For as long as many people around today can remember Madden has always been the go to game of letting our virtual football dreams run wild. Despite the constant money the franchise makes every year in sales there is a following that is very displeased with the franchise and its direction for several years, me included. I have not bought a Madden video game since Madden 16 and have always been criticized by many of my friends every year for doing so and only playing and testing the games on a limited basis.
I've had enough experience to make a judgement on each Madden game every year and each year I'm met with the same result, a game that is likely fun for a few hours but quickly wears off after that. After taking some time to really analyze it I wanted to take a look at some of the main reasons as to why for me Madden is simply not worth 60 dollars every year. Please note I am not saying Madden is a horrible game every year, but simply why I don't believe it's worth its beginning price every year.
1. Lack of improvement in the Franchise mode-This one particularly is one of the biggest problems since Franchise mode has always been my favorite mode in any type of sports game. But I've noticed lately Madden does not seem to care about changing this mode much as there have been several things they could've added by now to improve its longevity. For example, the ability to include expansion teams in the mode which we've now seen in NBA2K. While Madden has included the ability to relocate teams , the feature itself has not changed much since its inception and gives you very minimal creativity in changing the team, leaving much to be desired.
2.Taking away features for no reason - Remember when you used to be able to play as a single legend like Walter Payton or Warren Moon and put him on any team? While it wasn't the most flushed out feature I did find it at the very least a fun idea that could be improved. But this ability was taken away for no reason and never improved upon. This is not the only thing that has been taken away before, remember Madden Moments? This feature allowed you to play out memorable moments and games from the past season in the game, another cool feature that was taken out for no reason. These are just two shining examples that hurt the overall longevity of the game.
3. Lack of authentic game presentation- One thing that has annoyed me about this series for a while is its lack of care of making the game feel as real to a TV presentation as possible. Games like NBA2K and even the NHL series have made strides in their presentations by either getting actual TV licensed trademarks in the game or hiring actual TV commentators to partake in the presentation of the game, giving it a TV like atmosphere. Madden has failed at this for many years with a bland and generic presentation style, and a lackluster halftime and post-game show. While it has improved with it’s new commentary team, there is still work to be done to keep up with the competition.
4.Broken promises- For me some of the most disappointing aspects of the franchise have came from things they said were going to improve the game but did not do nearly as much as advertised. For example, this year’s switch to the frostbite engine and the introduction of game play styles. Both of which seemingly did not change much about the overall game experience.
If I were to sum it up Madden is honestly just not a game that is made for me. The only benefit I seem to get every year is the chance to play as the new rookies entered into the game, but for me that can only take a game so far. I know I didn't talk about the game's extensive online features, which I do think is pretty good, especially if you're willing to pay extra to win, but to me that is not the heart of the game. Simply put Madden would need to improve upon the things I mentioned beforehand to be worth a 60 dollar price tag every year. `
