adrian dominguez

Madden 16 was the first football game to cause me to stop updating my NFL2K5 roster and solely only play Madden. My expectations for this years game were realistic. Make improvements by giving us more options in modes like Draft Champions and Franchise and create an even playing field for both sides of the ball. Did Madden 17 run for first down or take a 10 yard penalty for holding.

 

The largest improvement has come in the emphasis of new mechanics to the running game. Taking a page from the old 2K playbook, tackle battles have finally been implemented allowing a runner to break out of the grasp of a defender through timely button mashing. Open field maneuvers have become more deadly due to the modifier trigger giving backs and receivers precision toward the direction they want to move. To counteract all these running enhancements the defense has a heightened intelligence with better run gap assignments and automatic alignment. While going up against a runner the defender has a higher probability of knocking the ball loose if he’s doing modified move. While the run game has become more viable you better keep your Quarterback off the ground as they are extremely vulnerable, causing the ball to come loose which is the worst detriment to this year’s game.

 

There have been Madden’s in the past that have been throw your controller on the ground and quit playing for days at a time because of fumbling problems. Madden 17 is on the edge of that same line. What hurts the most is that it appears to happen most frequently near the last two minutes of each half. It was so bad that I became more fixated on recording fumbles for this review over anything else.

 

Glitches such as chosen uniforms not showing online. Defenses being able to know if it’s a pass or run pre-play and an over abundance of QB fumbles especially within two minutes of a half, throw a wrench into what is usually an authentic simulation of football.

 

The third and often forgotten phase of football, special teams, has at last been given attention. The most obvious is through the kick meter where a golf meter has been implemented. To me the new difficulty in kicking adds to the drama of a game while others have trouble getting the timing down especially online where you have to account for a bit of lag. I have found special teams to be balanced so when a play is made on that side of the ball it truly does feel special. I have only blocked one punt and one field goal in playing over 50 games and it feels right because those took perfect timing and mars being aligned with jupiter to happen. Much like the rarity of the Buffalo Bills making the playoffs these game changing plays are rarer than Rex Ryan keeping his mouth shut.

 

For many years presentation has always been an afterthought to me. As good as they can get with their packages I always just skip them. Nothing stands out visually but at least many problems of years past have been fixed. No longer are we seeing post game plays that didn’t have large impacts on the game, or a player of the game that just had two sacks and a couple of tackles. The intelligence of the presentation has been boosted and it is most apparent in the best commentary Madden has ever had. Fresh blood has been injected into the booth and with it comes a dynamic flow that slips in bits of news from around the league every week. It isn’t to the level of an NBA 2K but it’s the biggest leap they’ve made in over a decade.

 

Not much has changed in draft champions which is fine, because the modes simplicity is what makes it attractive. I did notice that we are given a better sleuth of talented players to choose from over last year’s hit or miss mix. Where draft champions falters the most is in it’s solo play vs the computer. You only get to play 3 games with your team and you have no power to tweak the options, so no matter what you’re first games will be in the lowest difficulties. The game speed in your first draft champions is also drastically slow. In the lower difficulties your runner will do moves automatically and they don’t always make the best choice. It doesn't seem like you can override the computer's move decision by inputting your own button press, which is frustrating when you wanted a stutter step instead of a spin. For anyone that has played Madden in the past a solo run through Draft Champions is a slog and a cake walk not worth the time.

 

My largest pet peeve for any game is when it doesn’t respect my time, however Madden has made strides in letting us forgo the RPG grind elements to get back to the gridiron. To gain the perks of boosting your players in “Franchise” mode you no longer have to take them through practice. Practice can now be simulated. For the audience that don’t have 40 minutes to play a full game there is the “Play the Moments” feature that will simulate through plays, drives, quarters, or change of possessions focusing on crucial 3rd downs and red zone opportunities. I have found this useful if a game is already a blow out and I just want to get it over with or if I want to practice my skills on one side of the ball. As complex as Madden has become the efforts to welcome casual players are always at the forefront even if that can feel intrusive to a knowledgeable veteran.   

 

Madden 17 has the glitz and flash of a fun football simulation but there’s a flag on the field and the big gains that are made get held back by sloppy oversights.