Madden has been unpredictable the past few years. Between a slow mastering of the new technology brought about by a console generation shift, and the decision to focus on singular parts of the on-field product due to their annual cycle, the product just hasn’t come together in a way the folks down at EA Tiburon probably hoped it would. But playing the proverbial long game seems to have finally paid off, with Madden NFL 16 providing an experience that football fans of all passion levels should be able to get excited for.

 

Sometimes, Madden doesn't follow through all the day, but this year marks a brand new addition to the franchise. In the past we’ve seen many different features come, go, change, and adapt. Most years, as in every year for Madden, EA adds and/or subtracts features fans love/hate almost randomly. With the new Draft Champions mode, Madden is grabbing some well-needed attention. Much like Madden Ultimate Team (MUT), Draft Champions is centered around forming teams with a collection of players from around the league. Instead of starting from scratch, building up a better team as you go, you will head into a 15-round selection hub, recruiting players rated anywhere from bench warmer skill level up to guys like Rodgers and Bowman.

 

The rest of Madden’s modes see minor enhancements. A front-end overhaul makes it a bit easier to sift through the various options in Franchise mode. Scouting has also been streamlined, and new in-game goals (example: get two first downs on this drive) add some organic challenge and easy XP opportunities. Most of what you do in every mode funnels back to Madden’s flagship card-based Ultimate Team mode, which is just as addictive and annoying as ever. I want to like it, really I do, but getting good cards takes either a.) forever or b.) real-world money, which is a shame in a game that already costs you $60 out the door.

 

Madden 16 is full of smart additions like these, continuing the positive momentum generated by last year's edition. There's still tuning to do, and a host of bugs to iron out (CFM's player stats are currently broken), but I really like the direction its going. Going forward, I'd like Tiburon to continue building on the foundation of Draft Champions, streamline player progression, figure out what to do with owner mode, and make ranked head-to-head more interesting. I'd also like them to figure out how to make their CFM feel a little more alive. I'm not saying it needs to go the full NBA 2K and develop a story directed by Spike Lee, but Madden is like a lot of sports sims in that it neglects making me feel like I accomplished something by winning the Super Bowl.

 

There's no continuity, no trophy case, and no storylines. As always, Madden is so focused on the sim portion of the experience that it often forgets what's fun about following sports in the first place - it's a real-time soap opera with stars who can accomplish superhuman feats of athleticism. The rest of the modes in NFL 16 are largely unchanged. The new Draft Champions mode is cool because it's a relatively quick experience that exposes you to different types of team builds. On the downside, it's hard to become endeared to your team since the players you choose from are random and you might not even understand your team's play style.

 

Changing Madden's modes isn't the priority this year, but you shouldn't skip this year's game. After years of fitful progress, Madden 16 finally puts its gameplay pieces together and delivers a truly dynamic on-the-field experience. This review covers the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. The game is also available on PS3 and Xbox 360.