AgentICE

Having diverted their development teams to a new mode called The Yard, Knockout KO, a kid-focused game featuring rappers as players, and Face of the Franchise, a half-baked story mode that offramps into a regular franchise, and renaming Franchise to "Classic" Franchise, the fine folks at EA seem more hellbent on microtransactions so much so that they are veering away from their contract with the NFL to provide "simulation football". Franchise mode has been left wilting in the wind with few updates over the last 10 years. Along the way, EA has lost focus on its core fan base in order to milk every penny from their customers. #FixMaddenFranchise trended nationwide in Twitter. Buyer Beware if you are a fan of simulation football.

If you love Mass Effect, you'll feel the same about ME: Andromeda. Despite the character models not feeling very Next Gen-ish, I found it very entertaining. I love games that allow you to create your own characters, but I felt it was easier to create a decent-looking character in previous titles. Despite this issue, this is game that I will place in heavy rotation.

NBA LIVE is back! Over the last three years, NBA Live has continued to improve, going from a game that was barely playable or enjoyable to one that has finally arrived. The game is definitely not perfect, but this is the first true year that I can see myself playing regularly. It is actually decent this year! EA is definitely moving in the right direction with the addition of new modes including Pro-Am. I look forward to improvements in the years to come. Live is back!

Madden NFL 16 is back and better than ever! Gameplay has improved with the addition of a new Passing and Catching Mechanic. Being able to control what type of catch your player makes is a great gameplay addition--we have wanted this for several years! Being able to throw passes in a number of ways (touch, bullet, high, lob, and low) is a great feature. Updates to CFM includes the ability to practice with your team--another feature the community wanted. I have to give the game high marks this year, despite a number of bugs present in the game at launch, which is disappointing.

NBA Live 15 is back and 100% better than last year--last year was a pretty bad showing. I honestly feel like the gameplay has improved enough for this game to be fun to play. It's not perfect, but EA is still updating things on the fly, like face scans, uniforms, and animations--not many games are updating like this or promise to update throughout the year. While NBA 2K is the basketball game to beat, NBA Live is not a bad alternative for those who are tired of the issues that plague that title. The modes needs work, Ultimate Team is watered down compared to FIFA or Madden (I'm not sure why that is), gameplay is almost ready for primetime (give it two-three years), and graphics have been tremendously improved. The Demo is out. Take it for a spin and make up your own mind. I would have preferred if Live was delayed another three years--just come back when the game is crazy good instead of limping along at the start, then improving every year, but that's just me. If you are an old fan of Live, you just might like this ****'s growing on me.

Madden NFL 15 is, to me, the BEST Madden in years! The Graphics are truly Next Gen this year and the gameplay has a balance feel for offense and defense. Run control is much better than Madden 25. Running is fun again, but so is Defense! This is just an overall great game. If you are a MUT fan, you'll absolutely love the changes this year and if you are a franchise baller, you'll also love the under-the-hood changes to CFM mode, including free agent signing, as well as major changes such as running drills using the new Game Prep feature. This is not a Madden to miss…it only gets better from here folks!

With the return of Owners Mode, revamped Infinity Engine, new Acceleration and Running Mechanics, toned down Total Control Passing, and Roster Share, Madden 25 has returned better than ever. The bright spots are over shadowed with (1) multiple release day bugs that are all too common, (2) lack of online Connected Franchise commissioner controls such as Sim-Win and Sim-Loss (a feature that NBA 2K has), (3) addition of a draft board, (4) addition of classic rosters, (5) NCAA Road to Glory Import, (6) Team export, (7) sluggish menus, (8) over effective run blocking, and (9) TD Celebrations in online games. All-in-all, the game is a blast to play despite its shortcomings.

EA SPORTS NCAA Football 14 is back and better than ever. With the new Infinity physics engine, along with the new running mechanic that features more realistic foot planting, new streamlined User Interface, revamped option game, new position-specific hot routes, new NCAA Ultimate Team mode, new Coordinator Camera view, revamped Recruiting Mode featuring Power Recruiting and Coach Skill Trees, and new Power Recruiting this could be the best ever current generation version in the series. The game is far from perfect though: Road to Glory mode saw little, if any attention, along with Create-a-Coach, TeamBuilder, Coaching Carousel, commissioner controls, and sideline players. All in all though a very fun game to play.

I have to say that over the years since PlayStation 2 days, I have had an up and down relationship with the title, but this year, I have fallen back in love with Madden! The new Infinity Engine, although not perfect, is what the community has been requested for years. While the mechanics of the engine are not at 100%, which has never been debated, I have seen some incredible, once-in-a-life-time plays. The new Passing System is Excellent. Ball trajectory and placement has never been better. The new Connected Careers Mode is the old Franchise Mode on Steroids. However, there have been complains from the community, who list several features in Madden 12 that did not make it into 13. In addition, some gamers are not very accepting of change. I can understand their concerns. There are valid points amidst some of the outlandish and unwarranted complaints. Hopefully, EA will weed out the constructive feedback and make adjustments moving forward. Anytime a game developer removes much loved features from the previous year, even if it's from a small minority of users, it's bound to have some negative affects. Overall, the game is going in a great direction, the new team has brought a renewed enthusiasm and strategic direction - I'm excited - and I am going to enjoy the heck out of Madden NFL 13 and look forward to 14 and beyond. No game is perfect, but Madden is hella fun to play and an amazing one-year leap in feature set. Madden is back!!!