XXL’s Game Corner: DJ Rhude Goes Hands On With ‘Madden 25′

EA Sports recently held a showcase in New York City to show off their upcoming releases set for late summer/early fall and Madden 25 was one of the titles on display. After hearing about all the new features EA’s flagship pigskin game is boasting this year, I was eager to finally take it for test drive. I had about a solid hour on the sticks to put together some quick impressions based on an older build of the game.

The first thing I wanted to experience was the new precision modifier, which allows for both the execution of new moves, as well as some important refinements to old favorites. Repping with my hometown team the NY Giants, I gave running backs David Wilson and Andre Brown a workout. Typically, I don’t want to be bothered by a whole bunch of combo moves when I’m playing a football game, but after some time it started to become second nature. Holding down LT on the Xbox allowed me to pull off some nifty moves. Wilson is known for his speed and agility, with the new precision modifier, I was able to add some swag to his juke move, changing it from a simple change of direction to a stutter step with a hard cut, or a jump cut to find the hole. Brown brings the power and I was able to plow over linebackers by holding down LT and pressing stiff arm which gives it the additional force to run through a tackle. Similar to NCAA Football 14, there is the Nike Skills Trainer available for you to refine your techniques.

Overall, the running game was improved and the blocking more intelligent. I was able to run between the tackles more efficiently, something that is difficult to do in Madden 13. This year you’ll notice that running backs put their arms out to avoid and slide by their offensive lineman instead of running into them and falling down. The defensive line and how it interacts with the offensive line has also been noticeable improved. Pressure came up the middle frequently, which means the defensive tackle will be more than an afterthought in this year’s edition. A few other things to note:

Infinity Engine 2.0:It’s subtle but you’ll see the tweaks they’ve made in the engine, there’s not as much post play goofiness (ie: players falling over each other like) and while I did still see some occasions of it happening it wasn’t as frequent and keep in mind that it was an older build.

Player Celebrations: Much better this year as they show the entire celebration instead of just showing a portion of it. I got the opportunity to see Victors Cruz' end zone salsa dance in it’s fully glory, dope.

Defense: I’m going to hold off on final judgment on this until I get the retail copy in my hands and have time to put it through some rigorous game play. But I will say my initial impression is that the defensive back play was improved. The corners played the wide receivers tighter in man and more smartly in their zones. Also noticed there seemed to be fewer occurrences of dropped interceptions.

Ball Hawk Feature: This was a sore point for some in Madden 13, as they complained it was just too strong of a cpu-assisted aid (cheat) on defense. Just hold down that Ball Hawk button and watch the cornerback magically position itself for the interception. I would be among that crowd who felt the Ball Hawk feature made bum thumbs with minimal user skills look like Deion Sanders on the field. Creative Director Mike Young specifically asked me how about I felt this feature in 13 and after giving my opinion on it, assured me that the feature been toned down in M 25. Instead of being able to just hold down the button and let the computer do the work, you will need to have timing to be successful in making the pick or swat. Even better you can turn this feature off, an option that wasn’t available in 13.

Be sure to check back here next month where XXL will have more details about Madden 25 including an extensive review. – DJ Rhude