We learned a lot about Madden yesterday, with improvements to franchise mode being squarely in the spotlight. So let's talk to the OS Staff and see what they think of the reveals from yesterday's EA Press Conference.

Danny Webster: I like the progress Madden is making so far. The new broadcast team, which we've discussed before, has to be more exciting than Jim Nantz and Phil Simms by default. The new stick moves and fluidity in the players look promising as well.

I'm iffy on the Play the Moment mode. It's EA's way of taking the Red Zone channel and bringing it to video game form. For those who value franchise mode and like to play a full 16-game season with their play determining the outcome of a game, this won't be a fully-utilized mode. But for gamers who want to play the game for excitement value alone and make big plays, it should be a way to speed up the game and progress through a season quicker. There's potential there, but it might not succeed for content creators.

All in all, Madden's overhaul is going in the right direction. With launch date near, the excitement is subtle but this game looks promising.

Kevin Groves: I echo Danny's sentiments about the new broadcast team. As someone who loathes every game Phil Simms commentates on I look forward to turning the in-game commentary audio back-on. As a predominately offline franchise mode player the ability to edit draft classes is huge for long-term appeal. Although only cosmetic in nature, it's nice to see equipment receive some attention as NBA 2K has proven that attention to detail matters. It's also nice to see some ideas FINALLY migrate over from NFL Head Coach. Tendencies and game planning are long overdue and will hopefully detract from the RPG elements that plagued the game last year.

I'm intrigued by the direction that Madden is heading and with the Frosbite engine coming in the next year or so Madden will hopefully continue to make strides towards a real NFL simulation.

"All in all, Madden's overhaul is going in the right direction. With launch date near, the excitement is subtle but this game looks promising." - Danny Webster

Jayson Young: The areas where I want to see Madden NFL 17's improvement -- animations, physics, and AI -- are difficult to judge from blog posts, highlight reels, and shaky cam footage. All of the side features that Electronic Arts has announced so far don't matter to me if those three pillars of gameplay aren't strongly built. I'm looking forward to seeing a quarter or two of unedited action later this week during Madden's annual appearances on IGN's and GameSpot's live shows.

Ben Vollmer: I'm with Jayson. For now, it's wait and see. Though, it certainly is nice to see Madden shake up its commentary.

Until we see some hard footage of gameplay, it's going to be difficult to judge Madden's direction. Last year was a huge step forward, and with everything that has been said so far, it seems that EA is no longer taking its success for granted and is listening to it's fanbase. But having an idea for what you want your game to be - and putting that down on paper - is totally different from fully realizing it. Until we see things like how special teams were changed, what kind of boost the AI received and how well the physics work, it's hard to get a firm grasp on things.

For now, Madden is off to a nice start. It certainly is refreshing to see Tiburon prioritize what its fanbase has been calling for.

Cicero: I didn't play a little of Madden but from what I did play you could see that the game plays less like Madden and more like football. Haven't had a chance to dive into the franchise mode bit the talk is that there was real consideration given to enriching this mode so it's about time.

Caley Roark: The improvements to franchise look like a step in the right direction; actually, they remind me a bit of elements from NFL Head Coach. It's too bad it's taken them this long to realize that there was a lot of potential in the way that series handled running a franchise.

As much as the "Play the Moment" is being hyped, unless there are some new presentation elements, I'm not seeing how this is tremendously different than being able to sim and stop whenever you want, which has been a feature for years.

What did you think of the Madden info released yesterday?