Madden NFL 17 Reviews
Madden 17 meets expectations handedly and is poised to break out as one of video game's most elite (sup, Joe Flacco?) simulation titles.
Madden has finally found its comfort zone between the tackles, and offense and defense have reached a great balance. The community’s gameplay wishes were granted with a new focus on Franchise mode, led by the Play the Moments feature. Outside of its mood-killing commentators, Madden 17 is just about everything we’ve been waiting for since EA Sports took full control of the NFL license. Football is back, and it’s only a yard or two short of becoming an all-time great.
While it may not provide the same seismic shifts as last year's iteration did, Madden NFL 17 continues to to evolve and innovate, even as the series approaches its 30th anniversary.
On its own Madden NFL 17 looks great. Everything from the stadiums to the players, Madden NFL 17 does an excellent job at capturing the NFL experience.
EA Tiburon has done a great job of rehabilitating the fading Madden brand, with Madden 17 being the culmination of their efforts. Everything they've tried to accomplish over the past couple years is on display, from the revamped blocking to the smarter franchise mode. There are certainly plenty of issues left to address; but for now, Madden NFL 17 is a very solid football game.
Madden 17 scores in many ways, and there’s more to like than there is to hate, but we can’t ignore the flags on the field. Gameplay, presentation and customization have taken strides, but there’s still work to do.
Madden NFL 17 is all about not fixing what isn’t broken. Unlike last year, not a whole lot is radically different for better or for worse.
The best (and only!) football game for consoles returns, maintaining all the on-field excitement, and offering enough improvements, to please the most seasoned veteran.
Madden NFL 17 certainly isn't a release for the series that introduces sweeping changes for the annual franchise. Smart tweaks to familiar modes, a slew of accesibility features, and a presentation that continues to impress, it's hard to knock this year's package for what it contains. NFL 17 builds off of the base that we've seen established over the last couple of years, for better or worse.
Overall, Madden NFL ’17 is a breath of fresh air. The new running features give life to a stagnant aspect of the field, forcing players to play a more balanced style of game and highlighting game schemes many have forgotten about. EA has done a whole lot with the little they have. This year certainly has been one of the best in recent memory and it would be a shame to see a drop of in the future.
Madden NFL 17 doesn't aim to take the series anywhere crazy being mostly an entry that improves on the last year.
New running features makes this the most balanced and enjoyable Madden yet, but a few awkward sights and sounds will remind you that it’s just a game.
Madden NFL 17 does so much it's hard to speak of all its appeals and improvements
Overall, Madden 17 could use some more fine-tuning – be that in the number of catches or injuries that happen in an average campaign – but it still sits at a very high level, just like its predecessor.
Madden 17 is probably the best american football game ever made. It does not feature a lot of innovation compared to previous games, but the ones that it has are perfect.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
At the risk of sounding too cliché, Madden 17 was the next necessary and logical progression that the series needed to make. The evolution of mechanics, both on and off the gridiron are a staple of what keeps fans coming back each season. With the offensive balance now restored, games will be more true to what the audience consumes weekly on television, while still keeping things at least moderately approachable. Additionally, spending the past nine months focusing on what the fans deemed to be most important is just one of many eye opening steps in the right direction. This may not be the best Madden title ever, but it is definitely the most promising entry this console generation.
Of course, all stories need an ending. To the point, Madden NFL 17 is a quality Madden game. It does a lot of things right, and fixes most of the major shortcomings of previous editions. If you’ve lapsed in the series or just want to know if you should grab this year’s game, go forward knowing that you will get a lot of mileage from it. It’s good. At the same time, however, it is still absolutely a Madden game, and in the 12th year of EA’s exclusivity deal with the NFL it’s hard not to pine for a little competition. Sunrise, sunset.
Madden NFL 17 boasts some changes that players may not find entirely intriguing. The practice system with franchise has been bumped up, but it still remains a tireless slog that should be avoided. The new commentary duo is breath of fresh air and one that should stick around for years to come. While making the special teams useful again was nice, the on-field action has changed very little. Madden NFL 17 feels like more Madden NFL 16, which isn’t always a bad thing.
Madden NFL 17 refines the gameplay and the structure of his predecessor. It's a rich chapter, that can finally say goodbye to chronic flaws of the series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
"Madden NFL 17" mostly avoids gimmicks in favor of addressing long-running areas of deficiency in the series. The developers stuck with the progress they made in recent years — aspects hardcore football fans appreciate like penalties and accuracy mattering for quarterbacks — while adding an element of unpredictability that makes the game feel much more like the actual sport.