This is a guest post written by George Graver.
Fans of American football have been spoiled
recently, with a wide variety of decent games to choose from, not to mention
the recent Lenovo
NFL contest (which offers 'a year's worth of NFL experiences'
to the winner). When talking about football games, though, there's only ever
been one king of the hill: the Madden series.
With the recent victory of the Baltimore Ravens at the
2013 Superbowl, fans are itching to get their hands on the next version of the
classic sports sim. EA have chosen to eschew the traditional annual addendum (Madden
12, Madden 13 etc.) which informs the naming of their football games,
instead opting to name this year's outing Madden NFL 25 in honor of the
series' 25 year anniversary. For those old enough to remember, the Madden
series did indeed begin all the way back in 1989, with John Madden Football
for the Commodore 64. A lot has changed since then, and big things are expected
of this milestone entry in the series. Madden NFL 25 promises a lot more
than just roster updates, thankfully, with a number of new features designed to
bring every play to life, including a revamped passing system and updated
broadcasting booth.
The first major change that the developers are promising
is a new passing mechanic. The player will reportedly have much finer control
over exactly where their pass goes, thanks to the 'Total Control Passing
System'. It's understandable that the passing has been tweaked this year, as
recent trends in the sport have certainly been towards longer, more accurate
passing, and it's good to see the game reflect these changes.
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Phil Simms and Jim Nantz make a return
in this year's game
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Secondly, much greater attention has been paid to the
broadcasting booth this year, with the return of 2013's Super Bowl commentary
duo of Jim
Nantz and Phil Simms lending their voices and likenesses to the game. EA also
promises that the commentary itself will be more specific to your team's league
position and the importance of any given game. According to Patrick Bellance, one of the game's
designers, the commentary will be 'aware of what's at stake and what you're
playing for each week' and will deliver different lines and snippets of dialogue
accordingly. This is most certainly a welcome addition, as the importance of
good commentary in lending a sense of drama to proceedings is an
often-overlooked factor in sports games. The return of such a high-profile
commentary team is bound to add to the sense of immersion that players feel
in-game.
To promote the release of last year's Madden
13, EA held a vote for who should feature on the front cover of the game.
Following the success of that contest, another cover vote for Madden 25
is being held right now on the ESPN website.
Fans can choose to vote from legendary players of the past, or current
generation up-and-comers. At the time of writing, the third round of voting has
just begun, with the shortlist whittled down to just eight players. If you want
the chance to see your favorite player on the cover, better get voting!
Madden NFL 25 will be released in the US
on August 27 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
