Madden needs a year off.
The annual NFL simulation juggernaut has been a late-summer mainstay for the video game industry for over 30 years now, bringing with it the most realistic portrayal of National Football League action there is to be found. The teams are here, the players are here, everything a football fan could want from an official simulation is here in Madden NFL 25
As an avid fan myselfâwhich reminds me, Go Birdsâthe yearly Madden drop should jazz me up for the upcoming regular season. As recently as a few years ago, it did; Madden was the signal that the NFL season was on the horizon, and the digital version would make the last month of waiting for the real thing easier.
Order Madden NFL 25: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Now though, as I sit here ready to watch some real Eagles football come September, my attitude toward Madden rests where no video game, much less the official simulation of one of the most popular sports in the country, should ever put its audience: Apathy.
Bringing the boom
The main addition to Madden 25âs football mechanics is Boom Tech, a complete redesign of the physics portraying the physicality on the field. Hundreds of small, subtle animations have been added to every point of contact during a game, and the results are tangibly better than previous years. In fact, Iâd say this is the best on-field experience Madden has ever presented.
Every little detailâthe angle of the defender, the speed of the ball-carrier, the hand the runner is using to hold the ball, etc.â-affects the results of each play thanks to this redesign. Football is a game of inches, so they say, and these extra physics-based additions make it feel like Iâm earning that extra yard while being pulled down.
Itâs neat to watch in motion, and precise execution garners some truly satisfying results. Pulling an opponent down in the open field brings a satisfying pop, to the point I can hear John Madden himself yelling âBOOM!â in my ear when I time the hit just right. Fighting through the offensive line and sacking the quarterback feels earned and worthy of the silly celebration that follows.
Speaking of, even celebratory moments like that offer an extra hint of authenticity through this new system. During one drive, DeVonta Smith caught a pass for 30 yards and a first down, and when the prompt appeared, I selected that he do a little dance. The dance ended with the traditional hand signal for first downâarm extended in a single chopping motion, for those unaware.
However, as Smith fully extended his arm, a defending player walked through the shot and into Smithâs arm. Suddenly, the two players started jawing at one another, Smithâs hand still resting where it touched the defender. It sounds small, and the moment was fleeting, but little encounters like this bring Madden closer to feeling like an actual NFL TV broadcast.
(Also, while Iâm talking about celebratory dances: After a fumble recovery for a touchdown, the scorer and another defender did the Fusion Dance from Dragon Ball Z as a celebration. This isnât a big deal, but it got a big cheer out of me.)
Wait, what did he say?
One thing that does pull me out of that âactual TV broadcastâ feeling, however, is the broadcasters themselves. Three different teams of commentators are included in this yearâs game, including the first-ever female commentator, Kate Scott. For the most part, they do a good job calling the action, even though itâs painfully obvious how the game is pulling audio files to string sentences together. Mike Tiricoâs tone at the end of a quarter is particularly weird, as he says âWeâre Back! [slight loading] From Philadelphia! [slight loading again] After this!â
Sometimes, though, the game loads up the wrong situation and the commentary ends up being completely wrong. During an exhibition against the Vikings, I managed to sack Sam Darnold for a big loss. Both Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen started talking about how that was my âthird consecutive sack,â implying Iâd scored sacks on the previous two plays, and how devastating that was for the offense.
The problem is, the sack occurred on 2nd and 2, meaning the previous play was a positive one for the offense and definitely not a sack. When I paused and checked the stats, I found that it was indeed my third sack of the game, but they werenât on consecutive plays. Itâs a small misstep, but one that makes Madden feel less authentic.
Commentary aside, I just spent a good chunk of time praising Madden 25âs gameplay right after saying the franchise needs a break, and that may cause some confusion. However, thatâs what makes the lack of depth across the rest of the game so damn frustrating. The core productâ simulated footballâis great; itâs the rest of the package thatâs stuck in a rut.
Madden NFL 25
-
BACK OF THE BOX QUOTE
"Ultimate Team!...Oh, and football too, sure."
-
TYPE OF GAME
Professional football simulation
-
LIKED
Playing the actual game of football.
-
DISLIKED
The lack of depth of everything else around it.
-
DEVELOPER
EA
-
PLATFORMS
Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC
-
RELEASE DATE
August 16, 2024
-
PLAYED
20+ hours, including multiple quick play games, building a team in Madden Ultimate Team, running the Eagles in Franchise mode, and creating a running back in Superstar mode.
Franchise and Superstar modes shine a spotlight on this issue. Franchise lets you run an NFL franchise while managing all of the spinning plates that entails, from building a roster to managing a coaching staff to fighting out my teamâs overall strategy and schemes on the field. Superstar, meanwhile, shifts the focus to a single player, where you start as a rookie fresh out of college, drafted to an NFL team, and play through the created playerâs career. Both modes, inherently, are a series of menus, as most of the decisions made off the field in both modes are handled via menu screens. The few times they do offer something different, other than playing football, theyâre fleeting and donât offer much of interest.
Take, for example, Franchise mode: As I start my franchise with Nick Sirianni and my Eagles, Iâm given the option to take a sideline interview from the practice field. The reporter asks me which part of the team concerns me the most going into the season, and Iâm given the option to choose âthe offenseâ or âthe defense.â
Now, perhaps Iâve played too many RPGs in my time, but with those dialogue choices presented to me, Iâm expecting that whichever I select will be elaborated on in the next bit of dialogue. I might choose âthe offense,â but Sirianni might say something like âThe offense suffered toward the end of last season, but Iâm hoping we can work hard and get back to the success weâre used toâ or something like that.
Nope. I select âthe offense,â and then big white letters flash âTHE OFFENSEâ on screen, implying Sirianni replied with just two simple words, no elaboration. For a franchise that strives on creating authentic experiences, that is simply not how many NFL coachesâoutside of maybe Bill Belichick preparing for Cincinnatiâwould answer that question, and I couldnât help but laugh. Both Franchise and Superstar modes have weird conversations like this, and they feel more awkward than anything.
I understand these things arenât the core focus of Madden, but for a franchise that promises authenticity, not applying it to these moments makes those claims feel disingenuous. Furthermore, while Franchise and Superstar are lacking in focus, another mode definitely isnât.
MUT MUT MUT
Madden Ultimate Team is clearly the top dog in the franchise now, and it shows. The first thing you do after turning on the game, after all, is start building your Ultimate Team by opening packs and playing a few tutorial challenges with the players you receive. After that, youâre bombarded with ads for the current MUT season, and MUT deals, and MUT-themed bundles, and these ads are designed to keep you going back into MUT even after you try to exit out of it.
I am not joking when I say that a full hour passed between my first boot of the game and my ability to play a standard exhibition game of football. In that time, I exited Madden Ultimate Team three times; once after the initial tutorial, and twice more after in-game ads pulled me back in. Then, when I finally got to the main menu, the order of selections started with Madden News, then Ultimate Team, and then Quick Play. MUT sits above the standard gameplay mode now, as if EAâs reverence to its card-based cash cow couldnât be any more obvious.
Is MUT fun? Sure! Building a team with loot boxes randomized packs of players, and then using that team to play football is a good time, and the endorphin hit that comes with opening a top-rated player is cool. However, the way Madden 25 is programmed to push players towards MUT, after theyâve already dropped the entry fee called âretail priceâ to begin with, has an air of âused-car salesmanâ tactics that I could do without.
Iâm not naive enough to think that Madden will ever stop its yearly visits to store shelves. However, it is absolutely time for this franchise to receive a deep, substantial glow-up, especially this year with its new neighbor College Football 25 completely eating its lunch
The core gameplay of Madden 25 is great, but there are some severe problems with everything surrounding what happens on the field. Franchise and Superstar are starving while MUT is treated like a king. Commentary has glimmers of brilliance, but mostly comes off stilted or even incorrect. For every time I pumped my fist to the sky for something I liked, I held my head in my hands for something I hated.
The aging gunslinger known as the Madden franchise is showing some wear and tear, with Madden NFL 25 being the latest example. While I donât ever expect it to be put out to pasture, it might be time for the old coach to take a year off to revamp its approach.
