Madden is one of those games I look back at with rose-tinted glasses. I’m not the biggest football fan, but I always remember spending time squashing beef with friends and my older brother in its digital form. So, does Madden NFL 25 recapture the vibes, or is it another fumble?
Digital Football Has Never Looked This Good
I remember when the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 generation of consoles had launched, and I was in a game store with my parents hoping to pick up a copy of whatever was hot at the time, and a simulation game of Madden 08 was playing on a screen in there. It’s laughable now, but I remember seeing the game being played by AI back then and thinking that graphics had reached their peak and we’d never see anything that looked better than that, while my parents were essentially fooled into thinking that they were watching a real-life football game play out before them.
Fast-forward to now, and my 32-year-old brain is once again being blown by the power of current-generation consoles and the fidelity that they can output. Madden NFL 25 is no slouch in the graphics department, looking miles ahead of previous Madden titles on the PlayStation 5. Field degradation looks stellar, and the return of jersey degradation — while not as dramatic as it was in the past — is a welcome change that I am beyond thrilled to see.
Even as a self-proclaimed casual fan, I was easily able to recognize familiar faces. Coaches have seen quite the overhaul, with Matt LaFleur looking exactly as he should, players such as Jordan Love looking stellar, and the iconic Lambeau Field packed with plenty of details that I’ve recognized from TV broadcasts. The overall presentation this year seems to be focused on bringing the most authentic experience to the field, rather than focusing on flashiness in other areas — a change I appreciate greatly.
Taking to the field with the Green Bay Packers, I immediately felt the difference. The crowds felt electric, the presentation was nearing TV quality, even if some of the commentary can be grating after a while. It was my turn to return the ball, and I was half expecting to control a character who once again felt as if they had cement in their cleats. Oh boy, was I wrong. The return specialist I was controlling took off and immediately reacted to jukes, tucks, and everything I threw their way. Was this Madden I was playing, or something else entirely?
Fluid animations also coupled with this renewed sense of speed made my first impression of Madden NFL 25 stand out from previous entries and to be honest, other sports titles that I’ve played. From the biggest plays to the hardest sacks that I was landing, I was hooked from the start. The electricity that I’d been missing from previous years had returned, and I felt renewed and ready to challenge every team in the league.
From the minimalist menu to the onscreen presentation, everything has been polished like a fine diamond this time around, something I’m normally rather critical of when it comes to sports games. Madden hasn’t felt or looked this good in quite some time, finally taking proper advantage of the hardware that it’s running on. However, even a diamond can sometimes have its flaws — but this year’s version of Madden NFL seems to have polished out the majority of them before being placed on the showroom floor for display.
Some players and coaches still tend to have a 1,000-yard stare, and some clipping issues are still a bit distracting, but for the most part, this is the closest we’ve ever gotten to an authentic representation of on-field action in the history of the franchise. I’m hoping once support for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are fully dropped, we can start seeing major strides that inch even closer to realism.
A Plethora of Modes Pepper Madden NFL 25
For those looking to kick their cleats into the ground and make a name for themselves, there is more to Madden NFL 25 than just the on-field action. Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) returns once again, essentially turning Madden NFL 25 into the world’s most expensive version of Fantasy Football. Franchise mode is back, alongside Superstar, Quick Play, Training Camp, Creation Center, and Online Play.
While the days of sitting in the living room huddled around a television with your pals may be long gone, the online experience for Madden games has always been one of the best parts about it, and that same feeling is here. Facing off against friends or randoms is always a hoot, except for when you may find yourself outplayed and outclassed by the competition. Cross-platform play also returns for those on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, so you can challenge people regardless of their platform of choice.
Related: Is Madden NFL 25 On Xbox Game Pass?
As mentioned above, the minimalistic menus make navigation much easier than it has been in past years. Flashy graphics and footage of players may show in the background, but we’re back to just standard text in the menu. To me, this is an extremely welcomed change, as it was cumbersome to flip through the variety of different menus in what felt originally like a live-service game.
Fans who have felt let down by Franchise mode over the past few years may finally have something to look forward to, with a set of subtle improvements to the mode to make it feel just as fast and fluid as the on-field action. Things have been sped up, and while it’s still a bit of a long shot from the Franchise modes of yore, it’s a better offering overall than what has been put on the table over the past few iterations. There’s still some community feedback that I hope EA Sports will listen to in the upcoming versions of the game or even little things that I hope they implement via updates, but it’s in much better shape than it has been in the past.
It seems like one of the biggest improvements over previous Madden NFL titles is just the smoothness and efficiency of things. Rather than wasting my time, I was able to customize, tweak and change things how I wanted them, and get into the mode that I wanted to play. If I wanted to learn more about the game, I could dive deeper in and become the Madden MVP I knew I could always be, but if I wanted to play a game without much commentary, much distraction and just enjoy myself, I could easily do so.
Funny enough, as I write this review, I’ve got my copy of Madden NFL 25 playing in the background with a simulated Super Bowl currently happening in my office. Playing it is just as entertaining as watching the action unfold, especially with the more realistic camera that emulates the angles we would see from an actual broadcast.
Audio Improvements Sell the Immersion
It’s not a proper football game without the loudness of the crowd nearly bursting your eardrums, and it appears that they’ve gone back to the drawing board a bit this time around. The crowd looks and sounds great once again, with commentary peppering every move being made on the field. I was surprised to see that there were three selectable teams of commentators this time around, so I could fine-tune my experience even further than I expected.
The soundtrack is also surprisingly excellent this time around, with a subtle mix of different genres to keep everyone happy. Big plays are followed up with snippets of popular songs on the field, making it feel more authentic than normal. A bit upset I didn’t hear Crazy Train at all, but it’s not the end of the world.
While some of the commentary can still feel slightly stiff, it feels more real than it has in the past all in all. It’s slowly creeping toward true broadcast quality, and I haven’t heard much, if any, repeated dialogue during my time playing the game. As I continue to play, I can imagine that I may grow tired of the available commentary, but I can always switch it up to a different crew.
While the Madden franchise has seen its share of hits and misses, it seems like there’s a new fire under the team at EA Sports this year, as Madden NFL 25 is easily one of the best in the business after seemingly catching that game-winning Hail Mary that nobody thought they could.
Verdict: Recommended
Madden NFL 25 is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5.
Published: Aug 16, 2024 11:00 am