Madden 17: Rounding Up Latest Expert Reviews of Iconic Video Game

Madden NFL 17 officially hit store shelves Tuesday, and EA Sports' latest offering has already been given a once-over by many of the most respected video game reviewers in the business.

Having been in existence on consoles since 1990, Madden is an institution that garners plenty of excitement every time the newest edition drops. The biggest challenge, however, is finding a balance between adding new features and keeping what works.

Madden NFL 17 may have struck that balance to near-perfection, as it has drawn largely favorable reviews across the internet.

Here is a rundown of review scores from many of the top gaming websites, as well as a closer look at some of the features that have reviewers excited about Madden.

Reviewer	Site	Score
Dustin Toms	IGN.com	8.6/10
Kat Bailey	USGamer.net	4/5
Jay Malone	GamingTrend.com	80/100
Ed McGlone	Twinfinite.net	4/5
Lee Price	TrustedReviews.com	4/5
Bryan Wiedey	SportingNews.com	4.5/5
Owen S. Good	Polygon.com	9/10
Mike Wehner	GamesRadar.com	4/5
Devin Charles	GameRevolution.com	4.5/5
Blake Grundman	PlayStationLifestyle.net	8.5/10

Madden NFL 17 Top Features

Improved Running Game

Throwing the football tends to be more fun in both reality and the gaming world, but Madden NFL 17 made tweaks to the running game that figure to make grinding out yardage on the ground more attractive.

Dustin Toms of IGN.com believes running the ball felt the same with every team in Madden NFL 16 regardless of a running back's rating or the ratings of those playing around him.

He reports a big change in that regard for Madden NFL 17. Now big, physical runners such as Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and DeMarco Murray of the Tennessee Titans are more likely to break tackles.

Also, the quality of the offensive line comes into play, as Toms feels it was more difficult to pick up yardage on the ground behind a pedestrian line.

According to Mike Wehner of GamesRadar.com, there are now more options when running the ball and added drama as well:

"

Gone are the days where you point the running back in a direction, wiggle the stick, and hope for the best; you now have much greater control over the runner and can actively engage defenders with more variety than a simple stiff-arm or spin move. 

Once you've made contact with a tackler, you now have a real opportunity to break their grasp with some well-timed button mashing. It might sound silly, but in practice it leads to more realistic running plays, as modern NFL backs rarely go down at first contact, and frantically tapping on your controller to squeeze out a few extra inches for a first down can make even the smallest plays feel like a big deal.

"

While gamers may still lean toward passing the ball since that is the direction the NFL as a whole is heading in, running the ball appears to be more rewarding than it has been in quite some time.

The Denver Broncos proved last season that a great defense and strong running game can still be a Super Bowl-winning combination, and that looks to be the case in Madden NFL 17 as well.

Play the Moments

Playing through every play and every game in Franchise Mode can be a daunting task for gamers who are more interested in the front office aspects, but the new "Play the Moments" feature creates a great mix between play and simulation.

"Play the Moments" allows gamers to take the controls during the most important plays, such as third- and fourth-down situations, red-zone sequences and drives near the end of halves.

Per Blake Grundman of PlayStationLifestyle.net, that allows players to get through games quicker and speeds up the Franchise Mode experience:

"

On both offense and defense, every time the player is in control, they are making a dramatic impact on the outcome of a game. Another added benefit is that the task of burning though a season has suddenly become far more feasible and attainable. As a busy husband and father with a full time job, I can appreciate the chance to burn through a couple of games and their respective pre-game training, in a matter of an hour.

"

According to Toms, "Play the Moments" makes it possible to finish a game in 30 minutes, which means gamers can make a ton of headway in their franchise mode with just a few hours of time.

"Play the Moments" also ensures that gamers will be engaged in every moment of every game since they will only be asked to take the controller during big situations. The new feature essentially eliminates any potential for boredom over the course of a game.

The best part of "Play the Moments" is that it's optional, which means hardcore Madden gamers are still able to play out every second of the game if they choose.

Evolving Commentary

One of the biggest complaints surrounding the Madden franchise in recent years has been the recycled and stale feel of the commentary, but developers took a big step toward fixing that in Madden NFL 17.

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms have been replaced by the lesser-known duo of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis, and Owen S. Good of Polygon.com believes it is a move in a positive direction:

"

The fresh-faced booth pairing of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis, obscure to real-life NFL broadcasts, is more natural and conversational than the establishment talkers Madden has used in the past. I heard Davis and Gaudin argue over why a play succeeded, which gave them a meaningful rapport I remembered in later games.

"

Gaudin and Davis promise to get even better as the real NFL regular season commences, as they will provide updated commentary based on actual happenings throughout the season that will be included in the game as well, per Good.

It will take time before the full impact of the commentary improvements is felt, but if the Madden NFL 17 experiment with Gaudin and Davis is a success, it could represent the new norm for sports video games.

Madden has long been a revolutionary sports game franchise, and it may well be on the verge of setting the standard in another important area.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.