Madden 25 Review

Yesterday Madden 25 hit the shelves. So yesterday we picked up the game to see how this years game stacks up.

First lets start off with the cons. Holy glitchiness, EA. Whats with the random ball of light that pops up in the middle of screen during game play? With the lens flair it almost takes over the whole screen. And why are the menu screens so slow and choppy? It's so bad that in owner mode I auto progress all of my players, instead of choosing what attribute to improve.

Also in 25 years of Madden, why couldn't you teach a fullback to block? Hell, I would be happy with a chip. No lie, on an outside run with David Wilson my lead blocker Henry Hynoski ran around the outside linebacker and pushed him into Wilson. On the defensive side of the ball I can't understand how you can push your O-lineman past the QB but then can't break contact to turn around and get a sack.

Okay, now on to the pros. The new Run Free style of running might feel slow and clunky to some, but I like it a lot. They kind of bring back the sprint button, so if your trying to read your blocks and you see a hole open up you can use the sprint button to burst in through the line. Another great thing about the sprint button is now you can build up steam to completely run over a defender. The new physics may not be 100%, you don't feel that magnet pulling you towards the defender when you have the ball. The new Infinity Engine 2  is much smoother that last years Madden.

Overall if you are new to Madden you might want to wait till the Gen 4 models come out before picking it up. I feel as if this game was built with the 4th gen consoles in mind and as if my PS3 is going to blow up at any minute.

Out of a score of 10, I would give the game a 6.

Where EA needs to improve:

• All aspect of the game needs to run smoother.
• I would like be able to set up player specific plays.
• More in depth coaching options.
• And most important of all, TEACH your WRs and FBs to block.