The best sport in the world is Australian Rules Football (AFL), but as the US Football season gets underway, and the AFL reaches the end, why not take to the virtual gridiron with the latest iteration of Madden NFL 17?
Yep, it’s another year, and another Madden, (though the iconic commentator, coach and NFL player is not really sited this time around).
I will admit, I love American Football, but still find the depth of each Madden release just a little overwhelming. So it is with a little trepidation I wait for the Rob Gronkowski intimidating animation to end during the loading screen.
I tell you what I am not interested in, the trumped up card-game fantasy option of Madden Ultimate Team, instead let’s just play through the Franchise option, allowing to take our chosen team through 10 seasons of regular season and play offs as we mould our team of champions into a champion team.
The Franchise system is a step up from the previous year, and definitely better presented with improved menu management – that may not sound like much, but EA Sports games are notorious for this.
Week by week you, as the manager need to step through the needful in order to create a gun team going into the next week’s game - Training drills, resigning contracts, replacing the old and broken with new blood and spending XP on new player skills.
Not skimping on the training sessions is a great way – albeit infuriating at times – to learn a game that can certainly be foreign to a lot of people.
Onto the game there are a number of noticeable tweaks, the best of which is for time-poor players. Rather than having to customise the length of a quarter, you can instead set a match to auto-play, stopping only when you ask it to, or to play key moments, or all offensive or defensive plays.
{loadposition mike08}It is certainly an example of EA wanting to give “more control” to players, and means you can have a satisfying game of NFL in a 20-minute period – though you do get a little sick of having to play each crucial 3rd down play.
On the ground, there are game-play tweaks to be dealt with also. Your runners now get a nice bold, blue arrow to show the direction they are heading, which is nice for finding that gap in the defensive line.
Speaking of the defensive team, players on that half of the field, particularly the secondary react in a far more realistic manner than Madden 16
Overall, the game-play is top notch. The frustrations and joys are all well captured on the field, but it must also be said that the highlight of this year’s Madden is the commentary provided by a team of relative unknowns, but delivered with a smooth aplomb that easily matches the on field action.
Madden NFL 17 provides a relatively accessible gateway for fans and casual fans alike. Newcomers to the sport will struggle, and probably buy FIFA 17 instead, but for those of us that can spend some time on the Gridiron, this is the best Madden for a while.