As I said in our staff's recent Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 roundtable, I'm fundamentally opposed to the multi-button, meter-based kicking mechanics that games like PES and FIFA have employed for over a decade. But despite not liking either of those titles' core gameplay, I've still found myself firing up lots of FIFA on the new consoles, primarily due to its well-made cooperative multiplayer modes. Whenever I'm playing Pro Clubs or Two vs. Two Online Seasons alongside my pals -- instead of being isolated against a single friend in a personal grudge match -- the gameplay frustrations that'd normally stop me from having fun with FIFA just drip off the side of my skull before they can ever reach my brain, like condensation coming off a cold bottle.
 

Bringing Online Team Play back to Madden might have a similar impact on people like me, who've stopped buying the game because they could no longer stomach its flawed solo/head-to-head experience. Filling the field with human players has always been an excellent way of hiding AI deficiencies. EA's NHL series, for instance, is hard to enjoy whenever 10 or 11 CPUs are constantly making boneheaded decisions all over the rink. But once the EA Sports Hockey League arrived in NHL 09, giving fans a way to put 0 CPUs on the ice, NHL quickly became my most-played sports franchise on the Xbox 360, despite being only an occasional watcher of real-life hockey back then.

Madden did make a halfhearted attempt to coattail onto Online Team Play's emerging popularity when Tiburon introduced a three-on-three mode to Madden NFL 11. But that stripped-down version of OTP never took off like Adidas Live Run or the EA Sports Hockey League did. So as with most of their features that aren't an instant success, EA never made any significant upgrades to Madden's thrift store-quality OTP, and by Madden NFL 15, the company decided it was better to remove the left-for-dead mode from their game rather than trying to improve it.

As the 2015 fall sports season begins, Madden and MLB The Show (Sony also deleted their online co-op mode during the transition to the PlayStation 4) are now the only major team sports titles without a cooperative online option. Both basketball games and the two soccer games now offer some way to suit up with your friends. And NHL 16's EASHL looks to be an even better version of that brand's traditionally excellent club system. So why not bring Online Team Play back to Madden? EA could easily take some of their existing features and fuse them together, without having to create something entirely from scratch:
 

Co-Op Online Seasons

Sides as big as 11 and as small as 2 take control of real NFL teams and current NFL players in the standard NFL stadiums. Superfans of lesser franchises like the Cleveland Browns or Jacksonville Jaguars can still find a suitable matchup while using their favorite squad, since the search engine is automatically designed to match lineups with closely rated rosters. Repeatedly picking powerful teams like the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots might give you an advantage on the field, but it won't win your club as many ranking points, because the leaderboard system awards a small post-match bonus based on the overall ratings of each user-controlled position.

Owners can name and abbreviate their club to whatever they want, but other than that, everything on screen is indistinguishable from a normal versus game, only with human players potentially taking up all 22 positions. If your team doesn't have a full 11-man roster, you can restrict the matchmaking to find opponents with a similarly sized squad. Like in FIFA, you can choose to play the rapidly switching “Any” position, or simply pick one spot (on offense and on defense) to control the entire game.

Progression is based on EA's popular Online Seasons model, with your club advancing up or down the division ladder depending on whether they win, lose, or tie. Team and player stats are permanently tracked and ranked on leaderboards, and single-elimination playoffs are held on the last week of every month, culminating in an invite-only “Super Bowl” tournament the first week of February for the year's top 12 teams. There are two separate leaderboards and playoff brackets: one for 11-man teams, and one for teams with 10 or less players.
 

The Playground

Capitalizing on the (commercial) success of NBA 2K's Parks, as well as the lack of licensed, arcade-style sports games, Madden takes football to the streets with its fresh Playground mode.

You won't find any field goals, punts, extra points, kickoffs, or penalty flags on The Playground. This is seven-on-seven football, with teams consisting of:

1 QB, 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR, 1 OL
1 LB, 1 SS, 1 FS, 3 CB, 1 DL

To accommodate the smaller player load, and to help create shorter match lengths, the winner is the first team to 30 points, and the field is significantly reduced in length and width. Each drive starts on your own three-yard line, where you'll have just four downs to travel 20 yards and reach the end zone. Be cautious when you're backed up, because a sack or TFL could give the other team a two-point safety and possession of the ball. After a touchdown, you can either take the free, fully automated extra point (à la NFL Blitz), or pick a play and go for a two-point conversion from the three-yard line.

You'll create an avatar using EA's GameFace feature, and can swag him or her out with officially licensed jerseys, clothing, tats, hats, and other fashionable accessories from a virtual Champs Sports store that accepts paid microtransactions or difficult-to-earn in-game currency (something's got to pay for the mode's maintenance expenses). Since zebras don't inhabit The Playground, you're free to celebrate or emote whenever you want, including during the pre-game introductions and the losers' send off. But you'll either have to unlock these cellies with hard work, or make a quick microtransaction payment to get the ones you want.

As with NHL 16's new EASHL model, athletes cannot gain experience points, so all player attributes are based on preset classes. A scrambling QB (like Michael Vick) is super fast and has a strong arm, but is burdened by poor pass accuracy and is fumble-prone whenever he's hit. Pocket passers (like Peyton Manning) have excellent accuracy and strong ball security when hit, but possess average arm strength and slow running speed. A balanced build (like Andrew Luck) can do a little bit of everything, but won't wow you with any particular skill. Like the attribute ratings, the gameplay will still be realistic -- set on All-Pro difficulty and default gameplay sliders -- so you won't be seeing any wall jumps or behind-the-back throws in these streets.

Your team's journey to the top of the leaderboards begins in a bare, run-down urban or rural setting, but you can upgrade your home turf by unlocking/purchasing different props and field designs. The best, most dedicated squads can eventually buy their own custom-made cruise ship, with glass walls showcasing all the marine life surrounding the field (the original Tiburon logo was a shark, after all).

I can already imagine the next over-the-top "Madden Season" trailer:

For the first time in franchise history, Madden NFL 17 puts you and your friends on a *bleep* *bleep* boat!