Madden NFL 25 gets huge endorsement from impressive source

If you're a gamer who's into sports or a sports fan who doubles as a gamer, any news about an upgrade to Madden football is major news. That's especially true of the upgrades that affect Madden NFL, which is one of EA Sports' flagship products.

But football fans have been cautious about these upgrades for a while. They know that new editions of Madden NFL weren't really that new; instead, they mostly just featured upgraded rosters.

Until now. According to the Athletic, the graphics have been upgraded enough to make it feel like a new product, and the presentation screen has been improved enough to make Madden NFL 25 feel like a brand-new product.

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Why Madden NFL 25 is now better

One of the big reasons Madden NFL has long been a hit is because of the level of detail that's been integrated into the game. Big hits feel like bone crushers, whether it's Derrick Henry lowering his shoulder or a big safety blowing up a pass protector on a blitz.

The key to all this, according to EA, is a technology called FieldSENSE that utilizes the physics of football to make everything feel more real. Running backs have different styles and gaits. You can add moves in the open field. Different types of catches are possible, even one of those classic old Odell Beckham one-handers.

That level of realism extends to pre-snap adjustments, not to mention smart routes that can be customized. The mechanics are constantly getting better due to improved precision, and the available technology is only going to improve.

Those improvements even extend to the fine points like kicking and announcers. Tom Brady isn't available yet--can't wait for that one, no?--but Greg Olson is, and it'll be a hoot when we get to see what Madden NFL comes up with for the new kickoff rules.

Kickoff chaos, Madden-style

Those rules are an intriguing example of how the Madden NFL design process works. The kickoff rule changes were implemented way too late for EA to do a full-blown test process for realism, and the results were still being tweaked and adjusted well into the summer.

Weekly calls have supposedly been held with an active NFL coach to get the strategy part right, and that anonymous coach indicated that, in some cases, the teams have used Madden NFL 25 to conduct experiments and adjust on the fly.

User control is a huge issue in all this. Should gamers be able to do a squib kick? Do precision kicks within the landing zone? It's all on the table until the action starts, and it's only just now, in August, that players are finding out what it all looks like.

Being an owner, a GM, and a coach is...well, special

Technology and detail are all well and good, but the meat on the bones with Madden NFL 25 is the ability to run your own franchise. You can make trades, upgrade from your practice squad, run your own scouting operation, and wreak havoc in the careers of your coordinators.

You can also do team meetings and design your own chaotic version of Hard Knocks, have sideline shouting matches, and explore different types of pressers where you have things go off the rail in all sorts of unimaginable ways. You can have your scouts shame players by rating them appropriately or erroneously.

Don't you know that you are a superstar?

Always wanted to be an NFL superstar? Madden NFL 25 is your big chance. You can run your own combined drills, post a wonk-level Wonderlic score, and turn yourself into a marquee draft pick.

Christian McCaffrey is the new Madden cover boy this year, and his versatility is a pretty solid metaphor for the way the game has been upgraded and diversified. So, if you've been waiting for a Madden version that really matters and supercharges the experience, this is the year to go for it.

Article originally written by Bob McCullough