Anyone who has ever played Madden NFL knows that with each iteration there are changes. There are almost always additions combined with subtractions, whether they be game modes, features, or menu options. In anticipation of Madden NFL 25, we're going to focus on the five features that we miss the most from past editions of Madden.

One feature sorely missing from prior editions is Michael Vick's invincibility. We kid, we kid.

Import Draft Class from NCAA Football - This feature was seemingly removed in Madden NFL 13 in order to accommodate the new "Connected Careers" mode. Madden NFL 13 featured fictional draft classes that were commented on in the game via the virtual twitter feed. The omission of the draft class import feature was the first time that a Madden game had shipped without the feature since Madden NFL 2003. Much of the NCAA Football series' sales in the months of September and October have had a lot to do with the ability to import draft classes into Madden in my opinion. Many gamers were left frustrated when this feature was scrapped for Madden NFL 13. The option to use the players that you recruited in NCAA Football inside of Madden is a huge factor in immersion. Let's hope we see a return of the draft class import feature in Madden NFL 25.

The Tony Bruno Show - New to Madden NFL 2005 was the Tony Bruno radio show. Billed as EA Sports Radio, the Bruno-hosted show played each week, and if users listened to the show they could hear interviews with players and coaches, hear Tony take calls fans, and hear about things happening in the your NFL world. It was another feature that took immersion to another level. Also tied in with this, was EA's Storyline Central, which included licensed, real newspapers from every NFL city. Players would also email you to complain about playing time or to thank you for an opportunity to start for example. To this day, Madden NFL 2005 is still considered one of the most feature rich Maddens of all-time.

Madden NFL 09 had fair play, which forced players to play non-cheese games of Madden.

EA Sports Fair Play - Madden NFL 2004 saw the debut of what was dubbed EA Sports Fair Play. What this feature did was to force players to call plays against other users like a real NFL coach would. That meant forcing users to punt on 4th down from their own side of the field and trying to restrict other forms of online "cheese" and super aggressive play calling. With some real life NFL coaches calling plays in non-traditional ways recently, this feature might have to be tweaked, but it's still worth revisiting. This has been a hot button issue for the community since it's removal after Madden NFL 09. I don't think there is any question that the option of a fair play lobby should be present for users who want a sim experience while playing online. I really don't understand why this was removed and I would say it's one of things that keeps me from personally playing Madden online more often.

QB Vision Control - Madden NFL 06 featured a very polarizing new feature: The QB Vision Cone. Basically, the QB Vision Control directly tied a quarterback's awareness rating to how he viewed the field. Quarterbacks with higher awareness that would cover more ground on the field, and could make more accurate throws within that field of vision. Users could shift the vision cone using the thumbstick, to simulate the quarterback scanning the field. Users could also push the triggers to change receivers and simulate a quarterback going through his route progression. Throwing on the run became much more difficult as well.

The QB Vision Control feature helped to create a fun cat-and-mouse game on the field. Skilled defensive users could track a quarterbacks's vision as he scanned the field and try to jump the route as the ball was thrown. On the offensive side, users could use the vision cone to fake out a defender and switch to the truly intended receiver at the last minute. It was one of the most truly innovative features in Madden history and the debate rages on to this day. I would love to see the option to use QB Vision Control put back into the game in the very near future.

Pre-release promo material for Madden NFL 25 hints at the return of Owner Mode into Connected Franchise.

Owner Mode - Madden NFL 2004 saw the introduction of "Owner Mode." Owner Mode allowed you to play up to 30 seasons in the game and it was deep. When I say it was deep, there are still tutorials to this day on the internet for Owner Mode and Madden NFL 2004 even shipped with a four minute video tutorial on Owner Mode, which was narrated by Melissa Stark and Al Michaels. The feature also included "Advisors" to help users make changes based on team weaknesses and your team's success. Users could check out fan support, attendance numbers, cash assets, income and expenses, and more.

Something that was more at home on the PC text-sim market, Madden NFL 2004 added a graphic interface that allowed users to set ticket prices, concession prices, parking prices, merchandising, and advertising prices. Even these were broken down into individual items such as hot dogs, foam fingers, and billboards. The amount of depth was a breath of fresh air for a franchise mode that needed one. The offseason was really emphasized in Owner Mode, allowing you direct control over your coaching staff and even your trainers. You could promote coordinators, fire head coaches, and generally do everything that happens in the NFL offseason. You could even relocate your team to a new city. Owner Mode was probably the deepest mode ever created in a console football game. It was a true nod to the hardcore sim players.

It has been hinted that Owner Mode is coming back for Madden NFL 25, it would be a moment none too soon.