Playing With The Eagles in Madden 16
Do it.
I preordered my copy of Madden 16 last night, downloaded it so it was ready to go at 12, and played for an hour because, incredibly, I was working, which is how I explained it to my wife.
So far, after playing through the opening demo sequence – a Super Bowl between the Steelers and Cardinals where the game encourages you to learn some of the new playmaker controls (more on those in a second) – tutorials for the aforementioned controls, and an Eagles-Redskins game, everything I wrote in my review last year still stands– the current iteration of the Madden franchise is the best it’s ever been and on-par with Madden 2005 as the best Madden ever from a relative standpoint.*
*I hate when people say “Oh, this new version on PS4 isn’t as good as the 94 Sega Genesis version. That’s wrong. Of course the new version of the game is better, by leaps and bounds. But, relatively speaking, for its time and expectation, is it better? In Madden’s case, the answer is, again, “yes”… or at least as good as the 2005 version was in 2005.
If you’ll recall, EA Sports came into Madden 2005 by improving defensive controls and realism from the arcade-y (but fun!) Michael Vick show in 2004. Madden 2005 struck the perfect balance between defense and offense for its time. But in 2006, EA Sports tried to swing things back to the offensive side of the ball by adding maybe the series’ worst feature ever: the passing cone, a near-gimmick that was almost unusable with anyone but Peyton Manning. The series stumbled for years after that.
So, it was my concern that after striking the perfect balance in Madden 14 – specifically with defensive controls – EA Sports would try to swing things back to the offensive side of the ball with a difficult and useless gimmick. Which is exactly what they did. But. But without being difficult, useless or a gimmick. From my limited use, the offensive playmaker controls actually improve the experience without being so difficult to pull off that you don’t want to use them.
Here’s how they work: When passing, your quarterback can now use the L1 (PS4 controls) button to throw a high pass, L2 button to throw a low pass, or a double button tap to throw a medium-strength pass. The same tap and hold mechanics are in place for soft and hard passes, respectively. You won’t use them on every throw, but I found myself on multiple occasions needing to use the “high pass” option to send Jordan Matthews up to get the ball, which he did. The low passes are a bit harder to pull off since you need a lane if you don’t want to get intercepted, which is what happened to me.
And you now have the option to control how the receivers catch the ball. The computer will do what’s best if you do nothing, but if you hold X while the pass is on the way, your receiver will do a safe catch, clutching the ball, but often falling to the ground in the process for no YACs. If you press triangle, they’ll go for an aggressive catch (usually jump for the ball), but leave themselves open to a big hit. Or square, which puts them in position to run after the catch, but with the risk that they won’t actually catch it. Most of the time the decision the computer makes is the right one, but it’s nice to have that extra, manageable control on certain throws. It adds a new, approachable weapon on the offensive side of the ball.
So, how are the Birds?
Sam Bradford: Yep, he’s got his sleeves. Assuming he doesn’t get hurt in the third quarter of every game (I didn’t try to run the ball with him once, which is a first for me in a Madden game), it’ll be nice to play with an Eagles quarterback actually known for his passing ability. Unlike Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Nick Foles, or the god awful polygonal Mark Sanchez, Bradford is actually a joy to play with. He can make every throw you want to make.
DeMarco Murray: McCoy was good in the game last year, but he wasn’t close to the level of Eddie Lacy, DeMarco Murray or Marshawn Lynch. It’s hard to run to the outside in Madden, so those guys were much better at running up the middle. Murray may be the best. He’s quick, falls forward with the best of them, and big enough to shrug off glancing blows. It finally feels like the Eagles have a Madden feature back.
Ryan Mathews: I changed it up a few times and put Mathews in the game and he was the perfect spell running back. Well-rounded and a starter on most teams.
Darren Sproles: Still tough to use Sproles as a runner in the game, but he’s fine split out in the slot or used on (dangerous) coming-out-of-the-backfield passes.
Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor: OH MY GOD THE EAGLES HAVE FUN RECEIVERS TO PLAY WITH. Matthews is a beast in the game and Agholor is quick but drops some passes. The latter feels like the type of guy who will get a 10-point ratings spike throughout the course of the season. I didn’t throw to Riley Cooper.
The line: I don’t think I got sacked once… another first.
Defense: It was hard to play online with the Eagles last year because the defense was pure swiss cheese. I’m not sure if that’ll be the case this year. It to me felt like the line got its typical adequate pressure up front but now has help from an upgraded linebacking corps and much better safety play. Time will tell, but it doesn’t seem like playing with the Eagles’ defense will be a handicap this year.
Full Eagles Madden ratings
Overall: An already great game made better with useful features, more visual polish, and what seems to be an even better gameplay experience. The Eagles may be a top 5 team in the game.
