E3 2013: Madden NFL 25 Xbox One Hands-On

Feature Article

Submitted on: 06/12/2013 by Steve Noah

Finally.

Madden NFL 25 has redesigned pass blocking with its new targeting system, which is the foundation of the battle in the trenches. Offensive and defensive lineman are more physical and intelligent, but unfortunately you won’t notice any of this until you pop Madden NFL 25 into your Xbox One – hopefully you have patience, and, well, an Internet connection.

Here are a few bullet points regarding Madden NFL 25:

Double team pass blocking
300 new pass rush animations
On passing plays, tackles set up the edge rush to create the width of the pocket, guards and center create the depth of the pocket
The QB has a pocket, and not just a pretend one anymore
No two pockets will look the same.
Offensive lineman will double team and abort double teams when they sniff out a blitz
If a blocker can't get to a defender in time, he will chip to try to slow him down or adjust his path.

Hands-On Impressions

The Hands-on was extremely limited. So limited as in we took control of Adrian Peterson on a dive and sweep play on the Rookie difficulty setting.

The blocking improvements and running animations looked good, but it wasn't eye-popping beautiful as was the hope. I really thought I was going to be blown away by the graphics, but that didn't happen. Saw quite a few different animations, which might be in the current-gen of Madden NFL 25 as well. One animation had Peterson hurdling a defender, only to be spun around like a helicopter from a hit from another defender. It looked amazing, not sure how often that would happen, but I only saw it once.

For those doubting double team pass blocking, stop worrying. I saw it quite a few times as the producers were showing actual gameplay and going into slow motion replay to showcase how much the pass blocking has improved. You could see the double team pass blocking on almost every occasion, especially when the defense didn't send a blitz. Even when they did send a blitz, you could see a quick double team, then be smart enough to quickly release and engage with the blitzing defender.

Pursuit angles, foot planting and blocking impressed me. Check back at OS later in the week for more impressions of Madden NFL 25.

Madden NFL 25 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 SageInfinite @ 06/12/13 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghettogeeksta


	They need to get rid of the canned animations and go 100 percent physics, Canned animations are ruining the game, the tackling is horrid and movement is till kinda stiff and robotic.

I don't think it's so much "canned" animations that ruin this game. It's the way Tiburon uses them.

# 22 Cryolemon @ 06/12/13 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghettogeeksta


	They need to get rid of the canned animations and go 100 percent physics, Canned animations are ruining the game, the tackling is horrid and movement is till kinda stiff and robotic.

The problem is that the only football game to go 100% physics (Backbreaker) was frankly dross, so that'll put developers off for a generation at least.

# 23 hanzsomehanz @ 06/12/13 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trey2k198003


	Who cares about difficulty on a demo and better yet...how do you suspect it ? lol

The OP stated it was Rookie and he was limited to controlling only AP and only a couple outside run plays (on Rookie difficulty).

This is somewhat concerning because Rookie gives your team superior (100) skill and intelligence while All-Pro (Online base) utilizes 50% of that potential which means we can expect to see at least a 50% reduction in overall effecacy at the line (dbl teams and pocket formation), in RB ability (using contextual awareness and ability to break tackles and ability to recover amd maintain balance and maintain protection of the ball) and basically universally over all skill and awareness.

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2

# 24 Hixalot @ 06/12/13 04:34 PM

Someone asked above and I didn't see an answer, but PS4 version will be the same as Xbox One version yes?

I only ask because every "next gen" impression has only mentioned the Xbox One

# 25 jWILL253 @ 06/12/13 05:30 PM

Why is EA pushing the Xbone version when nobody is gonna buy that thing?

# 26 RogueHominid @ 06/12/13 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	You don't get near enough of a picture looking at just a couple minutes of gameplay. How good is the AI, both on and off the field. CPU AI drafting, FA's, Roster Management, etc. How realistic are injuries? How realistic are the stats in both played and simmed games? There is so much more to a Video Football game than just "some small sampling of videos look pretty good". The things I want to see before buying won't even be visible in a demo. I'll just wait until the game is out and in trusted hands before I go forming any opinions. Not sure how others can form such extreme opinions and even try and correct others opinions with such little "real info".

This is basically what I'm saying. There will likely be no full-scale rundown of present generation features or extended gameplay displaying these features in action. Given the limited implementation of CCM last year, I would have to see some real, hard data that details how the modes work and how the AI works.

What I'd like to see is a breakdown by LBZrules and a few other trustworthy reporters.

I like the blocking adjustments in the passing game and the smart avoidance logic where players don't just get stuck running into each other. Some of the footwork looks good too, but that stuff has to get a much longer look to really get how well it's implemented.

Someone also needs to do a comprehensive rundown of the options in CCM. The way that works will be a make or break deal for lots of folks, I would imagine.

# 27 jpdavis82 @ 06/12/13 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jWILL253


	Why is EA pushing the Xbone version when nobody is gonna buy that thing?

Not going to start a console war, but plenty people will, including me.

# 28 BBallcoach @ 06/12/13 06:30 PM

the question is, is Madden 25 going to better on XB1 than 360 this year? Cause I will wait for it on XB1 if it will be

# 29 ncaafootball14markus @ 06/12/13 07:14 PM

....what the heck makes you think i'll need an internet connection to play this game?

# 30 harlemkiid149 @ 06/12/13 07:48 PM

I had a feeling this would happen.Normally at E3 Madden is fully covered with new features,gameplay footage,playbooks,dynasty news,etc Madden 13 was pretty good and if Madden 25 is going to make the next step in the Madden Franchise the engineers and producers are going to need more time to get Madden 25 up to par. This only makes the demo that much more tantalizing because really there are alot of rumors about this and that but there's no footage so the demo will be a way to somewhat practice and unlock all the unknowns before August 27th

# 31 m1ke_nyc @ 06/12/13 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jWILL253


	Why is EA pushing the Xbone version when nobody is gonna buy that thing?

The Xbox one will be sold out at launch, you can bet your house on that.

# 32 cherone21 @ 06/12/13 10:07 PM

I bought it already and agree. Everyone buys Apple TV and they do not complain that it always has to be connected to the internet. X1 is no different and people will see the benefits of being connected.[you will have a device that is better than apple tv for entertainment and games.QUOTE=ratedmoney;2045114449]The Xbox one will be sold out at launch, you can bet your house on that.[/quote]

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

# 33 jpdavis82 @ 06/12/13 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBallcoach


	the question is, is Madden 25 going to better on XB1 than 360 this year? Cause I will wait for it on XB1 if it will be

Without a doubt, better player movement, better o/d line play, 50x better contextual awareness, better crowd and sidelines atmosphere, better commentary, CFM and Owner Mode. Next Gen is definitely going to be better than the 360/PS3 version.

# 34 DorianDonP @ 06/12/13 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherone21


	I bought it already and agree. Everyone buys Apple TV and they do not complain that it always has to be connected to the internet. X1 is no different and people will see the benefits of being connected.[you will have a device that is better than apple tv for entertainment and games.QUOTE=ratedmoney;2045114449]The Xbox one will be sold out at launch, you can bet your house on that.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express[/quote]

The WiiU sold out at launch. Doesn't really mean much. Lot of people buy these things just to sell them on ebay for profit.

# 35 harlemkiid149 @ 06/12/13 10:14 PM

E3 Madden 25 demo footage Vikings(user) vs Seahawks(user)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4NEVPNTrzY

# 36 ZoneBlitz @ 06/12/13 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBleedingRed21


	The colors are a hell of a lot better. Still shocked people expected a ps2-ps3 kind of leap in graphics lol. It's about gameplay now folks (The true measurement of games).

With 10 times as much power, I expect photo-realism. Why waste all of that power for minor graphical upgrades?

At any rates, the photos look great. I can't wait to play it on Xbox One this fall.

# 37 Herky @ 06/12/13 10:32 PM

That trailer looks absolutely amazing.

# 38 PVarck31 @ 06/12/13 10:53 PM

Please refrain from the console talk. There are 2 threads plus the E3 thread to talk about them in the console forum.

# 39 TracerBullet @ 06/12/13 11:11 PM

I know what you just said above, PVarck, but I just wanted to mention that the reason they are pushing the Xbox One version is because of their exclusive partnership with Microsoft that was talked about at their conference. You go with the people you partner with. No other reason really.

# 40 The_Cane @ 06/13/13 09:18 AM

looks sick...can't wait.

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