Madden 15: Player Ratings, Features and Release Date

As we move closer to the August 26 release date for Madden 15, a steady stream of information about the game seems to hit the Internet on a daily basis.

While most of it is good, there has been some information that will likely bring a frown to the face of anxious fans of the series.

Here are the latest news, features and player ratings released for the game.

No Demo

That's right, Madden fans. There won't be a demo for the game this year. That could have something to do with the launch of EA Access. It's an Xbox One exclusive service that allows subscribers to download and play EA Sports games five days before they release in stores.

It also allows subscribers to play old EA Sports games and receive a discount on new purchases.

This somewhat softens the blow for Xbox One gamers, although the $4.99 price tag eliminates the usual free demo experience. PlayStation 4 gamers are simply left out in the cold on this one. Those are the cons, but there are a few pros.

Usually, a demo is limited to two to four teams with abbreviated quarter lengths and with some presentational details omitted. This will at least be the full retail version.

If you have the Xbox One and the $4.99 is no sweat for you—and if you plan on playing other EA releases early, such as FIFA 15, NHL 15 and others—then this shouldn't be a major issue.

Truth be told, that's a lot of "ifs."

Connected Franchise Improvements and More

image provided by EA Sports

The lifeblood of a sports video game for many gamers is still its franchise mode. Playing online is awesome and addictive, but there's still nothing like creating your own little sports universe.

That's why the more control game developers give gamers to customize their experience, the better.

With the news recently released on Madden 15's Connected Franchise, it appears the series is ready to take baby steps toward the goal of complete customization in the mode. Per EA Sports, gamers will have far more options to customize the uniforms and names of their teams if they choose to relocate their organization during CF.

That's great news considering the options last year were very limited.

One thing many CF fans were hoping for, but didn't get in the new version, is the ability to edit draft classes. With no NCAA Football to import draft classes from, the business of keeping your virtual football experience as realistic as possible gets more complicated.

Last year, fictitious players were injected into your CF, and each of them were equipped with their own branching storylines to give them personality. This was likely the best way to approach this aspect of the game considering the circumstances surrounding college athlete likenesses.

What Madden has done is randomize the generation of draft classes, making no two classes or players alike. Though it's not custom draft classes, it should add some spice and diversity to every gamer's experience.

The Numbers

Last week, every player rating was revealed, and the EA spreadsheet undoubtedly received a ton of traffic.

More than any other game, the ratings reveal for Madden releases is almost as big of a deal as the game itself. 

That's odd considering ratings czar Donny Moore and his team work hard to change the attributes accordingly every week. Thus, the initial ratings in the retail version are only the cat's meow for a short period of time.

Be that as it may, the fact that Calvin Johnson received a 99 overall is big news.

A player like Megatron figures to maintain a lofty rating throughout the season, but there's a chance a few guys could see their mark dip once the season begins.

Here's one example: The Kansas City Chiefs' Alex Smith is rated an 89 overall. The former No. 1 overall pick had a career year for the Chiefs last season with 3,313 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

That's a solid year, but does it really warrant an overall rating close to 90?

Does Smith really deserve a higher rating than the Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco, Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck?

Perhaps we'll find out shortly.

Follow Brian Mazique, the sports and video game journalist, on Twitter.