Depending on who you talk to, each person has their Madden game preference. Some love Madden 15, while others hate it and prefer Madden 25. I happen to think Madden NFL 16 is the best Madden game to-date in the past five years. There’s still things that need fixing, and that will always be the case. But some of my biggest issues from the last couple of years have been remedied.
The presentation, look and feel of Madden 16 are the best of this console generation. Scouting finally feels right. The UI is so much better than it was. The gameplay is great, and to put it simply, it feels like how football should feel.
I can’t tell you whether or not to buy Madden 16, because everyone is looking for something different. If you love Madden 15, there will be some things you like about 16, and some things that you’ll hate. But if you’re at all like me, you’ll prefer this year’s game to others. Some people will say it’s the same game with new rosters. I’ve legitimately felt like that in the past, and that is not the case with Madden NFL 16.
Madden NFL 16 was reviewed with a provided PlayStation 4 copy and played primarily on All-Pro.
The Positives
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The passing game is the best it has ever felt. In Madden 15, passing downfield was a nuisance. You had little control over receivers and their ability to make a play or turn up field. New catch mechanics really open up the passing game, adding excitement and precision. Receivers now have the option of a Run After Catch (RAC), where the receiver will turn upfield quickly to gain more yards; a Possession Catch, which will secure a catch, be it for a first down or keeping you in-bounds on the sideline; and an Aggressive Catch, where receivers will fight for the ball at its highest points, making deep passes finally a legitimate threat. And some of those catches will have you in awe.
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Another boost to the passing game are more throwing options for the quarterback. There’s still the bullet pass and lob pass with the ability to throw to a certain shoulder or lead a receiver. But joining those are a touch pass, high pass and low pass. When combined with the new catch mechanics, Madden 16 sports the most robust passing game the franchise has had.
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While I’ve never been a fan of Madden Ultimate Team (I’m more of a franchise mode guy), I really enjoy this year’s new game mode, Draft Champions. In Draft Champions, you choose a coach (giving you a scheme and playbook for offense and defense), and then go through 15 rounds drafting players to upgrade your base roster. It forces you to make tough decisions on who to get, because while you might pass on Eli Manning early, you might not be presented with another QB to draft. There are also Hall of Famers and legendary players that you add to your team, such as Randall Cunningham, Terrell Davis, Joe Horn, Shannon Sharpe, Jon Elway and more. It’s a quick mode, highly replayable, and feels fresh every time.
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Just like the treatment receivers got, defense gets new ways to keep up with the passing attack. Switch to the defender and hold Y/Triangle to play the ball, A/X to play the defender, and watch as passes are disrupted and intercepted. You’ll see amazing plays on the ball from the league’s best corners, tipped balls where players dive and intercept them, and feel like you can make big plays. There’s also new animations for gang tackles that add to the overall package.
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Madden 16 has the best scouting yet, completely revamped from last year’s game. An area that definitely needed to be redone, you now scout college players’ top 3 ratings (receiving a letter grade). When you scout the third rating, their actual draft slot opens up, so you can see if they’re as good, worse than, or better than where they are projected to be drafted. There’s also the ability to add players to a Watch List, so it’s easier to keep track of players you want as you head into the draft.
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We’ve asked for it for years, and there’s finally combine stats for players. You’ll receive information on things like bench press and 40 times, which get compared and ranked to other players in the draft for their position. Every player also gets a combine grade.
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The Draft also gets a facelift. You now get instant feedback after making a pick, showing you his ratings immediately, what he was ranked in the draft and where you took him, and then letting you know if it was a good pick or if you reached.
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A whole new UI in Connected Franchise has been implemented, making navigation and the menus more intuitive. The things you need the most are easier to get to, and the depth chart is incredibly simple to reorder.
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I didn’t think I’d like it, but Drive Goals add a nice little wrinkle to the game as a way to build confidence and earn XP. Your progress on drive, weekly and yearly goals are also brought to the forefront during the game.
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The running game feels swifter than previous years. Backs move and react how you would expect them to. It’s a natural progression from last year’s running game.
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If you’re into simming and seeing stats, you’ll be happy to know that the players’ stats are 10x more realistic than Madden 15.
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Player cards in Free Agency. Thank the football gods.
The Negatives
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Owner mode still needs some TLC, as right now it’s just not worth the hassle.
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Relocating a team in Connected Franchise is exactly the same as last year’s game — same cities, uniforms, etc., with only one team name I didn’t recognize. Players have been asking for years for the ability to make your own uniform and logo instead of choosing from rather hideous presets.
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The engine still makes for some pretty wonky physics. There’s still plenty of weird player tumbling over one another sequences, though I haven’t seen anyone get hit and fly 20 feet into the air yet.
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The Interactive Experience opens the game as a scripted Super Bowl match-up between the Steelers and Cardinals. While it’s a nice way to introduce the new pass-n-catch mechanics, as well as defensive controls, it would be nice to see EA grow this. It’s essentially the same thing as last year’s, just with different teams. There’s also really bad frame rate during the cutscenes that is quite distracting.
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I’m still not in love some of the defensive controls, like defensive line moves being attached to face buttons. And I want/need the ability to double-cover or target a specific receiver.
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Game Prep is just the worst. The Worst.
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Challenging a play still sucks.
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There are still a fair amount of glitches (and I’m sure more will be uncovered as gamers get more time with it). For example, multiple times now breaking the huddle on defense, my defensive player would just run into the offensive line all the way to the QB. I changed controllers to make sure it wasn’t something with that.
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The D-Line is still somewhat overpowered, though it’s not nearly as egregious as last year.
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Loading times are atrocious. Seriously. Ready a book to read while things are loading.
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The Raiders are still an NFL team. I’m a Broncos fan. F**k the Raiders.
Neutral
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If you wanted more penalties, there’s more penalties. I for one enjoy them, as they add some realism to franchise. Players now have ratings for how likely they are to commit a penalty, and I’ve already seen more penalties in my time with Madden 16 than I did in a year with Madden 15. But don’t worry, unless it’s blatant, there won’t be random penalties in online play.
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If you like MUT, it’s still there.
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While better than last year, defensive reaction times to scrambling QBs could use some more tinkering.
It has become popular to hate on the Madden franchise in recent years. When you corner the market on NFL video games for consoles, people expect more from you and resent you if you don’t live up to their expectations. Such is the case with Madden. Year after year, the team at EA puts out a solid product, if unspectacular product.
As the third entry on the current console generation, Madden NFL 16 doesn’t feel like a rehash of past years. There are redesigns, quality of life changes, and gameplay alterations that feel like they’ve been in the works for quite some time. Desperately needed changes to the passing game, new controls, all-new animations, a more intuitive UI, and a new scouting system make Madden 16 feel like more than a fresh paint of coat.
But are the changes enough to convince weary fans to get the latest version in the franchise? Let’s go over the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself.
