Madden NFL 15 Preview - E3 2014

EA's Madden has always done a great job of reflecting trends in the National Football League. Every year they evaluate strategies and ideas which have changed the league, from dynamic coaching to quarterback brilliance, and have attempted to allow these changes to alter their game. So with the Legion of Boom’s championship (ugh, I hate that name), the 49ers’ dominance, the Panthers’ sudden rise to prominence, the Cardinals’ emergence, the Bengals’ consistency - the list could go on - it is becoming obvious how important the defensive side of the ball can be. So it seems an appropriate time for EA to revisit defensive mechanics with Madden NFL 15, which haven’t seen improvement in a long time.

As I got ready to spend some time with the latest football game from EA Sports, I was fortunate enough to be paired up alongside a Madden aficionado. No, this wasn’t someone from the development team or PR, this was clearly someone who simply loved playing the game. He coached me on the AI, how long defensive backs would follow wide receivers in a zone coverage, or how the new tackling system affected defensive aggressiveness.

I started the game playing as the Ravens and with Joe Flacco quickly worked my way down the field. Much of the offensive mechanics work similarly to previous Madden games, unaffected by the next-gen graphics or the gameplay changes. Defensive animations are slightly improved, so there’s less linebackers making miraculous knock downs and defensive backs with eye in the back of their heads. It’s easier to spot who’s open and get them the ball without fear of a unfair CPU knockdown or interception.

Play calling has seen a lot of shakeup in Madden over the last few years and this year the kitchen sink seems to be thrown at the idea. You can select if you want to call a play by play type, coach suggestion, or formation. The menus are fairly easy to navigate, so I didn’t find much trouble in switching through the different options. Sometimes I knew I wanted a deep ball, so I would search through those options, other times I knew I wanted to run out of a heavy formation so I’d select a two tight-end set. Having this variety of ways to call plays makes it easier to find exactly what you are looking for and the playbook is so easily navigated I never felt pressed for time.

After scoring a touchdown, I kick the extra point and then the kickoff. The timing of kicking in Madden NFL 15 is significantly more difficult than in previous games. The speed of the meter can throw you off and makes for difficult mid-range field goals and consistent kickoffs. While it is nice to have field goals be less automatic and kickoffs not always finding their way five yards into the endzone, punting has become a liability. I found myself thinking long and hard on fourth downs, with how unreliable punting can be.

Getting back to defense, the pre-snap audibles are largely unchanged. You can still shift the coverage, linebackers, or the defensive line, or make minor adjustments to your scheme. Once the ball is snapped, the defense feels wonderfully different. First, defensive linemen have to time getting off of the ball. Pulling the trigger of the controller at the right time can get the jump on your offensive lineman. Then, if you get off the ball fast enough, you can mash the appropriate button to push the lineman back or shed their block and get around them. This comes with a double-edged sword of course, as pulling the trigger early can result in an offside penalty.

Tackling has also seen some fine tuning. Now players will have to press a button when the ball carrier is within range to initiate a tackle. Pressing the button while a player is too far away will start a tackle less likely to succeed, while slamming on the hit stick might cause a player to miss a tackle altogether. Whiffing on tackles has more consequence than in previous games, as it's hard to chase down a runner in the open field and running backs like Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson are dangerous when they get loose.

An improvement in hardware also opens up the game for more realistic animations. Defensively it is nice to see pile-ups, goal-line stand-up tackles, and defensive swats. 4th and inches used to be a gimme play as tacklers rarely could stop a ball carrier’s momentum, but Madden NFL 15 allows big hitters to stop a player dead in their tracks.

After a short game, my Ravens are able to top the opposing Raiders 7-0. I have a little time remaining so I asked the opponent if he wanted to go again. This time he picked the Ravens and I take my Vikings.

While I didn’t get a chance to play with an RGIII or Cam Newton, quarterback mobility does feel limited in Madden NFL 15. Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, and Teddy Bridgewater aren’t the most dynamic of quarterbacks, but any time they got on the run it felt like they were moving in quicksand. Quickly I turned the ball over on a Bridgewater interception and Ray Rice made me pay for my lack of awareness.

As stated previously, the person I was playing against had a high Madden IQ and those who know the ins and outs of the game can still take advantage of the stifled AI. Calling the right combinations of button hooks and fly routes leave AI players confused, and easy to take advantage of. Flacco sliced and diced me, not through the simulated skill, but simply because my opponent had a better understanding of the AI and playbook.

Madden NFL 15 looks sharp running on a new generation of hardware. The player details are what stand out. From Colin Kaepernick's bicep tattoos to Cordarrell Patterson’s dreadlocks, Madden does a great job of bringing the NFL to life on your console. Madden NFL 15 will be released in August on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; a version of the game will also be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.