MORE: How real is the Madden curse?
Even though it’s presented as one, Total Control Passing is not a new feature. It’s been in Madden under that name, or Precision Passing, for a decade now. The question then becomes if it’ll actually work as described this time around, and whether the players on the field will react properly to it. The difference this year seems related to targeting certain parts of the body (in the past you’ve been limited to leading receivers, throwing behind, high or low) and then making contextual attempts to catch them due to new controls and animations.
This appears to be the primary area where work was completed for Madden 16 and it’s very welcome. Interactions between pass-catchers and defenders, or the lack thereof, became one of the biggest weaknesses for the series as other areas of the game improved in recent years.
Whether penalities should be reflected more realistically in Madden has been a popular debate among fans over the years. If executed well, due to risk-reward elements, it could really enhance the experience and satisfaction of how games play out. If they seem just random, however, there will likely be backlash towards it.
The description provided by EA Sports here is difficult to interpret so it’ll be interesting to see what they have in mind as further details emerge in the months ahead. Presentation in Madden can still use a lot of work, even as the company has attempted to better replicate television broadcasts in recent years.
The good news is that Connected Franchise returns in tact and that includes Online Franchise. Madden is currently the only sports game that offers a complete Online Franchise experience. However, mention of the related improvements aren’t very inspiring. Game Prep was a poorly executed feature in Madden 15 so if that has to be back hopefully it’ll be completely rethought by the designers. New scouting and draft systems could be beneficial — particularly the scouting which been the culprit in harming the otherwise good draft experience.
There’s zero new information here in regards to Ultimate Team, the popular, revenue-generating mode which blends fantasy football with team-building through card collecting. There will undoubtedly be new content offered for the mode, however.
Introduced last year, the Skills Trainer was a useful addition to the series particularly for those who lack experience with Madden. As games have become more complicated over the years, and with arcade-style games practically extinct, the importance of offering ways to learn and get comfortable with them has grown.
EA is targeting different people here with the various options. With the standard $60 game, they hope to entice non-Ultimate Team players into trying the mode with the bonus content. The “Deluxe” editions rather are going after those who already play Ultimate Team and spend money within it. With some consumers spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars in Ultimate Team it’s a no-brainer for them to pick up one of those more expensive options as they’ll actually be saving money by doing so.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is a regular participant in the Press Row Podcast and Hangout shows, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.
