Madden NFL 16

Simply put, Madden NFL 16 changes the way you play the game. The risk vs. reward aspect of the new passing and defending mechanics adds a level of realism the franchise has never seen. You can catch and throw the ball pretty much exactly how you want, and it feels great when you can pull a big play because of it. On top of that, Draft Champions might be the new game mode we’ve been waiting for.

Ever since Madden NFL 25 dropped a couple of years ago, EA Sports beloved pigskin game has been on the upswing. This isn’t to say Madden 25 was awful, it was anything but, rather it left a lot of room for improvement and wasn’t exactly a smashing debut on the now current generation consoles. Madden NFL 16 continues EA Sports mantra of making small incremental enhancements to their yearly sports titles. There is no major overhaul of the Madden graphical engine or the core gameplay. The way you throw, run, catch, tackle and kick works just as it did last year. By and large it looks and feels lik...

Football is the perfect mix of brain and brawn. Split-second smarts are needed to read and execute a play correctly, but superior physical skills determine what ultimately happens. However, in Madden, despite the myriad controls and required stick skills, playing offense used to be mainly about calling the right plays and recognizing defenses. This year, gameplay changes to the passing game in particular require both a sharp mind and quick fingers. These and other tweaks combine to bring the game to life like never before.

A revamped gameplay system allows players to take more control than ever, making Madden 16 feel like a polished product. Career mode still has some holes in it simply because of stale options, but the game truly shines online. Overall, a great experience and one to build off of for the future.

Any given day

As a result, it’s fair to say that Madden NFL 16 is as complete a package as the current-gen platforms have seen thus far. It’s the best playing iteration, the best looking iteration, and it’s likely to give players far more value than any prior release. And given that last year’s Madden NFL 15 was pretty disappointing, it’s easy to say this year’s version warrants a purchase.

Madden 16 is what the NFL wants to believe its league is: Clean, friendly, and inspirational. It's not.