Madden NFL 25 (2013 video game)

Did You Know?

• In Connected Franchise mode, players can move teams to new cities including Toronto, Mexico City, Dublin, and London, or revive historic teams like the Houston Oilers or the London Monarchs.
• The seventh-generation versions of the game run on EA's Impact game engine, while the eighth-generation versions run on the Ignite game engine.

Development

Madden NFL 25 was first revealed in early 2013, appearing alongside EA Sports' new Ignite game engine during Microsoft's Xbox One unveiling as one of four titles initially using that technology. At E3 2013, Electronic Arts confirmed it would be a launch game for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game brought several upgrades over earlier Madden entries: sharper graphics, including a first for the series—real metallic sheen on helmets for teams that use them, but only on the Xbox One and PS4 versions—along with improved real-time physics, fresh running controls, and a reactive field that shows wear in heavily used areas.

The newer consoles' extra power made these enhancements possible; foot tracking for player characters is five times more precise on those systems. The Ignite engine tracks every player on the field at once to anticipate collision paths, leading to more realistic hits, and the game can hold more animations for smoother movement. Exclusive features on next-gen versions include smarter pass blocking, where the AI can shift priorities mid-play and assign double-teams, a new addition to the series.

This change aims to let players think like a quarterback rather than always scrambling away from rushers. For the cover, Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders—who played for the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1999—won a fan vote against Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, taking 58 percent of the ballots. Sanders became the first player to appear on a Madden NFL cover more than once, having been in the background of Madden NFL 2000. Later, EA announced Peterson would grace the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One covers, while Sanders stayed on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

Release

The game was released on August 27, 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 4 on November 15, 2013 and as a launch title for Xbox One on November 22, 2013. An Anniversary Edition available only at Amazon.com includes a code for NFL Sunday Ticket access. Madden NFL 25 includes multiple pre-order bonuses, with different retailers offering various combinations of historical players and coaches for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise modes, including Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, John Madden, Tom Flores, Rod Woodson, Franco Harris, Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Mike Ditka, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Kurt Warner, and Warren Moon.

Reception

Madden NFL 25 received mostly positive reviews. Jack Devries of IGN gave the game 8.5/10, praising the improved franchise mode while criticizing repetitive touchdown celebrations and glitchy presentation such as fictional tweets that say teams "barely won" when the final score is 35-14. Joystiq's Mike Suszek scored the game four stars out of five, commenting on the inconsistency of the running game due to the sensitive collision detection of the Infinity engine.

Dustin Toms of Operation Sports praised the running game, primarily due to the addition of the pistol offense, scoring the game 7.5. Brett Todd of GameSpot criticized the commentary by Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, stating that they offer nothing but inanities and generic observations, and also commented that the passing game is too overpowered, though he praised the "Run Free" addition, giving the game a 6.0. Forbes' Erik Kain also criticized the commentary, stating that the exclusive rights deal between EA and the NFL hindered improvements, but praised the "Run Free" feature.

Steven Hansen of Destructoid praised the physics but noted possible lack of replay value, calling it "Madden XIII-2" due to similarity to Madden NFL 13. GameZone's Lance Liebl gave the PS4 version an 8/10, stating that if one is a football fan and an early owner of a next-gen console, the game has enough improvements to justify buying it. During the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Madden NFL 25 for "Sports Game of the Year".

Madden NFL 25 for Android and iOS received negative reviews, with the iOS version receiving a Metacritic Metascore of 39 based on two mixed and six negative critic reviews. Eric Ford of Touch Arcade gave the game a 1/5 rating, criticizing highly simplified football matches and excessive freemium pay-to-win elements. Matthew Diener of Pocket Gamer gave the game a 2/5 rating, criticizing sticky and unresponsive controls and free-to-play elements.