Madden 25 on the PlayStation 4 is stuck in generational limbo. When viewed up close, the game is a shinier, more polished version of what NFL fans have already had in their homes for months now. The hits look more realistic, the players have greater physical definition and facial animations, and the helmets – which might be the real stars of the show – glisten in the sunlight in a manner that could never be achieved on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. It’s an absolute face lift when judging the products texture to texture, but the moment-to-moment action could be easily mistaken as something running on current-gen hardware by the average consumer. Everything from the sideline drama to the a simple draw play looks to have been given little more than a quick spit shine, and that results in a next-generation debut that’s difficult to get excited over.
If your neighbor stops by to see what this new-fangled PS4 thing is all about and finds you running an average play, he might be confused why you forked over $400 for the new hardware. However, his opinion might change when the camera zooms in on the more realistically animated jerseys, or the bulging biceps of the charging halfback. Pieces and parts of Madden 25 shine and at times even convince you (and everyone in the room) that this was a game built from the ground up with the PS4 and Xbox One in mind. Unfortunately, you’re too often met with the terrifyingly stiff hair of Clay Matthews to remain in such a blissful state.
The improvements aren’t all aesthetic, though. Madden 25 on next-generation consoles feels tighter and more lifelike than ever before, and this is most noticeable in the running game. The interaction between the opponent’s defensive line and the running back looks and feels more natural in motion, which is something that the series has been improving upon each and every release. You’ll more often see a runner step over the feet of a defenseman than awkwardly tripping over this small obstacle, and the hits appear less canned and more dynamic than what we’ve seen in the past.
The motion of the players has been polished, but that doesn’t exactly make it more enjoyable to take hold of the pigskin and barrel into the gut of the defense. I rarely found myself gaining a great deal of positive yardage on running plays that were often successful on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Even in cases where I was throwing a star running back against defenses that, on paper, can barely stop a charging kicker, my player was regularly stuffed before crossing the line of scrimmage.
I won’t argue that I’m a Madden prodigy, but even a simulated Adrian Peterson – who’s widely considered the best runner in the game – rushed for just six yards on 15 attempts against the unimpressive Buffalo Bills. I tested multiple running backs in the Connected Franchise mode to see if they would find any more success, but the defenses consistently took the players down before achieving any sort of significant production. The player awareness has been sharpened on both sides of the ball, but sadly, that makes keeping the ball on the ground less viable than ever before.
All the features you’ve come to expect from the annual sports franchise are here. It’s easy to quickly jump into a game with the AI, a friend, or an online player, and the popular Connected Franchise and Ultimate Team modes are still around. The Connected Franchise feature is great when enjoyed with a large group of friends or even a few random people online, and being able to focus on a single position on the field instead of the entire roster is a nice change of pace. There’s plenty to do in Madden 25, and while the next-generation versions don’t add anything to the mix, it’s difficult to get upset when you’d likely spend most of your time picking the bread-and-butter Play Now option anyway.
This is the best looking football game that’s ever been released, and while there are a few stumbles in the running game, Madden 25 on the PS4 controls better than the last-generation editions. Still, this doesn’t quite feel like the graphical leap that many hope for when popping a launch game into a new console. The stunning close-ups of the players only make the unchanged sideline shots, poorly rendered hair, and random ragdoll of tackled linemen that much more jarring, which is disappointing for what could have been an early showpiece for new hardware. As it stands, the next generation of football is worth checking out if you’re dying for a new NFL experience and are yet to pick up what’s already available on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Otherwise, you won’t miss out on much if you wait to see what EA Sports can accomplish on these new machines next year.
7.5 out of 10
A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
