“Madden 25” First Thoughts

If you’ve taken a few years off from the whole “Madden” thing because you felt there wasn’t enough innovation, that every year the game was just an update with new players and some tacked-on modes, think again. After just a few games of “Madden 25,” it’s easy to see it’s a polished and deep football-sim that basks in its own glory and salivates in its own juices.

That sentiment is felt as soon as you catch your first kickoff. The combination of the Infinity Engine 2 and Run Free/Precision modifiers gives ball carriers unprecedented control. With a press of a button, players can juke, spin, stiff-arm and hurdle. The updated animations and physics make it all look like something you’d see on television as well. Running the ball has never been this fun in a Madden title. It’s probably as close as the series has ever gotten to having a better running game than a 2K pigskin game. You can even make the argument that EA has finally crossed that line entirely.

The only problem is while the animations are realistic and beautiful, the control is a bit too much at times. While having the ability to do have full control over the ball carrier is a wonderful concept, it takes a plethora of time to get comfortable with all of the different things to do. Casual gamers may find it a bit too engrossing. Hardcore gamers however will patiently find a middle ground, using the modifiers when they can and damn, when you pull off a spin or hurdle move at the right time, damn, (yes two damns) does it feel good.

The passing game is enjoyable as well and a bit more easy on the fingers. Calling audibles on the fly works like a charm. The precision in the footwork and offensive line AI is sound as well, allowing QB’s with enough time to make passes while logically and realistically presenting a pocket they can, or sometimes depending on the opposition, can’t move in. You’ll automatically feel a difference between more agile QBs and ones with better offensive lines. Like the running game, there’s layers of polish here.

Defensively is where “Madden 25” fumbles a bit. The tackle stick works, but it just doesn’t feel right. Players can still tackle with the square button, but when you pull off a nice tackle with the analog stick, it just looks cool. Players will consistently want to go for the big play, but the feature isn’t quite there yet. With opponents in the vicinity of the play, a simple flick of the stick should get the tackle done, but that’s not always the case. Like some of the other newer gameplay features, this one requires practice as well.

Luckily, with all of the extra bells and whistles and doo-hickeys this year, EA’s Skill Trainer does an excellent job of preparing and explaining all the new features and modes in a easy, look what you can do sort of way. While taking everything in at first can be cumbersome, investing the time in the Skills Trainer is a more than worthwhile endeavor.

While the changes in gameplay have smoothed out the product immensely, the presentation and commentary is what gives the game its luster. On the spot commentary from Jim Nantz and Phil Simms makes you feel like you’re watching NFL football on television. The camera angles, instant replays and sound effects all recreate the experience as well. Even on a non-HD set, you’ll often find yourself marveled at the amount of detail and the fluidity of movement.

There’s also a hardy layer of extra gameplay modes. Between the Ultimate Team (with a huge list of legends including Barry Sanders and Cris Carter to spice up gameplay) and Connected Franchises, players can get so much more than the play-now experience. With a still sound create-a-player and online elements included in essentially every mode, you’ll find the game a time eater. At first, you’ll simply be fooling around. Three hours later, the modes take on a life of their own entirely.

Powered by wonderful presentation, updated animations and seamless integration of other gameplay modes, “Madden 25” may be the best football game on a current generation console. It’s not without its flaws, but with some time invested, it’s a game of football you won’t want to put down.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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