in this particular area would be a chain gang and the sidelines fully engaged in watching the on-field action.

A number of the players have received face scans this year and I must say they look great! Sadly though, the players who have not been scanned look awkward and out of place as compared to those who have been scanned.

Teams who are relocated have the same uniforms and stadium options as in previous years. The uniforms are of the same visual quality as regular NFL uniforms. The same can be said for the generic stadiums. However, relocated teams and new stadiums will NOT be given a “chrome fly-in” segment during the pre-game show.

The menus have also been redone and have been reorganized and simplified to appeal more to the causal gamer. One great aspect to the new screen organization is the depth chart card deck. This visually pleasing roster chart is informative and easy to use.

IV. Franchise Mode (CFM):
The biggest disappointment this year comes from lack of innovation in the single player franchise experience. Lack of separate special team sliders, no formation subs, no custom packages, no score ticker, no game updates, no weekly wrap-up show, horrendous commentary by Phil Simms, no practice roster, no restricted free agency, no chain gang, no changing the cpu uniform, no option to continue a previous edition of franchise (from madden 15), no coaching carousel, no coordinators, no playable Pro Bowl, no cpu vs cpu observer mode, limited information/activity in free agency, an untouched and very lackluster owner mode, significantly overrated free agency pool, and a general feeling of isolation in CFM contributes to Madden 16 continuing to have the least compelling career mode out of all the major sports titles. Madden’s franchise experience as compared to 2k16, the Show 15, NHL 16, and FIFA 16 is downright embarrassing. Tiburon needs to look at NCAA 14’s innovation and incorporate those types of elements into their game next year. Imagine playing Madden in week 17 and watching the scores scroll across the bottom and then watching a studio update that team X just lost and if you win this game the playoff spot is yours. That is the type of stuff NFL football gamers have been waiting for since 2004!

With regards to player goals, the concept is an interesting one but overall I consider it to be a failure. The pop-ups are large and intrusive and most notable, they greatly detract from the immersion factor. They are also very silly. No coach would say that player X needs two sacks this drive in order to gain confidence. The goals ruin the experience. You can turn them off but by doing so you also turn off all the other information pop-ups such as drive summaries. Currently there is a bug that see’s player’s regress if their goals are not met. This will need to be patched ASAP.

The one thing that CFM definitely does right is the simplified scouting. With the addition of combine stats and a player watch list, drafting has become far less cumbersome and much, much more enjoyable. I feel like I actually have the ability to choose a logical pick. I would still like a few more points each week but 175 is a good start. In my opinion 200 would be ideal. The three unlock categories increase by 5 (5, 10, 15) so you get a decent cross section of payers in each draft.

IV. Final Thoughts:
So ultimately, is Madden 16 worth the purchase price? In all honesty I don’t know the answer to that question. Is it a better game than 15? Yes! Is the gameplay significantly improved over 15? Yes! Is the singly player career mode a significant improvement over 15? NO! Is the presentation significantly improved over 15? NO!

If you are looking for extreme depth, user customization and immersion this probably isn’t the game for you. I suggest NBA 2K16 is what you want. If you want a game which is light on simulation and depth but big on gameplay and fun then this is your game.

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5 ( a solid yet predictable title)
Jaymo76