| Madden NFL 25 | |
|---|---|
 North American seventh-generation cover art featuringBarry Sanders. | |
| Developer | EA Tiburon |
| Publisher | EA Sports |
| Composer | Christopher Lennertz |
| Series | Madden NFL |
| Engine | Ignite (PS4, Xbox One) Infinity 2 (PS3, Xbox 360) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One iOS Android |
| Release | PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,iOS
Xbox One
|
| Genre | Sports |
Madden NFL 25 is anAmerican footballsportsvideo game based on theNational Football League and published byEA Sports. It was released forPlayStation 3 andXbox 360 in August 2013. Instead of numbering itMadden NFL 14 with the year like in previous versions, the "25" in the title refers to the 25th anniversary of theMadden NFL series.[1] The eighth-generation console versions ofMadden NFL 25 are the first games to run on EA Sports'sIgnite game engine. However, the seventh generation versions still run on EA's previous game engine, Impact. The seventh-generation versions featured formerDetroit Lions running backBarry Sanders on the cover, while the eighth-generation versions featuredMinnesota Vikings running backAdrian Peterson, and were released as launch titles for thePlayStation 4 andXbox One in November 2013.
In Connected Franchise career mode, players own and manage a National Football League (NFL) team.[2] Players can also move teams to new cities, including international markets like Toronto, Mexico City, Dublin and London, or revive historic teams like theHouston Oilers[2] or theLondon Monarchs fromNFL Europe. It was the first time this happened sinceMadden NFL 12 for the franchise and team relocation sinceMadden NFL 09.
The game was announced in early 2013. It was shown in conjunction with EA Sports'sIgnite game engine announcement atMicrosoft'sXbox One reveal as one of four upcoming games to use the engine.[3] Electronic Arts confirmed the game as anXbox One andPlayStation 4 launch title at itsE3 2013 press conference.[4]
Improvements over the previousMadden titles include upgraded graphics (including for the first time real metallic shine for teams with metallic helmets for the Xbox One and PS4 releases),[5] better real-time physics, new running controls, and a reactive environment, including a playing field that wears out in high-activity areas.[6] Thenext-gen console versions are better equipped to handle these updates due to their extra processing power.[6]Player-character foot tracking is five times as accurate on the newer consoles.[6] The debutingIgnite game engine tracks all on-field players simultaneously in order to predict path collisions for more realistic impacts.[6] The game can also store more animations to make player movement more realistic.[6] The next-gen versions will also include exclusive features,[6] such as an improvement to passblocking where increased computer player awareness lets theartificial intelligence change priorities mid-play anddouble-team players, new to theMadden series.[6] These choices are designed to let the player think more like the quarterback instead of retreating every play to evade the rushing defensive players.[6]
Hall of Famerunning backBarry Sanders, who played for theDetroit Lions from 1989 until 1999, won the contest to be featured on the video game's cover overAdrian Peterson of theMinnesota Vikings, with 58 percent of the vote. Sanders became the first player to appear on the cover ofMadden NFL more than once (he appeared in the background of theMadden NFL 2000 cover).[7]Electronic Arts later announced that Peterson would be on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game covers, while Sanders will remain on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 cover.[8]
The game was released on August 27, 2013 forPlayStation 3 andXbox 360. It was released as alaunch title for thePlayStation 4 on November 15, 2013 and as alaunch title forXbox One on November 22, 2013.[6] An announced Anniversary Edition available only atAmazon.com includes a code forNFL Sunday Ticket access.[9]
Madden NFL 25 includes multiple pre-order bonuses. If pre-ordered throughGameStop the user will receive head coachBill Walsh and quarterbackJoe Montana for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise andEddie DeBartolo, Jr. for Connected Franchise. If pre-ordered atWal-Mart;John Madden,Tom Flores, andFred Biletnikoff for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise.Amazon:Rod Woodson andFranco Harris for Madden Ultimate Team andArt Rooney, Sr. for Connected Franchise. AtBest Buy: head coachJimmy Johnson andTroy Aikman for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise. If ordered fromTarget:Mike Ditka andWilliam "The Refrigerator" Perry for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise. And finally, if ordered fromOrigin:Kurt Warner andWarren Moon for Connected Franchise.
Madden NFL 25's menu music was once again an original orchestrated score, composed by Christopher Lennertz.[10] The licensed soundtrack only plays in stadiums.
Madden NFL 25 received mostly positive reviews. Jack Devries ofIGN gave the game 8.5/10, praising the improved franchise mode, while criticizing the repetitive touchdown celebrations and glitchy presentation, such as the fictionaltweets which say teams "barely won", when the final score is 35-14.[11]Joystiq's Mike Suszek scored the game four stars out of five, commenting on the inconsistency of the running game, as a result of the sensitive collision detection of the Infinity engine.[12] On the contrary, Dustin Toms of Operation Sports praised the running game, primarily due to the addition of thepistol offense; Toms scored the game as 7.5.[13]
Brett Todd ofGameSpot criticized the commentary byJim Nantz andPhil Simms, stating that they "offer nothing but inanities, generic observations about the 'offense' and the 'defense' that rarely refer to players by name, and loads of those obnoxious 'I'll tell you what' tics that make Simms so insufferable." Todd also commented that the passing game is too overpowered, though he praised the "Run Free" addition. Ultimately, the score given by Todd was 6.0.[14]Forbes' Erik Kain also criticized the commentary, stating that the exclusive rights deal between EA and the NFL hindered the amount of improvements to the series. On the positive side, Kain praised the "Run Free" feature, calling it a welcome addition to the franchise.[15] Steven Hansen ofDestructoid praised the physics, but noted the possible lack of replay value, calling it "Madden XIII-2" due to it being too similar toMadden NFL 13.[16] GameZone's Lance Liebl gave the PS4 version an 8/10, stating "If you're a football fan and an early owner of one of the next-gen consoles, go out and getMadden NFL 25. There's enough improvements to justify buying it, especially if you do the trade-up program for Xbox One."[17]
During the17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominatedMadden NFL 25 for "Sports Game of the Year".[18]
Madden NFL 25 forAndroid andiOS received negative reviews, the iOS version receiving aMetacritic Metascore of 39 based on two mixed and six negative critic reviews. Eric Ford ofTouch Arcade gave the game a 1/5 rating, criticizing the game's highly simplified football matches and excessive freemiumPay-to-win elements.[19] Matthew Diener ofPocket Gamer gave the game a 2/5 rating, criticizing sticky and unresponsive controls which "pose more of a challenge than the AI does" andFree-to-play elements.[20]