Madden 16: Review of Online Play Experience and Initial Player Ratings
Many hardcore Madden players rush home with their new copy and immediately test their skills online. As competitors, many of us are eager to find out if we still have the online skills needed to succeed in the Madden community.
After some early bumps in the road, EA Sports righted the ship on Tuesday, when Madden 16 was officially released. There were some issues were affecting tuning and the initial roster update, but per the game's executive producer Rex Dickson, the servers were fixed:
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The early connectivity and matchmaking seemed to be working well. An online match on Wednesday morning took all of 30 seconds to begin, and the performance once the game started was solid. It's great that you can now see the "estimated wait time" on the screen when you're waiting for the system to find an opponent.
It's also great that you aren't allowed to see which team your opponent has chosen to play with until you're in the game. Many people will pull the plug the moment they see your team choice.
"Servers" is a broad term that many fans use to describe overall online stability. Speaking with several game developers, this is something they understand and work to handle throughout the life cycle of each game.
The roster updates are normally good with Madden, and so far so good with this year's game. On its release day, there was already a roster update. Ratings haven't changed, but some slight changes were made to bring the rosters closer to what they are in real life.
As of Wednesday morning, injuries to players such as the Carolina Panthers' Kelvin Benjamin weren't yet represented. It's safe to assume that will be in place in time for Week 1 in the NFL.
By now, many of you know that the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Houston Texans' J.J. Watt and New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski are the only players rated 99 overall in the game. However, there are a few other notable ratings I noticed while skimming the rosters.
Oldest Player
Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts, 42 years old
If it seems like Adam Vinatieri has been around forever, it's because he has. The future Hall of Famer is entering his 20th season in the NFL, but he's still rated a 90 overall. He takes the term "alive and kicking" to another level.
Fastest Player
Breshad Perriman, Baltimore Ravens, 97
Where are the Madden speed freaks? You guys will want to locate the Baltimore Ravens' Breshad Perriman. His skill set will be right up your alley. The rookie checks in with a 97 speed rating, which makes him the fastest guy in the game in the initial ratings.
Perriman clocked a 4.25 40-yard dash time before the draft, and his impressive speed rating is the result of that electrifying performance.
Most Agile
LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills, 99
Straight-line speed is great, but lateral movement is pretty important as well. In Madden, there's nobody slicker and more agile than the Buffalo Bills' LeSean McCoy.
A highly motivated McCoy is in line for a big season in New York.
Least Aware
Lawrence Okoye, San Francisco 49ers, 33
Awareness ratings are interesting. The more experienced and heady players generally have the highest ratings. Clearly, Lawrence Okoye has a lot to learn about the game of football, at least according to the ratings guys at Madden.
Okoye has the lowest awareness rating in the game at 33. What makes Okoye so unaware? Is it because he didn't attend college, or because he grew up as a rugby player who also competed as a discus thrower in his native England?
All of those things are probably a factor, but I'd suggest you take control of him on every play, or you might just find him running into the goal post or onto the sidelines aimlessly. I'm kidding.
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