What most people want to know, of course, is what to expect on the field. That is where the action is after all. And in "Madden NFL 16," it's as great as always. But don't expect any groundbreaking improvements. When the "Madden" games launched on next generation consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4 a couple of years ago, the overhaul was massive. Physics were re-imagined, player models became incredibly lifelike, and gameplay became much more nuanced. This year's "Madden" looks a lot like last year's game, and that's OK. It's gorgeous. The experts have spoken, and the word on Madden 16 is positive. According to Metacritic, Madden 16's conglomerate score is an 83. That's pretty high. It ranks among the top games the site considers "current."

 

The highest rating I've seen from any publication came from Owen S. Good of Polygon.com and Louis Edwards of PlayStation Lifestyle. Each year Madden signifies two of my favorite events, the Fall game rush and football season. Things change for me when this event occurs. I spend my Sundays glued to a TV set, and my weeks playing all the latest games. It is a glorious occasion. Madden continues to be a tradition, and each year I spend close to 100 hours digging into the game and playing out my fantasy season (the one where my Raiders win back-to-back Super Bowls). Madden NFL 16 delivers once again, but not in the normal way. New modes are not the focus this year, instead the on-the-field action takes precedence, thus creating the best playing Madden in ages.

 

Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team (MUT) makes its presence known this year more than ever. Cards can still be purchased through in-game coins or real cash, and those cards make up teams; and you can still play either against other players in shorten season form or do events against the CPU. MUT remains unchanged, but it really doesn’t need much change. What makes it more interesting this year is the addition of Draft Champions. Mimicking the standard execution of MUT, it gives you quick access to a full team of randomly chosen players. To make things more interesting, you get to select one of three cards in a total of fifteen rounds to help strengthen your team. Once completed, your Draft team must win three games straight in order to win the Draft Champions challenge, as one loss will disqualify you and require a redraft.

 

Even after winning, your assembled team will disappear and you’ll have to go at it again, choosing your best fifteen players through the draft. The ultimate point to partaking of Draft Champions is the reward of special card packs, which can be redeemed and the cards used in MUT 16. At launch you’ll be able to take your team online to compete with other players and it’s going to change the way Madden fans play the game. Unfortunately, the drawback is there is no local play for this game mode so if you have a friend over you can’t play a quick local battle against them. Overall, Madden NFL 16 is a welcome addition to the franchise. While the graphics may not be what you want or expect the gameplay and new modes/mechanics make Madden 16 fresh enough to warrant your money.

 

Madden NFL 16 brings a number of options to the table with its modes. The Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team mode continues to be the best "build your own squad" mode, with hundreds of cards to unlock to boost your team to new heights. The Auction House works great as well, in case you somehow feel like shopping for Reggie Wayne back on the Colts squad. The options here are tremendous, and will keep you busy. If you seek something Fantasy Football oriented, Draft Champions is for you. Here, you'll draft three players at a time as you build your ultimate dream squad. It can be a little daunting at times, especially if you wind up with a player you don't really want at first, but it pays off as you eventually create a superstar team worth calling your own. Fans are going to love this new mode, through and through.

 

I’d definitely say the good outweighs the bad with Madden NFL 16 however, thanks in large part to the excellent addition of the Draft Champions mode, and the overall positive changes made to passing and receiving. Again, this isn’t too far removed from Madden 16, but I think you could argue that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Ideally the U.I. could be cleaned up a bit, it’s still sluggish, but that seems to be par for the course with most EA Sports titles nowadays. And of course the online side being a bit iffy is a considerable negative, but hopefully that’s something that can be patched. So whether you’re a yearly consumer of Madden, or you’ve taken a bit of a break from the series in recent years, I think Madden NFL 16 will whet your appetite leading into the NFL season.