Welcome as Madden NFL 15 is, these new defensive abilities still primarily revolve around speed. Faster defenders can recover more quickly from mistakes, cover more of the field and block gaps in the lines more readily. There are bigger, slower defenders that boast better tackling attributes, but tackles miss so infrequently that it makes little sense to select them. Choosing a mediocre tackler with a 90-plus speed attribute will see greater success than a tackling machine with sub-80 speed. Again, this generally stands at odds with the reality of the NFL. Pressing the trigger as soon as the offense has snapped the ball allows you to launch quickly off the line of scrimmage; time it perfectly and you give yourself a chance to catch your opposing guard flatfooted, breezing past him and straight into the quarterback's face. If you do get blocked, then the face buttons perform power and finesse moves to get past your nemesis, while the left stick allows you to push them out of the way to give a teammate more space to burst past. Similarly detailed actions exist for linebackers and cornerbacks, too, the defensive position you decide to take up likely coming down to which player is your favourite.

 

NFL Blitz just had an Extra Point play that you'd press and it'd immediately say "Here's another point!" for a second and then the opposing team would already be receiving a kick off. You don't have to be that quick, but show some hustle. I'm sorry some underpaid, under stimulated artist had to realistically render Andy Reid's mustache bristles, but I don't ever want to look at him. Mostly, offense feels the same. Running on friends seems to work fine in Madden NFL 15, but running on the computer is a nightmare unless you a) do the bad-football-thing of running laterally and turning a corner up the sideline, or b) catch the defense in a bad set and then no-huddle call the same play over and over, picking up ten yards at a time and going all the way down the field. You don't have to be Jon Bois to break Madden. Someone already figured out how to stand still and not get tackled for over a minute. More will come. I also recommend leaning on tight ends, five wide sets, and general open field manic running (nothing as bad as playing against old school Mike Vick, but, still).

 

Thankfully for the more serious gridiron gamer, the new in-match UI in NFL 15 doesn’t mean Madden has turned into a realism-shunning feast of crazy touchdowns. On All-Pro difficulty this simulates the sport expertly, and you have to know your HB Cutbacks from your WR Screens to prosper. The blocking game is particularly improved this year. On passing plays linemen make a genuine attempt to form a pocket from which the quarterback can throw, while running with the ball prompts them to properly engage with opponents and form ‘lanes’ for you to sprint down. These upgrades significantly boost the series’ believability.

 

Other useful tactics for both sides of the ball include the new camera angles. Offensively, you are now able to zoom close or move out wide. There’s even a side view, which is horrible to look at but if it works, use it. Defensively, you no longer just have to play from the offensive point of view. Flipping the camera brings a new perspective look at the offense. Locking onto a single player is available as well. At first it feels strange to play from the new angles, but after a few repetitions you’ll notice how effective the change can be. All of the view switching can be done pre-snap by using the D-pad. Persistent issues of the series sadly remain. Commentary still sounds disjointed and forced, the player impact engine frequently results in hilarious collisions, and online stutters too frequently for a game released in 2014. Progress has been made, but there’s still plenty for EA to sort out.

 

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.