Madden 15 is the 27th game in the extremely popular American EA sporting franchise. As they’ve done with previous years, EA allowed NFL fans to vote via ESPN to select who they wanted to see on the cover of the game. The vote lasted less time that previous years due to a later than normal release of the game. Seattle Seahawk player Richard Sherman was the chosen cover man for 2015.
EA Sports have always been praised on their wonderful presentation and Madden 15 is a great example of why they’re the leading sporting developer. Players have more detail and personality than ever before. Animation is smoother than it’s ever been but not without some glitches. What fun would the game be without them? Improved lighting means that light now reflects directly off players. Crowds are much more full and alive than ever before and bring a bigger amount of atmosphere to the game.
As always, a great soundtrack and commentary accompany this iteration of Madden. The commentary in particular seems a lot less repetitive than in years past and seems to match the situation a lot more closely. There is a high emphasis on replays that take place in key moments and this is well appreciated in highlighting the big hits and great touchdowns.
I’m not the biggest NFL fan however I can appreciate any sport game. Madden 15 boasts a number of new features which help make the game much more realistic and strategic than ever. Madden 15’s main new feature is War In The Trenches 2.0. This is something that the developers at EA have introduced to make much passing a much easier process. Passing quickly is more fluent than ever and you’re able to hit your target like never before.
Organising your plays has never been more of a tactical process. EA have added in a feature to show you which plays other players around the world are using as well as which play the opposing team are most likely to use. This gives a brand new insight into the game. Defence has also been rejigged giving players to choose between whether they want to make a more aggressive or conservative tackle.
A.I players have now been improved as well. This allows in-game players to make better defensive and attacking moves in order to pull off plays that weren’t possible in previous years. Zone Coverage ratings have a bigger impact on how quickly defenders will break through the line on throws. Defenders with higher ratings in a certain zone will react much quicker to those that don’t.
Madden Ultimate Team has also seen a new healthy additions. The new items screen shows you the latest items for use in your inventory. Changing your team lineup is more simpler than ever whilst still providing the same amount of depth as ever before. You’re also able to choose your best lineup by overall or play style.
