With all the hype surrounding EA Sports College Football 25 this season, Madden NFL 25's release feels almost like an afterthought. However, it doesn't take much time with the new entry to get the stark feeling that this is still THE football sim, and for all the well-deserved love heaped upon NCAA, it's still relegated to the status of Little Bro when it comes to comparisons with the real big dog.
Due out Friday, the game marks the series' continual evolution as it strives to capture the grit, brutality and emergent thrills of the league itself.
Like cover athlete Christian McCaffrey, the gameplay is quick, flashy and energetic.
Chief among additions to this year's roster include a FieldSENSE upgrade that captures the cinematic flair of the game's sights and sounds by giving you control of small touches that add up to big changes. For instance, you can alter the touch on a pass in order to float it past the outstretched hand of a defender, or stutter step to make a defender fall on his face in the open field, allowing you to squeeze a few more yards out of a scamper.
Also new is the physics-based tackling system, dubbed BOOM Tech, which allows defenders to level ball carriers, scrape past blockers, and also lets superstars wriggle their way free of the grip of certain doom.
Many facets of the visuals and presentation have been adjusted, with the concentrated aim of making the on-field product echo the wild battles you experience while watching on TV, as well as synthesizing the sights and sounds in the crowd at games.
I appreciated the array of uniforms available for each team. Even though my beloved Arizona Cardinals aren't rocking official throwbacks this year, they can don uniforms from the Pat Tillman era, the mid-20th century reds, or even the recently replaced Color Rush unis that are now collecting dust in my jersey closet.
Other modes with considerable upgrades include the card-based Ultimate Team, which has been made more accessible and replayable, Franchise Mode, which carries more customization options, and Superstar Mode, which allows you to take the field in a created player of your design and live out your pro football dreams.
The new commentary team of Greg Olson and Mike Tirico make consistently astute observations that help reframe each game's narrative at key junctures, tossing out key stats to underline points and reacting to the ebb and flow of the game. I was justly chastised for my five-interception performance in Buffalo.
With the promise of fresh content set to drop throughout the year, tracing the steps of the way the real-life drama unfolds week to week, "Madden NFL 25" promises to be the go-to watercooler of sorts for NFL obsessives to devour the intricacies of the game, scheme out potential fantasy squad trades or live out virtual echoes of the triumphs and defeats they witness on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays.
Overall, "Madden NFL 25" plasters a grin across the face of even a perennially defeated Cardinals fan like myself. Hope springs eternal in August, and "Madden NFL 25" is stoking the fires of an invigorating season to come.
Publisher provided review code.
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