Madden NFL 16 is receiving excellent reviews from critics. The latest football simulator from EA Sports made some improvements and added some new features. The first experience that players will get when they start up Madden 16 is a demo of Super Bowl 50, USA Today reports. Madden puts the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Arizona Cardinals. The player will be able to play a little bit of the demo, and this is where they will learn the new Playmaker controls. Playmaker controls are designed for both the receivers and the defenders. Players can elect what kind of catch their receiver will attempt when a ball is headed their way. They will choose from a Possession catch, a run after catch and an Aggressive catch. Depending on their choice, a different outcome will result.

 

Before we roll out the red carpet and plan the victory parade for this year’s Madden game, there are some aspects that are somewhat disappointing. For starters, some technical issues crop up every now and then. I noticed some clipping issues where players would walk right through a referee and another glitch in Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team (MUT 16) where blank players appear in player cards. Other odd glitches surface during the replays and sideline shots. These issues will likely be resolved with a patch but at the time of writing the deficiencies remain. Despite the eventual fix, some of the games presentation and menus are far too similar to last year’s game. Fans of Madden NFL 16 will notice this right away when you launch into a game and watch the opening montage. Likewise the Connected Franchise (CFM) and the MUT modes haven’t revamped or upgraded the modes as much as I would like. For instance, I expected a marked improvement over last year’s MUT 16’s auction system, and how you can assign the player cards to collections.

 

While all these gameplay tweaks ensure a more polished game of football, the real star of Madden NFL 16 is Draft Champions. Draft Champions is essentially a video game version of fantasy football. Upon entering the mode, players pick their team and then choose from one of three random coaches. There are then fifteen rounds that allow players to select one of three players per round. Players can be either active or legacy and of multiple different positions. As the players that pop up are randomized, strategy must be used to ensure the most optimal team. While a quick rating shows the best available player each round, simply choosing him could lead to a team stacked with one position and clear holes at others. I just felt more could have been done here to make it a little more user friendly and easier to manage.

 

Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. snatched Eli Manning's toss out of the air with a spectacular one-handed grab that ended with the young player on his back in the end zone. It was a magical football moment that quickly turned into a pop culture touchstone. So it's no surprise, really, that the impossible catch also seems to have also been a guiding principle for EA Sports' big changes in Madden NFL 16. After a couple years of focus on fine-tuning defensive play to make it more fun, the team at EA Tiburon turns its attention to offensive play. For quarterbacks, that means a deeper toolbox of throws than before. Basically, this mode is pretty great. As an Ultimate Team fan it gives me a good reason to jump in and play a few games of football without committing to season long endeavors or drawn out online matches. You can generally knock out a full Draft Champions round in an hour or less, depending on how well you play. And every effort doesn’t feel wasted due to the rewards given when you finish.

 

It’s a really great addition to Madden this year, and something I hope the developers continue to use. Other modes, like single player matches, online leagues and Connected Franchise are back as well. They really wrap up the football experience, especially Connected, which lets you choose a coach, a player or an entire team to take command of as you head to Super Bowl greatness. Some may just want to hop into the on-field action, but overall, there's a lot to do here. Sometimes the servers can be iffy depending on connection, but the matches we had definitely clicked for us - even when we tried the Raiders (hey, someone dared us, back off).

 

But for the most part the general gameplay in Madden 16 is the same and that’s not a bad thing. Seasoned players will pick the game right up with no problems, while newer players will have to get used to schemes and quick thinking.