Madden NFL 25 review

I have been playing Madden games for a literal lifetime, which tells you all you need to know about its staying power and ubiquity in the videogame sports scene. I remember being wowed by some of the generational jumps in the franchise – who can forget seeing it running on the 3DO? But in recent times, one could argue that there have not been any big earth-shattering changes year on year, even if the core of the game has always been a solid and enjoyable experience. Pleasingly, Madden NFL 25 has some genuine improvements and can lay claim to being comfortably the most enjoyable entry of the modern era thus far. Surfing on the wave of the similarly impressive returning favourite, College Football 25, there is enough here to satisfy long-time, year-in, year-out devotees – but also enough improvements to lure back lapsed fans or newbies.

Nearly every time a new sports game is released, you will always hear about how there is some fancy new physics engine that dramatically affects the action. It’s not just the NFL where we hear this, either. In my experience, these types of claims do not always live up to their promises, however, EA has done the business with Madden NFL 25 in a way that feels tangible and noticeably a step in the right direction. The much-vaunted FieldSENSE and BOOM Tech tech employs genuinely impressive physics-based tackling, and effectively mimics the behaviour of certain players and their attributes. You can marvel at recognisable traits of your favourite stars. There are a ridiculous number of moves available to not only ball carriers but receivers – including the ability to pull off a super-flashy one-handed catch. The tackling system considers crucial pre-impact moments, the actual point of impact, and tackle resolution.

The hit stick is employed by flicking the right stick on the controller up at the opportune moment. New to Madden 25, the effectiveness of hit sticks are determined by not only your timing but the position and angle of your defensive player. Hit the tackle too early, too late, or at the wrong angle then its power will be dramatically reduced, just as it would be in a real gridiron situation. This lends it a nice bit of risk/reward; nail a perfect hit and you could make your opponent fumble the ball – but get it wrong and they may gallop into the endzone or pick up a bunch of easy yards.

The on-pitch AI is noticeably improved, too. I instantly noticed the subtle difference to pre-snap lineups, right down to the way linemen behave and seem to be their own separate entities and don’t just assemble like an identikit row of generic players. Crowds are buoyant and have dynamic responses to on-field events such as arena and team-specific chants such as voracious Eagles fans screaming “Fly Eagles Fly!”. The presentation is polished and extremely impressive, right down to the wealth of real-life commentators including a decent get in the excellent Sunday Night Football stalwart Mike Tirico.

How are the actual rosters? Mercifully, my beloved Jets are actually half-decent this year, featuring Sauce Gardner who EA have rated (correctly) the best cornerback in the game, however when I experimented with different teams it really shows that EA have also done their homework on the playbook side of things doing a great job of portraying some of the unique ways certain teams play – for example the run-centric offence employed by the Ravens with superstar QB Lamar Jackson going through the gears. You can also customise plays such as changing the yardage distance on routes. Customisation is brilliant elsewhere too, with the player creation suite perhaps the most in-depth ever seen on a football game. Team Builder allows you to create a fantasy roster and make it as wild and wacky as you want, and the depth of this and the creativity options are going to be a boon for those who enjoy the Franchise mode.

The franchise is as impressive as ever, with some key tweaks that make it an even more satisfying experience. Players improve or regress over the course of a season and you can affect the quality of your franchise by switching out your offensive or defensive co-ordinators. Looking to the future, player recruitment outcomes are affected by jiggling your scouting team with a spot of hiring and firing, shuffling the deck to play to your strengths as you gear up for the latest instalment of the NFL Draft. If you are struggling at QB you can bring on board someone who specialises in finding the next big gunslinger. Defence shakier than a shitting dog? Start scouting for your d-line.

Elsewhere there are interesting storylines woven through the Franchise mode with the ability to speak on players during press conferences – something which can give a player a much-needed boost, or crush them by critiquing their performance.

If you prefer focusing on a more individualistic experience then Madden NFL 25 has a Superstar mode which sees you begin at the Combine and aim to get drafted and live out your vicarious NFL dreams – you can create a player to do this, or even import your previous fave from the Road To Glory mode in College Football 25

There is, as is par for the course with an EA sports title, the bafflingly popular Ultimate Team mode – which can be played for free but is best experienced if you have an unending supply of cash to pump into it. One improvement to MUT I will speak on is the “Solo Seasons” mode which allows players to take on AI opponents in order to progress without the anxiety of playing online against real human beings. There has been a lot of discord online about Legends cards being locked from the get-go, which has annoyed a lot of long-time fans.

Overall, Madden NFL 25 is an undeniably impressive step in the right direction for Madden. It looks gorgeous, and plays in a way that feels genuinely different thanks to the attention to detail and game-changing physics engine. It builds upon the excellent College Football reboot and serves as the best time you can have on a virtual gridiron until the mouth-watering prospect of the new season kicks off in September. The great John Madden may no longer be with us, but his legacy of football excellence lives on