I've grown more and more disillusioned by the Madden franchise as years have passed; having been an every year guy from '98 to '06, I finally tried to start speaking more with my wallet by abstaining from giving EA my $ every year. With that said, I did pick up both '15 and '16. Like many others, I was pissed with '15 and felt like I'd been duped, shame on you EA. I'm feeling slightly, emphasis on SLIGHTLY, less duped with '16, however, there are still some GLARING issues that I'm baffled have not been resolved by now. Below, I provide a quick list of PROS and CONS with a brief blurb for each, so hopefully this answers some questions and doesn't waste too much of your time.



CONS:

Commentary: Really EA? This should've been re-vamped and overhauled ages ago. Why do the commentators offer commentary that in NO WAY applies to how the game has been played to that point? I"m so sick of Nantz and Simms having no idea of the context of the game as if they didn't make it to the booth until halftime and are just guessing what happened prior.



Wrongful celebrations: Minor gripe, but literally every time the ball is punted to me/ i punt to an opponent and hits the end zone for a touchback, the/my kicker celebrates as if that's a good thing! That's bad punter!! That's bad! Stop pumping your fist!



Aggressive catch: I guess it's kind of a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" type of thing, but just throwing a long ball and holding down y or triangle should not mean guaranteed catch every time! I included the aforementioned addage because, well, it does go both ways, and has served me well many times, but that doesn't detract from how cheap it makes me feel sometimes. It's just too overpowered honestly.



Computer = Superman: Something that's bugged me a while with Madden, the computer still seems to always get those miraculous plays right at the perfect time: whether it be some rediculous agresssive catch; an ubelievably timely strip-and-fumble recovery, or; a running back somehow breaking a tackle from D-linemen to secure the first down, it'll happen and you'll be left scratching your head.



Inability to skip repetitive cut scenes: EA why do you force your customers to sit through the same introduction every single game?? I mean, there is zero variance in the way it plays out, so when I've seen it once, I've seen it a million times. Please don't make me watch it anymore. Same with replays in certain situations, really annoying and that much longer to get into the action.



PROS:(yes, there's some fun to be had with this game)



Catching Mechanics: Not sound contradictory, but the catch mechanic is fun, yes, even the agressive catch. I like that dynamic of added control over the reciever, I just don't like when, in the case of the agressive catch, it seems fail proof. Takes away from the user's feeling of skill and babies newcomers a bit too much. With more tweaking though, this could be one of the greatest modifications to the franchise in years.



Graphics/Visuals: No doubt the prettiest Madden to date. Those intros and the live-action overlays for players are SLICK, but that doesn't mean watching them should be compulsory EA!! Everything from the sun reflection of helmets/visors to the crowd's response to positive/negative plays is pretty impressive to me.



Run Game: first time i've ever really felt like i was in control of the run game; i can do some nasty things with Andre Ellington and Latavius Murray and i recently got a breast cancer awareness month LT that i'm psyched to use.



Overall direction: Hopefully I'm not coming off as too whiny in this review, whining ain't my thing. EA really has made some positive steps with the franchise and without a doubt, it's the best Madden to date. Just wish they'd fix some of these areas that have been bad for so long. I'm having fun with '16, but will not be buying another installment for a long time. Remember people, you refuse to give 'em your hard earned dollars, and they'll be forced to make a better product.



It's a good year Madden, better than last's by far, in my opinion, but I can't help but think we deserve better. I say "we" to include others who have been faithful to this franchise with the hopes that EA would nail it someday, but they haven't. Worse yet, they've ignored some of the issues that have become mainstays for the franchise. We can control it people, we can demand better. I konw it's the only NFL licensed video game franchise (which is really a shame cuz we all know 2k being able to at least add some competition to the mix would benefit everybody), but that doesn't mean you HAVE TO settle. Let's band to together and mess up that EA profit margin some and see if we can't get a GREAT Madden. It's just one guy's opinion though. Hope some of your found this helpful. Did this pretty quick, so grammar trolls go easy on me. Power to the gamers!