Madden NFL 25 Review: Losing Yards On The Play

Madden NFL 25 Review: Losing Yards On The Play

The new NFL season has begun and with that comes my typical addiction to Madden NFL. This year we have Madden NFL 25, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Madden football. It’s really been that long? Ugh, I feel old. Madden NFL 14 would have been just fine, EA.

Madden NFL 25 introduces new running mechanics that makes run plays more exciting, and a lot of that is thanks to much better blocking. I’ve broke many big runs already in my time with the game and it’s fantastic to see great line blocking. It’s also great to see the tight ends and wide receivers pitching in to keep the defense away from the runner. It’s definitely the easiest running game I’ve experienced in Madden, and it’s the most fun to watch develop as well. Being able to see holes open and watch as teammates get out in front of the defense is super impressive. However, it’s bit too easy at times, so players are going to want to mess around with the difficulty and sliders a bit to see if they can find a good balance.

Playing defense also becomes more difficult as it’s much harder to stop an offense, especially when they pass the ball while the defense tries to protect against the run. This makes play selection even more important and being able to read the offensive play selections. Time and study will once again prove to be affective to all Madden players. I had a few games where I simply couldn’t stop the pass because I was too worried about the run, and the minute I switched back to pass protection I would have the QB take off on me and get a first down. It’s actually good strategy and a defensive minded person will absolutely appreciate the “mind games” that go on with the defensive side of play.

In Madden NFL 13, I was able to pass all over the place and pretty much dominate the air. However, in Madden NFL 25, passing is now more difficult as it’s harder to read certain routes and zone defenses. It makes the challenge more difficult, but a lot of passing experts will pick this defense apart as well with enough time and practice. However, one of my biggest complaints is that I’ve seen a lot of bad passes as well when I’ve been perfectly set to throw the ball. I understand not every pass can be perfect but some of the passes can really frustrate the player, especially when there is a wide open receiver and the QB doesn’t even get close to getting him the ball.

If passing is too difficult, they can always run more because it’s just that easy. Or, they’ll run a lot and set up a great passing down for themselves that the defense can’t react too. The defense still has a tendency to pull off some pretty spectacular interceptions when players do mess up, or when the game decides to have the player throw a duck of a pass, but I’ve seen a number of dropped balls on the defenses part too, thankfully. All these little issues really take away from allowing the player to have a good and enjoyable gameplay experience.

Overall, the gameplay does feel alright at times and I do enjoy the improvements made to the running game, even though it is too easy. It’s also better that it’s more difficult for me to pick apart the defense through the passing game, but it’s not good that I can easily run the ball instead. A lot of time will be spent adjusting the difficulty for players to find the fit that suits them best.

Madden NFL 25 doesn’t have that same great connection this year that I felt last year with Madden NFL 13. It’s slightly disappointing being that it’s a celebratory year, and people would think that they’d go all out on making sure this felt like the best Madden experience yet, but it simply isn’t. Last year was the most excited I had been about Madden NFL in a while and this year just feels like it took a step backwards, taking a sack for a loss of yards.

Those who enjoy a good running game can like a lot of the new rushing features that are offered in this year’s version. Plus, the more difficult passing game makes it more challenging on those who like an all-out aerial attack. But the gameplay just isn’t as fun, the atmosphere isn’t as good, and the experience is lesser than what I found in last year’s version.

Score: 7/10