Madden 17: Early Review and Initial Player Ratings
The 2016 NFL season doesn’t start until Sept. 8, but Madden 17 ushered in a new year of simulation pigskin on Tuesday.
The iconic video game franchise is back with another installment, and this year’s version will help football fans pass the final stretch of the offseason with new features and upgrades. One of the first things users typically look for with the release of the new game is the player ratings, and there are a handful of superstars who check in with overall ratings of 99, including cover athlete Rob Gronkowski.
With that in mind, here is some information regarding the initial player ratings and the new system, as well as an overall review for Madden 17.
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Player Ratings
One of the new features in this year’s game is the presence of a sortable player ratings database on EA Sports’ website. It says that gamers can “for the first time ever, sort, search and share any Madden rating, plus see how overall ratings are calculated for each position.”
The website provides percentage breakdowns at each position so users can understand what portion of the overall grade for running backs comes from their speed, agility, power and other characteristics. What’s more, those ratings can change on a weekly basis with in-game updates, which means a dominant stretch on the field in real life will translate straight to the video game realm.
Here is a look at some of the top initial player ratings on EA Sports’ website on Tuesday, the day the game was released in stores. Every player’s rating can be found on the website and easily compared to others who play his position.
| Rob Gronkowski | Tight End | New England Patriots | 99 |
| Luke Kuechly | Middle Linebacker | Carolina Panthers | 99 |
| Von Miller | Outside Linebacker | Denver Broncos | 99 |
| J.J. Watt | Defensive End | Houston Texans | 99 |
| Aaron Donald | Defensive Tackle | Los Angeles Rams | 98 |
| Antonio Brown | Wide Receiver | Pittsburgh Steelers | 97 |
| Justin Houston | Outside Linebacker | Kansas City Chiefs | 97 |
| Tyron Smith | Left Tackle | Dallas Cowboys | 97 |
| Joe Thomas | Left Tackle | Cleveland Browns | 97 |
| Marshal Yanda | Right Guard | Baltimore Ravens | 97 |
| Julio Jones | Wide Receiver | Atlanta Falcons | 96 |
| Tyrann Mathieu | Free Safety | Arizona Cardinals | 96 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Quarterback | Green Bay Packers | 96 |
It isn’t just gamers who notice the player ratings. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was given an overall rating of 90, which made him the eighth-best receiver in the league behind Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Alshon Jeffery.
He didn’t seem too upset about it on Twitter, though:
Review
Best Change
It is impossible to thoroughly review a new version of the Madden franchise without comparing it to previous editions, and the first change that immediately stands out comes from the commentator booth.
Rather than retreading Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, Madden 17 used Charles Davis and Brandon Gaudin. While they don’t bring the household-name status that the Nantz-Simms combination did, their chemistry and ability to have meaningful back-and-forth dialogue about the game being played rather than generic tidbits make this a definitive upgrade.
Jay Malone of Gaming Trend said this year brings “the best commentary a Madden game has had since Madden himself was in the booth.”
Owen S. Good of Polygon described the work of Davis and Gaudin as a “voluminous dialogue library, so far comprising seven months of near-weekly working visits by a new broadcast team, with even more material still to be recorded.”
That means gamers can expect additional calls and updates as the season progresses, which will keep the material fresh.
Gaudin sounded like someone committed to consistently improving the product when he discussed the job, per Good:
"I don't want to be somebody who goes in, gets handed a script, reads it, flies back to Atlanta and then comes back and does the same thing again later. I want to be invested on the ground level and the ground floor, to be involved with the design of it and the script writing, and that was their vision, too. I hope that as we get deeper into this, that I can add value, not only from the play-by-play role, but also with the general knowledge of ‘this is how a broadcast works, we should try this here,' and hopefully add more value in that.
"
It’s not as if Nantz and Simms did a poor job, but the combination of Davis and Gaudin makes Madden games feel much more like actual broadcasts of what is happening rather than prerecorded bits applicable to any simulation.
No More Losing Precious Time
According to EA Sports’ website, the new Play the Moments feature in Madden 17 will allow users to “experience Franchise faster than ever.”
The mode essentially allows gamers to play only the most important moments of each game, be it critical third downs, trips inside the red zone, momentum-altering drives or the final two minutes of a nail-biter. Users can also select to play only offense, only defense or the entire game like they typically would with prior versions.
It is simply a more efficient way to experience Madden for those who don’t have the time or desire to commit to an entire game or franchise worth of seasons.
Offenses No Longer Have All the Fun
The cliche surrounding football video games is that each contest is an offensive shootout in which the final score resembles something closer to a late-night Pac-12 game than an actual NFL showdown.
Madden 17 made a number of changes to the defensive side of the ball that will help prevent unrealistic shootouts from becoming the norm. EA Sports’ website pointed to a “Behavior Coordinator” that allows zone defenses to adjust to actual situations and routes receivers run rather than pre-scripted areas.
Calling quick slants or hook routes into areas not typically covered by base zone looks will no longer work every time. Neither will running a back or receiver out to the flat against zones that aren’t designed to stop those quick throws, thanks to the behavior coordinator system.
Defenses will also be stronger against the run because of a “defensive gap control system,” per Clint Oldenburg of EA Sports’ website. Each defender will be given a gap responsibility to control against the run and will be expected to execute his job to contain formidable running backs.
There are also special teams enhancements in Madden 17. Kicking extra points and short field goals is no longer automatic, as gamers must use a three-button technique instead of simply flicking the stick. They have to start the kick, time the power and time the accuracy, and the additional power that goes into a kick makes controlling the accuracy harder.
Gamers can also institute kick-block plays with designated kick-blockers who will be tasked with jumping the snap and changing the momentum of a game with a well-timed block. However, going for the block also leaves special teams susceptible to the additional trick plays in the playbook in punting and kicking scenarios, so there is an element of risk and reward, just like in the NFL.
Overall Score
Gamers will be hard-pressed to turn down the newest version of Madden.
The franchise once again brings smooth graphics and gameplay, which are even better this year because of the improved ball physics. It doesn’t seem like the ball warps anymore, catches after deflections are more likely, and onside kicks are exciting again because users can take advantage of those bounces and actually aim rather than rely on the monotony of kicking it in the same place.
The defensive upgrades are also critical, as users won’t feel as if it is impossible to stop certain pass looks. Third and fourth options in the receiving game no longer dictate the game by sliding into uncovered zones on a consistent loop, and there is a chance to contain the likes of Adrian Peterson if players maintain gap discipline.
That’s not to say every game needs to be 10-7, but there is a nice balance from the 50-43 games of the past.
Special teams are also no longer the boring aspect of the game players want to simulate through unless they are controlling a dynamic kick returner. Blocked kicks are some of the most exciting plays in the sport, and the dominant football game on the market should and does reflect that. Extra points aren’t mindless actions users can do with their eyes closed anymore, either.
Perhaps most importantly, the commentary makes every game feel fairly fresh, and users don’t have to wait half a lifetime to play a 30-year dynasty with the Play the Moment feature.
Madden 17 delivers just in time for football season.
Overall score: 9/10
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
