Before even hopping into the game, you will quickly notice a huge improvement in Madden NFL 16’s UI. For years, one of the biggest, most frustrating complaints is that EA’s sports games has been the atrocious menu design. It would make simply moving from quick play to dynasty an absolutely unapproachable chore. Thankfully, that has been fixed with a new design that has almost no new issues. The design feels similar to Microsoft’s Metro style menu design. Most importantly, it moves quickly without hitches. You can navigate from deep into the settings all the way into team rosters without having to put your controller down to watch a blank screen. It is something that has been a long time coming, but I welcome this new UI with a smile and open arms.

 

The exclusive deal between Electronic Arts and the NFL can be a double-edged sword. The lack of a viable competitor to the Madden franchise can sometimes yield a mediocre annual release, but the exclusivity can create amazing experiences when the full force of the NFL is put behind one game. Unfortunately, despite a wealth of new ideas and some that even push the franchise forward, a series of bugs made "Madden 16" a disappointment. One of its most notable new ideas is Draft Champions, an inventive take on the popular phenomenon of a fantasy football draft. There is definitely an element of randomness to what players pop up each round, and players may end up passing up on a perfect fit because there are too many good options in any given round. With only 15 rounds to draft, it is impossible to make upgrades at every position.

 

When you begin Madden NFL 16, you will be dealt a hand of cards, and you want to try out those cards and then start to make adjustments. If you are new to Madden, then this is a good way to learn about how the game is played before you get into specifics. Moreover, using the cards you are dealt first helps you learn how Madden Ultimate Team works, and you will begin to figure out why people from all over find Ultimate Team mode to be the best feature out there. Underdogs will find proper places on the team, while hardcore players constantly are making bids for their favorite players, and this is all how the feature works to help you grab the players that can put points on the board for your team. Before you get into trading and bidding and grabbing up new players, use the cards you have been dealt because it is a good way to practice the game, learn the rules, and learn how to make proper adjustments. Since this is all about building a team, you want to learn the basics and learn how to build up the team you want with the style you want before you go into all of the specifics and details of the game.

 

The offense received a ton of love in Madden 16, but the defense wasn't left out entirely in the cold. This game is now designed to punish offenses who make stupid mistakes. I cannot count how many times in previous versions a ball would be thrown directly to a defensive back and it will hit the hands of the player—and fall to the ground. Whoever the commentator is for the year will say something cliche like, "Haha! That's why he plays defense!" and you just shake your head and move on. Those days are gone, because defensive backs are incredibly efficient at intercepting bad throws. Granted, they aren't perfect, but the success rate for DBs picking off passes has dramatically increased. Also, the modifications will allow a player locked onto a defensive back to either play the player and try to time the break up or to go for the pick. Picking wrong, however, is almost always disastrous in the form of penalties or getting burned for a touchdown.

 

Madden NFL 16 is just fun enough and just authentic enough to recommend to football fans, despite its technical issues. Yes, the load times and occasional freezes are frustrating but isn’t enough to ruin the game (thankfully). Not having a functioning franchise at launch is outrageous, but because it’s a known issue and will likely be fixed soon, means it’s a problem that will be eventually forgotten and forgiven. Also considering Madden NFL 16 has so much else to offer makes it an easier pill to swallow. Madden NFL 16 is like your typical perennial playoff team that lacks a certain something to get to the Super Bowl. “Off the field”, EA Sports needs to make sure that any mode it’s going to ship out works properly before launch. “On the field”, Madden NFL 16 still doesn’t feel as authentic as it could be. It’s a good football game, but not an elite one.