Madden NFL 15

No longer the presentation poster boy in sports games, Madden has to work hard to impress among the likes of MlB: the Show and 2K’s nBa franchise. it got caught slacking in the gameplay department in its 25th anniversary year last time out, but Ea tiburon’s gridiron game has eventually found its form on new-gen.

new additions? a light peppering, but they’re all welcome and well-polished from the off. Most notable is the player lock cam which switches your perspective when defending to the familiar bottom-to-top view you get while attacking. By controlling one defender from the snap to the end of the play,1 you’re able to affect its outcome a lot more than in previous Maddens the killer tactic previously involved frantically switching players and hitting tackles. 

the bigger picture’s looking rosier now too, particularly if you’re a lapsed fan or entirely uninitiated with the sport. nFl 15’s tutorial is enormous, and dangles the carrot of ultimate team (yep, exactly like FiFa’s) in front of you for earning gold medals in its many, many drills.2 Suggested plays are offered based on the opposition’s most used tactics, success percentages and community picks. and like last year, owner mode lets you micro-manage everything down to the last burger pricing.

it’s not a perfect simulation of the sport, and sometimes you do find yourself at the mercy of wilfully rubbish team-mates who are happier seeing your QB sacked than breaking into a light jog. But it’s an engrossing ecosystem with easily a year’s longevity in its many modes. which is more than can be said for my own, flagging, ny Giants.