It's release night of Madden NFL 15, and so far it seems like release day is going about as planned. As our official review says, on the field Madden may play the best brand of football you can find. And while there are still some nagging issues, it seems the franchise is more than on the right track. However, it seems that when you get to the facade around the on-field gameplay that the title shows some weakness.

Most of our staff have gotten just as much playtime as most of you at this point, so here are some initial thoughts from the guys who will be covering the game in the coming days and weeks...

Phil Varckette: It's hard not to be wowed when looking for a first impression of Madden 15. The game is absolutely stunning to look at. Easily on par with other next-gen sports titles. But the real question is how does it play? Well I can say with my limited time with the game that it plays very well. While I do still believe animations need an overhaul, the game feels more organic, and just flat out plays better football than we've seen in years. I feel like the CPU AI is making better decisions, and presenting me with more of a challenge than in the past. And this is on All-Pro difficulty.

The X's and O's game seems to have improved. I don't feel like I'm getting lucky by stopping plays. I feel like I'm stopping them because I out-smarted the AI. I've noticed that if you stick with a 4 man rush a good CPU QB will pick you apart. To me, that's football. If I start to mix in blitzes I notice their completion percentages start to drop. This is how it should be in my opinion.

It seems like overall the game has more balance this year. Things that should be happening are happening, and things that aren't, aren't. While not perfect, the game feels like its getting to that sweet spot. It feels like EA wants us to learn how to play Madden like real football, and are finally giving us the gameplay to back it up.

Ben Vollmer: There's a lot to be happy about, with Madden '15. First and foremost, the game is beautiful. Madden has finally caught up to its peers in terms of visuals -- with the only outlier being a (still) funky physics system that results in a few eye sores. Secondly, the game plays a lot better. Everything from tighter passing lanes to defense actually being just as fun to play as offense helps give the game a fresh coat of paint.

But that doesn't mean the game is anywhere near perfect. Players still don't feel unique in the way that they play or look. Running animations are still pretty poor and they're often paired with odd animations. About one in every ten tackles, the ball carrier is flung backwards like they just ran into a rubber wall. Commentary is still really bland, but the presentation is a bit better overall. Though, I'm glad that gameplay took the brunt of the work for this iteration.

Madden '15 is a good game, and leaves the door open for the series to take some innovative and risky moves in the future. I think football fans can rejoice in the fact that we finally have something that is playable, fun, and plays pretty realistically.

Caley Roark: I agree with most of what my colleagues have said. Madden 15 looks very good on the PS4, especially with the newly added broadcast elements. I love the little video clips that introduce your QB--though I imagine they'll get old pretty quick. The menus also look good, but are a bit cumbersome; sometime flash gets in the way of functionality.

On the field, things are improved from last year. Running seems a bit more challenging. Defense has gotten a major overhaul--to the point where playing as a LB or CB is equally as fun as a DE. The tackling cone is not only unobtrusive, but also functional. In fact, I'm finding that I'm relying on it the more I play.

I also like the "professional" approach EA took to the Skills Challenge, incorporating real football strategy and reads into the training mode. As someone who love watching football, but doesn't understand 100% of the intricacies, I appreciate that I'm learning while I play.

I do see some issues, especially as others have pointed out in the animations. Also, what's that strange sound I sometimes hear when tackles are made? It sort of sounds like a beachball hitting a brick wall. And, for all of the improvements in the broadcast, commentary is still pretty bad. It's also time for EA to ditch their "own" broadcast IDs and use ESPN or the NFL Network.

As Chris stated in his review, this is probably the best Madden in years--at least from my initial plays. Hopefully the shine doesn't wear off too quickly...