Overall, Madden NFL 15 an excellent entry in the series. Any fan of American football will certainly enjoy this title greatly. Despite having some issues which have not yet been attended to, the game still manages to deliver a first-class experience with some major changes to the way the game plays out! You’re not a huge online player? Would rather try and take your Browns to the Superbowl or something crazy like that? Connect careers is once again an amazing feature with the ability to play it online and offline. Personally I created my own QB and set out to become the starter for the Greenbay Packers. But if you’re more interested in seeing what it’s like to be Johnny Football you can once again select any player and take over their career in pursuit of creating a legacy.

 

Madden NFL 15 provides an informative pre-game show and the franchise’s first true halftime show, featuring studio host Larry Ridley. His pre-game insight can help guide you as to which players will need to be contained, and maybe even which players aren’t performing all that great. If a WR is in a slump, maybe you won’t need to double team him and can give some help to another CB. The half time show is catered to your actual game by calling out the stars of the first half and giving their actual stats. These additions give the game a more real-life feel and help to draw you in.

 

Like every year there are some new features that EA brings out. Some of the features for this year include Player Sense 2.0 (an improved and enhanced computer AI that acts drastically more realistic), enhanced graphics and an improved presentation (which will make the game look more like an actual NFL broadcast), a new play calling system (which gives you immediate feedback on how your plays are resulting to different presented scenarios), all new tackling mechanics (allows more different types of tackles), War in the Trenches 2.0 (new rushing mechanics and abilities) and Catch Variety and Pass Inaccuracy (effects QBs that throw short and long passes). My last major gripe with the game is that it has become a pick up and play style of game rather than the skill based competitive game that Madden once was. On this version of the game you have icons that light up above your player telling you when to do everything and how to do it, blocksheds from hell that make it almost a disadvantage to create a defensive scheme as random plays with blockshed work better, and if someone is patient enough to hit drags and check downs all game they literally would not be stopped.

 

Simply put, Madden NFL 15 is a near-flawless football title. My one gripe is that the game has some insipid commentary at times. But other than that? Madden NFL 15 is an All-Pro. The new features and the retuned physics engine make this year's version a must-have game for any football lover. While last year was about making a football game that ran on next-gen consoles, this year is about making an excellent football game that exploits the power of next-gen consoles. Improvements to offensive and defensive gameplay, better player models, better (and more adjustable) camera angles, a fun and challenging Gauntlet mode, and tutorials that teach beginners about the game of football breathe new life into a series that had, honestly, started to get stale. Madden NFL 15 was fun and engaging from the minute I started it up. I didn't want to stop playing, but I had to, at least for as long as it took to write this review.

 

The commentary in Madden has always been an issue for most fans of the series and this year is no exception in fact, it could be the worst it's been in the history of the franchise. Jim Nantz and Phil Sims return and call each game with the fervor of a explaining the sport to a kindergarden class. There's little small talk here between the two and they just rattle off random lines that sometimes pertain to the action on the field and are more often than not seemingly pulled out of thin air. Eddy Lacy had rushed for over 100 yards by the half of one game and they were talking about how the ground game just "wasn't working for me" wait, what? I seriously also heard them say "This is a great win for that one team" after a game once. Really? That one team? Be ready to turn off commentary and hope for a change in the booth next year.