SimFBallCritic

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. I'm more **** guy and my review will be based on that area. Madden 16 by far offers the best overall gameplay experience in the history of the franchise. Some of my favorite additions are as follows: New passing mechanics, new catching mechanics and options, DB/WR interactions, new DB play ball/play receiver mechanics, Organic and gang tackling, QB AI, improved locomotion on the controlled player, ratings being more of a factor, defensive holding and defensive PI. These gameplay additions help Madden 16 to march closer towards to the simulation game I have been waiting for EA Sports to produce. I would also like to add Draft Champions, great mode in my opinion. I don't normally play MUT and DC gives me the ability to play with a fantasy team without any real commitment. At the very most you can play with the same team 4 times, after that it's back to the drawing board. I love suspense factor of always having to build a new team. Of course there are still things left to do and the game still has a few issues which are listed below. I would like to see little to no warping and motion shifting into place. Animation Quality, which the Devs have mentioned themselves. Just want the animations and player movement to look and feel more natural. At times the game still lacks the fluidity that you see in other sports titles. 22 Man Physics, I would like to see the physics run at all times and have an affect on every aspect of the game. Physics driven injuries. Signature Animations and Signature Skills for players. I would start with the biggest stars in the league and build from that. New Ratings System, I would like to see position specific ratings and more skill based traits. Jersey pulls and real reach tackles Outside of that I would just like to see the Devs build on what's already in the game as well. Continue to clean up known issues and build on the foundation you already have set in place. I am also a big CFM player and I will mention that briefly. I like the new scouting system, dynamic goals, storyline commentary including drive starters, and the addition to free practice. I still think there is so MUCH more that could be done in this area to make the game more immersive. There needs to be more off-field activities such has developing storylines that affect game day, contract disputes, chemistry, performance hits for players not practicing, real life draft board, etc. I could go on for days. Madden 16 gives me confidence that the Devs want to get Madden to an elite level. I'm already waiting to see what Air Supremacy looks like in it's second year. If the Devs continue on the path they have going on since Madden 25 I think we have a lot to look forward to. The future looks bright.

I'll keep this review fairly short and sweet. My review of NBA Live 15 is based on how it compares to NBA Live 14. NBA Live 15 is what Live 14 should have been. It has improved greatly over Live 14 particularly in the way the game looks graphics wise and the way the game feels. I feel like I can actually play and enjoy Live 15 to some degree, which is something I couldn't do with Live 14. Even though the game has improved it still isn't quite where it needs to be to keep my attention. Overall the game just feels like an arcade game to me. It is fun to play and I can appreciate that but to me the feel of the game is off. It's still feels stiff at times and there are a lot of animation pops. My biggest compliant area is the play in the paint. At times it feels like weight and momentum means absolutely nothing. There is too many times when you can push your way through the lane and get to the basket. You even see times when the defenders actually slide on both feet as you push them out the way. Stuff like that kills the experience for me. In conclusion I think Live 15 is a foundation game and has improved, but it's still going to be a few years before they are a legit contender. I'm very curious to see where Live is by Live 17.

It's hard to review a game when there are 2 versions of the game you will be playing. I've been playing BF4 for the 360 but I'm waiting to continue my experience on the PS4. As you could imagine I expect the game to be at it's best on the Next Generation consoles. I enjoy the game more than Call of Duty because of the feel and the gameplay style. Battlefield is more of a strategic and tactical shooter and that's the type of game I prefer. Since I consider this game a demo for the Next Gen version I will keep it short and sweet. Pros Solid Campaign. A lot of action and kept me interested. I don't usually play campaign so what I think is good may not be the same as campaign veterans. Improved Hit Detection Improved Hip Fire Game seems to play much smoother than BF3 Nice Maps Frostbite 3 and new destruction More modes, added Domination Cons Game freezes on Campaign and Multiplayer Campaign AI doesn't always seem to be aware of what's going on You are the only person that can die in Campaign, squad member can't get show Campaign is scripted, I would like to see more dynamic outcomes based on the decisions you make Not everything is destructible, would like to be able to destroy any and everything on site. Overall I think Battlefield is a great series and BF4 continues with that tradition. I look forward to see the best BF4 has to offer when I get my PS4 version.

I'm a gameplay first type of guy and that's how I review Madden. Of course I want all aspects to be great but with me it starts with gameplay. Now I understand that there are a lot of things that can't be done on this current generation of consoles and that greatly affects my review of Madden NFL 25 current gen. By far the best addition to Madden 25 is the new locomotion mechanics. Now you are able to make subtle cuts with the left analog stick which adds a more organic feel to the run game. In addition to hard cuts there is the precision modifier which gives you the ability to pull off over 30 special ball carrier moves. The best part about the precision modifier is it provides a bit of separation between backs, some moves can only be pulled off if the RB has a high enough rating in a specific category. However there's no real distinction between players and all of the moves look the same. This is where the arcade affect comes into play. Going forward we need to see signature running styles and behaviors from the star players in the NFL. Replicating player abilities, behaviors, and signature styles will push the game to a level of realism that most are expecting to see from Madden. This is something games like NBA 2K and MLB The Show do well and are known for. Blocking has been improved in Madden 25 with a new targeting system. Blockers are now designed to follow their specific assignments and have the ability to change their path downfield based on the projected path of the ball carrier. There is still room for improvement with blocking, I still would like to see guys block whoever crosses their path rather than being locked into an assignment. There are still times when blockers collide with a defender without extending their arms. Not only do they collide but in most of these cases they bump into the first defender while still looking at their assignment. Infinity Engine 2.0 is a more polished version of the Infinity Engine introduced in Madden 13. The physics as a much tighter feel during actual gameplay. It's more subtle and interactions between players look and feel more organic. Force Impact has also been added with IE2 which allows the physics to be more of a factor in certain situations. Even though IE2 is an improvement there is still a lot that needs to be done in this area. Not all animations are able to be interrupted, at times it feels like the game completely ignores the physics. There are too many forced animations, weight and momentum doesn't always dictate the outcome. This seems to happen mostly with one on one situations. Now that physics is in the game a player's weight, size, mass, positioning, strength, stature, and momentum should all factor in to determine the outcome of the play. Not a lot was done of defense this year but there is at least one key improvement, the trenches. OL/DL interactions are better than they've ever been in the Madden NFL series. You now see a more dynamic fight in the trenches which is where football starts and ends. For the first time I feel like I can get real pressure with DE's as opposed to overpowered DT's in the past. Secondary play has also been tightened since NCAA 14 but it's still not as dynamic as it should be. Defenders are still restricted to their zone responsibility and rarely play outside of that when necessary. I would like to see more anticipation from DB's instead of waiting until the ball has been thrown to react. Don't get me wrong, there are times when the DB's do a solid job in Madden 25 but it doesn't seem to be consistent. I don't expect shutdown defense every time, I just want to see the Secondary react realistically whether they get beat or not. Key Additions and likes: Run Free mechanics (Precision Modifier) Locomotion mechanics (Hard Cuts) New Blocking targeting system Re-done blocking assignments Force Impact System Infinity Engine 2.0 New audible and hot route system Stiff arms Missing components and wishlist (Just to name a few): WR/DB interactions No REAL gang tackling Adaptive AI Independent player AI Proper weight and momentum distribution Reach Tackles No forced animations Physics driving gameplay instead animations taking over Overall Madden 25 has improved greatly over past years and it is by far the best Madden we've seen on this generation. Madden markets itself as a simulation and it's good to see that they are now focusing on simulation gameplay and moving in the right direction. Madden will need to focus on the minor details in order to fully replicate what we see on Sunday. At this point and think that's what we all expect, especially since other genres seem to be ahead of Madden in that area. Moving on to a new generation should be good for Madden. I've been saying for years that Madden needed to borrow things from FIFA and NHL to improved their game, now with the new Ignite Engine this will be possible. I like forward to the possibilities on the next generation of consoles.

I'm a gameplay first type a guy and that's what I will base my review on. Don't get me wrong I enjoy all aspects from gameplay, to presentation, to game modes, but it all starts with the gameplay. NCAA Football 14 has improved greatly over NCAA Football 13, in fact I think NCAA Football 14 is the best football game produced by EA SPORTS on this generation of consoles. The first thing that jumps out at you is the improvement to the player locomotion and hard cuts. You now have the ability to make cuts with the left analog stick simply by changing direction. This feature adds a more realistic look and feel to the running game. Physics has also been introduce to the the NCAA Football Series with the Infinity Engine 2.0, which adds a more dynamic aspect to the gameplay. IE2 is a tuned and refined version of the Infinity Engine and plays out much smoother than the original version introduced in Madden NFL 13. Blocking has really been improved this year. Lineman have a new targeting system which allows them to block the right guy and change their path based on where the ball carrier is going. Last but not least the war in the trenches has returned to EA SPORTS football games. The combination of new D line moves and improved footwork mechanics for the O line provides trenche battles like you've never seen before from the Series. Along with pros comes cons, they are areas of concern in this game. Force Impact doesn't always seem to play out accordingly. All animations aren't able to be interrupted, at least not at all times. There still isn't any real DB/WR interactions. Zone coverage has been improved, but guys still don't really play outside of their zones based on the situation. TCP has been improved, but you still don't have full control over ball placement. Hard cuts have been added but that doesn't completely eliminate sliding and weird player movement at times. Overall I think NCAA Football 14 is a solid game to end this generation of consoles. I think this game is a building block to show us the direction EA SPORTS Football is going in and set a foundation for the future. For the most part this game plays very well and seems to have more pros than cons at this point. Sim

This game is not the complete package in terms of what I would like to see in a simulation, but this is definitely a good foundation. I'm still not satisfied with the overall Player Movement (running animations, foot plants, etc) and the OL/DL interactions (Lineplay). With that being said you can not deny the improvements to the passing game, read and react defense, removal of psychic defenders ( for the most part), brand new Infinity Engine, and DEEP connected careers mode. As far as the Infinity Engine you will see some strange physics moments, which is expected with a year 1 implementation, but I can more than appreciate the Madden Team for adding the physical element to the franchise. Infinity will only get better, and even in it's current state you get some Amazing outcomes at times. Again, the game is not all the way there yet, but if this is year 1 of Cam Weber's 3 year plan we are in good shape. I just hope the Madden Team continues to build on the foundation set by Madden 13, and Player Movement and OL/DL interactions MUST be address in Madden 14.