Been Out Of The Game For 3 Years

[HARTSTOPPER]

What can I expect out of Madden 15? With the possible rumors of no EASHL, I am looking into purchasing Madden this year for the first time in quite some time. How much has changed? Has there been any major changes to the online play? The last Madden I had was Madden 12.

Edit: I know I can go in and read about what they are doing for '15 with all the hands on impressions, etc. but for those who have played/owned 13-25(14), and have read the impressions and additions what should I expect?

[Hooe]

The two biggest changes to the series since Madden NFL 12 are the Infinity Engine and Connected Franchise mode.

Infinity Engine is not quite a full-on real-time physics system a la Backbreaker, but it augments the game's animations to produce a more varied and organic interactions between players. It affects player balance too, which adds a little bit of nuance to the gameplay at times. It doesn't fundamentally change how Madden is played but it makes it more interesting to look at; there's more variety and unpredictability in what happens on the field now.

Connected Franchise is the new career mode which replaced the old Franchise mode. It allows you to play as a player, coach, or owner. The mode can be played offline or online with up to 32 users in either context. The primary hook of the mode, compared to previous Madden games, is that performing well in various tasks will yield your players and coaches XP with which they can improve their ratings and/or augment their abilities. It features a live NFL Draft and a multi-staged free agency mechanic (not Madden 12's offseason FA live auction mechanic). Finally, teams now very explicitly define what sort of players they want via scheme settings. For example, the Saints very explicitly are assigned as valuing 3-4 pass rushing OLBs, and that assignment will modify the OVR grade they see when looking at OLBs. To the user, that means a modification of the OVR rating in the frontend. The CPU uses these modified OVR ratings as well to determine free agency and draft targets.

Some other notable big things: the past few EA Sports games have seen heavy investment in how the offensive line plays, with the improvements most evident in the PS4 / XBOX One versions of Madden 25 released late last fall (compared to anything seen in Madden on 360 / PS3). Madden 25 on XBOX One / PS4 introduced something called "true step" which is foot tracking for the ball carrier, every step the ballcarrier takes matters. There was an expansion of the ballcarrier move controls which was a big focus in Madden 25 - basically hold LT for a better version of a spin / juke / truck / stiff arm, and moves can be chained together. Presentation is completely different from Madden NFL 12; the play-by-play team is now Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, and EA Sports' presentation is basically progressively more and more becoming a facsimile of CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL. If you're playing on XBOX One, pre-snap audibles can now be executed via Kinect voice commands.

My experience with the past couple games is that they've been really fun, particularly in a multiplayer Connected Franchise context. They have been offense-oriented games, however, which is why I'm happy to see such an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball this cycle. I'm hoping the game I play in less than two weeks is a more balanced game of football, as the defense has needed some love for a while.

[HARTSTOPPER]

Thanks for the excellent overview sir. In your opinion, since I have been out of the game for a while, would you recommend I pick it up? How cheesy is online play? That's another purchase factor for me.

[iNolaNightmare]

Quote: Originally Posted by HARTSTOPPER

Thanks for the excellent overview sir. In your opinion, since I have been out of the game for a while, would you recommend I pick it up? How cheesy is online play? That's another purchase factor for me.

I play a lot of online play. The cheese can vary depending on the user/team. But there's nothing too crazy that can't be stopped. I play sim ball no matter what the other guy is doing and I'm on a 10 game win streak.

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by HARTSTOPPER

Thanks for the excellent overview sir. In your opinion, since I have been out of the game for a while, would you recommend I pick it up? How cheesy is online play? That's another purchase factor for me.

I don't play ranked online or Madden Ultimate Team so I can't give you any guidance to that end; my only experience playing Madden online is against fellow OSers who don't really attempt any nonsense.

If you can find Madden 25 on PS4 / XBOX One for cheap, like $20 or less, you might be served well to pick it up as a refresher. The context of Madden 15 is coming out in mere days now makes it hard for me to recommend it. Absent any context I would absolutely recommend it, it's a fun game.

[ridemooses]

I'm pretty much in the same boat, been out of Madden for a few years now. I got really into FIFA but now that I have an XBONE I wanna pick up Madden this year. Do I dare ask... did they bring back fantasy draft for Offline Connected Franchise?

[Mauer4MVP]

Quote: Originally Posted by ridemooses

I'm pretty much in the same boat, been out of Madden for a few years now. I got really into FIFA but now that I have an XBONE I wanna pick up Madden this year. Do I dare ask... did they bring back fantasy draft for Offline Connected Franchise?

uh oh. A Badger....

Yes they did bring it back. Honestly, they have shown steps in the right direction the last couple of years. I think they may finally take a big step this year. I am going to take a chance.

[ridemooses]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mauer4MVP

uh oh. A Badger.... Yes they did bring it back. Honestly, they have shown steps in the right direction the last couple of years. I think they may finally take a big step this year. I am going to take a chance.

AWESOME! I'm excited for the new defensive improvements as well as what seems like major adjustments to make elite QB,WR, and DB's more dominant. Fantasy draft is huge for me, already planning out my team.

Go Bucky!