‘Madden 25’ lives up to the hype
REVIEW - 'Madden 25' is a love letter to a franchise that's grown with the video game industry...
Madden 25 pays homage to a franchise that’s grown with the video game industry. From the producer’s decision to include 11 on 11 teams, and the innovative ‘hit stick” Madden 25 is the definitive version of the football experience.
Graphics
Utilizing last year’s ProTek game engine , tackling animations have greatly improved. Ditching bulky, generic player models of yesteryear, athletes are now more slender and svelte. The team uniforms for each squad have at least 3 different jerseys complete with their franchise throwbacks.
Gameplay
Madden over the past few seasons has had loose controls when it came to running the football, but Madden 25 tackles this problem head on. Running the rock has improved and feels seamless. Taking a page from the NBA2K series, you can juke, truck, and spin with the right stick.
While pressing down on the L2 button, each move is enhanced to the player’s strengths. For example you can employ LeSean McCoy’s ankle breaking side step to disable defenders while Marshal lynch’s bulldozes cornerbacks with ease. The modifier is another wrinkle that adds variety to your offense.
The defensive side of the ball has been simplified and that’s a blessing. Both rookies and vets enjoy having two ways to use the hit stick. Jump ball competitions happen more often due the triangle button’s designated honing ability. There’s no more ‘ catch and release’ pass coverage, which balances out the gameplay for the better.
Verdict
Madden 25 addresses some of the more nagging issues that have plagued the series for years. It’s right up there with Madden 98, 2003, and 2004 versions, in terms of replay ability.
Throw in the fact that all online play is as competitive as ever, Madden 25 is an instant classic.
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