As the world of video games hectically migrates towards online gaming as its main focus, the sports genre is no different. Playing head-to-head was once the acceptable norm, but oh how the landscape has changed over the last 5 years. Now sports gamers want and expect the full game experience online, and in many cases, even more.

With EA’s latest iteration of its NFL franchise, Madden 15, dropping this week, fans of the series are hoping that the polarizing developer has delivered just that - a full online experience.

Head-to-Head

For some, this mode is still the bread and butter of the online experience in Madden. They would rather not be bothered with connected franchises, draft classes, downloading sliders. Simply give them an opponent, a controller, and a decent internet connection. Good news for fans of this mode, it’s still there and solid as ever. The options are pretty vanilla, but that is exactly what one would expect. You can choose to play a random opponent, or pick a friend from, well, your friends list. Even though the options are bland, that doesn’t mean they are limited. Online fans will find the ability to choose the difficulty, quarter length, specific camera, and obviously their team and stadium of choice.

One can knock some of the choices EA Sports has made over the years in regards to this title, but the one constant has always been a solid ability to connect online, and run smoothly. This year is no different; as once you are connected, the game runs as smooth as it does offline. One of the biggest problems or gripes with H2H play has always been gameplay manipulation, or “cheesing” as some would define it. This year EA has decided to implement a slower process in hot routing in hopes of thwarting those who attempt to derail the fun by taking advantage of the games shortcomings. It is definitely a step in the right direction, but let’s be honest, those who want to “cheese” will always find a way to do it, and developers can only do so much to combat it.

Online Connected Franchise

For me (and many others) this is where the game starts to shine. Obviously in our review, Chris has talked about some of the issues that still plague the mode, but those aside, this mode it what gives the Madden 15 online a certain longevity. Most know what this game mode entails, and if I am being completely transparent, not a lot has changed in this mode. Once again the option to play online as an owner, coach, or player returns, and you can choose to play this mode solo, or with some of your best next-gen friends.

As a player you pick the team to play for, earn experience points to upgrade your player, but you only have control over that player. If you want to have the option to control both the offense and defense, make personnel decisions, or move you franchise to an entirely different locale, than coach or owner mode is the choice for you. As commissioner, you have the standard set of options to choose from, including maximum users in franchise, types of trades allowed, type of player progression, slider settings, and much more. If you played this mode last year than you will feel right at home, and while there have been some upgrades in the mode, including the new game-prep and coach upgrades, not a lot has changed. You can’t beat the option of gathering some friends and battling through the experience of an NFL season(s). I experienced no connectivity issues at all, and the set-up of the league is extremely seamless.

There have been serious issues with this mode, including user vs. user CFM games not counting. However, as of this writing it seems like those issues may be smoothed over somewhat. There are sporadic connectivity issues and desyncs, which could be for any number of reasons and they don't seem to be widespread enough at this point to say its a server or software issue.

Madden Ultimate Team

According to EA, this is the fastest growing mode in the game, and EA has made some changes that should make things a bit easier for fans of MUT. In Madden 15, they have upgraded the “best lineup” option to now include reserves, They have also decided to bring back “chemistry” for MUT, and include multiple options of both offense and defense to help the user put together the best team available.

Obviously Madden Ultimate Team does not require one to play online against other human opponents, but most fans of this mode choose to do so. Ultimate team puts you into a 10-game season, and includes an eight team playoff. The better you do, the better the rewards. Even if you’re not a fan of this mode, you have to admit that there is something exciting and addicting when it comes to opening that pack of cards.

If you are a fan of online play, than EA has put together a strong lineup of modes for you to enjoy. Other than then issues that Sony has been having with the PSN and ongoing maintenance, we experienced little to no hiccups when playing any of these modes online.

Final Thoughts

Despite some hiccups at launch, less than a week later and it seems like many of the issues are already being ironed out. It's unfortunate another sports game had problems at launch, but thankfully the issues didn't last too long. If you are looking to take Madden online, you will most likely (but not fully guaranteed) have a good experience.