Madden NFL 16 Reviews
Madden 16 is what the NFL wants to believe its league is: Clean, friendly, and inspirational. It's not.
Despite a wealth of new ideas, some of which really push the franchise forward, a series of bugs make Madden NFL 16 a disappointment.
The insistence towards microtransaction-laden Ultimate Team and the new fantasy football-cribbed Draft Champions modes is useless. Throwing, catching, and defending throws have seen some welcomed, long-ignored additions that get a couple yards closer to faithful simulation. You can decide if that's enough.
All the intangibles, streaky in the clutch
Madden NFL 16 is a good transitional entry in the series, introducing promising features that are either incomplete or weighed down by bugs.
Even with the few, and consequently minor, shortcomings in Madden NFL 16, it is by far the best football game in years. The new additions to the passing and receiving game alone are more than worth the purchase price. These new game mechanics, coupled with the new defensive additions and refinements, bring the game to a level of realism that has never before been reached by the Madden franchise. On top of all of that, Draft Champions looks to be one of the best new game modes added to a sports game in recent years.
Overall this years Madden make some improvements to what we know already works. MuT needs some work, again, but players quitting is kind of out of their hands. Normally I wouldn’t recommend upgrading from year to year but this year, you should spend the extra money and go for it.
It's tough for an annual sports franchise like Madden to spice things up from year to year, but Madden NFL 16 brings just the right amount of change to make things interesting. Nearly everything it adds works incredibly well, most noticeably in the passing game, while a few other things still need a bit of work. Ultimate Team continues to grow, Draft Champions is the coolest mode ever, and even just a quick game against a friend is still as fun and footbally as Madden has ever been. There's a lot to like on the gridiron this year, and I can only hope that this upward trend continues to grow.
More tactical, more rewarding and much more fun
If you have a passion for American football, there really is no better replication of the sport this well designed and executed.
As I have reviewed every Madden game these last few years, I saw systems get more and more complex, making the game feel like it was out of my reach. Madden 16 feels like it is geared around simplicity. None of the systems from other Madden games were taken out, but the core of the game has been shifted toward simple mechanics interacting with other simple mechanics. This is a breath of fresh air to me. It makes Madden NFL 16 a fantastic place to start playing Madden, as well as being different enough to warrant a follow up buy after 15.
The third iteration of the series on current-gen platforms, Madden NFL 16 continues its growth. There's not a myriad of changes this year, but what has been tweaked is noticeable and makes for a fantastic game of pigskin.
Madden NFL 16 is a great playing game on the field, and has adequate depth to the modes to keep you busy for a long time to come.
Madden NFL 16 is the best iteration in the franchise this generation, presenting gamers with the most in-depth Connected Franchise yet and an interesting Draft Champions mode that has great potential to grow. Madden NFL 16 is a fantastic step forward for the series and is one players will thoroughly enjoy.
Madden NFL 16 is just fun enough and just authentic enough to recommend to football fans, despite its technical issues. Yes, the load times and occasional freezes are frustrating but isn't enough to ruin the game (thankfully).
Madden NFL 16 is a fine addition to the series that started way back in 1989. Draft Champions adds a lot of replayability to a game already jam-packed with content, the new in-match mechanics give you a greater sense of control than ever before, and Madden Ultimate Team is steadily growing bigger and better. Sure, loading times are long, but the presentation and the way that the crowd reacts to every move is well worth it. All in all, it seems as though Madden as a series won't be deflating any time soon.
Madden 16 has now begun to reflect on how the NFL has evolved, and despite its growing pains, the positives outweigh the negatives in this strong outing. Madden NFL 16 is a necessity for returning fans.
There are still problems when it comes to balancing realism with spectacle, but Madden NFL 16 manages to get the mix mostly right. Certainly, when compared to previous releases, there's a far greater sense that what you're playing tallies with what you see on Sundays.
Madden 16 is an authentic, challenging simulation that explores key facets of the sport in new ways and adds much to the experience in the process.
With a greater focus on receivers/cornerbacks and a fantastic new Draft Champions mode, Madden NFL 16 represents a vast improvement over last year's game in nearly every way.