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[The Albatross]

EASports annual American football franchise returns for yet another year. After solid improvements with Madden '15 and '16, though games that were hampered by a littany of complaints from long-time players, Madden NFL '17 hopes to strike a balance between long-time simulation style players and fans of online competitive play & the hugely popular Madden Ultimate Team. The team at EA Tiburon focused on a number of features and improvements.

• Presentation has been improved with a new voice actor commentary team, a finer attention to detail, rebuilt sound design, and an interesting concept for commentary where the commentary will be updated weekly along with 2016/17 NFL Season.
• Gameplay has been refined to make more realistic interactions between DBs and wide receivers with a new swat mechanic, ball carrier moves have been added, blocking and gap play has been tuned, zone and man defense has been adjusted to play more realistically, and the special teams game has been retuned to make it a more important part of the game.
• Fans of Franchise mode will be relieved to see that the primier mode in the game has seen a lot of improvements, including a new scouting system, practice squads, an ability to "play the moments" to more quickly get through games, tweaked SuperSim, an emphasis on "Big Decisions," and modifications to many other core components of the mode.
• Players of Madden Ultimate Team will not be disappointed by Madden NFL '17 as the mode still pits you against 12-year-olds who call you a bitch-ass-slut and yank their ethernet cable when you go up by a touchdown though follow up victories by repeatedly calling you a nub cuck. EA's Pay to Win mode is still popular, though the return of Draft Champions along with the mid-season revisions made to the mode in 2015/2016 will be welcomed by bitch-ass-slut-nub-cucks who don't want to spend real money on digital currency and can't compete with jobless tweeners.

Another year, another Madden, but will this one deliver? Stay tuned to this thread to find out.

General information

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, XBox 360, iOS (mobile version), Android (mobile version)
Release date: Tuesday, 8/23/2016 (Early release available 8/17/2016 @ 5:30PM EST on Xbox One with EA Access.)
Price: $59.99 ($53.99 USD with EA Access on Xbox One)
Apparently you can also get Madden for $35 with a deal from Best Buy, your mileage may vary

Features

Gameplay

• New ball carrier special moves (Details) are now spread out across all the different player types in the NFL. Big backs have better trucks and stiff arms, while smaller backs have better jukes and spins, giving you more creative control than ever. For players new to Madden, special move prompts recommend moves expanding your ball carrier toolset so you can breakdown your opponent and become a better Madden player.
• New ball carrier path assist helps you anticipate where you are going further down field, improving field awareness and improving your ability to hit the hole.
• Tackle battles add a new, fun in-game mechanic allowing you try and break free for extra yardage.
• Redone zone and man coverage that aims to mimic real-life NFL zone and man coverage (Details)
• Our most authentic defensive AI to date delivers authentic “gap play” across the field. Grounded in current NFL strategies, all-new “gap play” puts your defenders in a position to stop the run.
• New kick meter strives to match the challenge we now see in today’s kicking game, while the “ice the kicker“ mechanic allows you to put pressure on those late game winning field goal attempts. Additionally new elements of risk and reward through trick plays and blocked kicks can change the outcome of any game in one play.
• New, realistic ball physics

Franchise (Franchise Improvements Blog Post)

• Play the moments. Jump into game-defining plays, drives and situations that matter to you, speeding up your experience and delivering more fun.
• Big Decisions. Do you start your star QB with a lingering injury or go to your unproven back-up with a playoff spot on the line? Big Decisions begins a new direction in your career mode, delivering more strategy, more control and more fun.
• The addition of the practice squad, full-player editing, and the in-game ticker that keeps you updated with scores from around the league.
• Know your opponents’ tendencies every week, then pick the right drills to attack and counter those tendencies in game.

Presentation and Audio (Presentation Improvements Blog Post)

• All new commentary and sound design, with two voice actors providing commentary that is updated weekly throughout the real 2016/2017 NFL season (Video Explaining)
• Authenticity improvements including equipment, cleets, helmets,
• New, authentic broadcast cameras put you at the center of the story, creating a more immersive experience from practice all the way to the Super Bowl
• Every sound in the game has been re-designed and re-recorded at the world class Pinewood Studios.
• Broadcast graphics package extended into replays highlighting star playmakers who deliver impactful moments in a game.
• Hold A/X to get to skip through Presentation Segments to speed up your game.
• Pylon Cam to Time Scale replays, new cameras provide you an all-new angles

Media:
Trailers
EA Play Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEmQEFCBp2c
EA First Look Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6BVrWusxQ

Videos
Most of these videos are from EA's EA Play insider event and show unfinished gameplay and commentary.

• Gameplay: Cardinals vs. Patriots
• Gameplay: Antonio Brown's Explosive 1st Half
• Gameplay: New Commentary Plus On Field Audio Enhancements
• Gameplay: New Commentary Plus On Field Audio Enhancements
• Gameplay: Titans vs. Bucs

New "Play the Moments" feature in Franchise

New "Gameplanning" in Franchise

New "Pylon Cam"

New Presentation features

Reactions and Reviews

Gaf Reactions

• Coming soon!

Gaming Press Reviews

• Sporting News (Bryan Wiedey/PastaPadre): 9/10 (4.5 stars/5)
  

  Madden NFL 17 mostly avoids gimmicks in favor of addressing long-running areas of deficiency in the series. The developers stuck with the progress they made in recent years — aspects hardcore football fans appreciate like penalties and accuracy mattering for quarterbacks — while adding an element of unpredictability that makes the game feel much more like the actual sport.
  
  It has taken the franchise a while to reach a point of stability and growth. Now, instead of just fixing mistakes of the past, Madden can move forward with creativity.

• IGN: 86/100 - Great
  

  With reinvigorated defense and gameplay styles that match the real teams, Madden NFL 17 returns the series to glory.

• Forbes: 7.75/10
  

  Madden 17 scores in many ways, and there’s more to like than there is to hate, but we can’t ignore the flags on the field.
  Gameplay, presentation and customization have taken strides, but there’s still work to do.

• US Gamer: 4/5
  

  EA Tiburon has done a great job of rehabilitating the fading Madden brand, with Madden 17 being the culmination of their efforts. Everything they've tried to accomplish over the past couple years is on display, from the revamped blocking to the smarter franchise mode. There are certainly plenty of issues left to address; but for now, Madden NFL 17 is a very solid football game.

• Sports Gamers Online (MWS Natural) - 9/10
  

  In the end Madden moves towards being a player in the ESports scene. They’ve already spoken about their “holy war against nano blitzes,” using a nano detection system to stop people from taking advantage of glitches. This means that competitive Madden will be determined even more by skill than it used to. This is only good news for the franchise. Madden 17 may have a couple of minor issues, but it is well on the right path.

• Polygon - 9/10
  

  MADDEN NFL 17 DOES SO MUCH IT'S HARD TO SPEAK OF ALL ITS APPEALS AND IMPROVEMENTS
  After three years of improvement, and two of them improving without having to fix major shortcomings, it feels like the Madden NFL franchise has returned to the glory days of a dozen years ago. Features that are added to the game justify their existence and the result is very little dead weight, exemplified by the serious, long-term crack EA Tiburon has taken at improving the commentary. There are still smudged areas on Madden NFL 17's shine — trades are often tedious, for example, and the game could provide more means to prepare for an opponent. There is so much to do in Madden NFL 17 that it's hard to speak to all of its appeals and improvements. The best I can say is it's the most fulfilling experience one can have with the NFL, short of being one of its players or coaches.

GAF Community Links:

• Official Madden '17 PS4 Online League
• NGEL | The Other PS4 NeoGAF League

Please reply with a link to another league if you are looking for players

 

[Plinko]

Looking forward to it. I enjoyed last year's version for the first time in ages.

 

[mastershake]

In on new dota thread

 

[Kumquat]

I'm not sure if I want to buy this after last year. So sick of getting ripped to shreds because the defense can't handle certain plays even though I call the right defense to block it.

 

[BigAT]

Call me when EA actually manages to make a game better than 2K5 THA GOAT.

 

[storybook77]

IGN comparing it to Madden 05 has my interest high. Also comparing the franchise mode to being as enjoyable as NCAA has me hopeful as well.

 

[smokeymicpot]

Hopefully it will be up on EA access sometime tonight.

 

[Nightz]

2K for life!

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

IGN comparing it to Madden 05 has my interest high. Also comparing the franchise mode to being as enjoyable as NCAA has me hopeful as well.

05 in what ways?

I'll be playing in a few hours with ea access

 

[Juicy Bob]

Having such a struggle internally whether to stick with '16 or pick this up.

 

[PadWarrior]

Looking forward to this.

 

[The Albatross]

Hopefully it will be up on EA access sometime tonight.

Yeah, some EA games have been dropping at like 9PM EST on the EA Access release night, so hoping this as well.

Also there's no details about how long the EA Access play is for... 10 hours has been the norm, which is fine, but I really wish they just would drop that especially for sports games where it's unlikely that 10 hours is enough time to do anything substantial in a franchise.

 

[smokeymicpot]

Yeah, some EA games have been dropping at like 9PM EST on the EA Access release night, so hoping this as well.

Also there's no details about how long the EA Access play is for... 10 hours has been the norm, which is fine, but I really wish they just would drop that especially for sports games where it's unlikely that 10 hours is enough time to do anything substantial in a franchise.

10 hours seems to be the case. Only time I remember it hasn't been and that was for game that takes 8 hours to finish. 10 hours is enough for me to judge if I should preorder or not though.

 

[storybook77]

05 in what ways?

I'll be playing in a few hours with ea access

Says game play is the best it's been since '05 which to me was the pinnacle of Madden.

 

[Zyae]

I always buy for franchise mode

 

[LJ11]

Any MUT peeps in the house?

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

I've been reading about the changes to the run game and zone defense and of course it sounds good.

I'm ready to give it a try but recently I always end up watching way more football (college and pro) than I get to play.

 

[Zach]

Oooh. The new commentary sounds interesting. I may actually buy the game at release if it's impressive. Looking forward to trying it out on Access.

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

Looking forward to it. I enjoyed last year's version for the first time in ages.

Madden 16 was fantastic. I wish you could see how long you've played certain games on PS4...

Oooh. The new commentary sounds interesting. I may actually buy the game at release if it's impressive. Looking forward to trying it out on Access.

Listening to the IGN review apparently it's no good. (The commentary)

 

[JigglesBunny]

Looks decent, but I think I'll wait until next year since I picked up '16 at launch and there aren't too many new features in this year.

Oh and out of curiosity, haven't the last gen versions been '14 with Roster Updates since '15?

 

[neurosyphilis]

I was still on madden 15, because I only buy every other year in order to see improvements. That goes with MLB The Show as well, so looks like I'll be picking up Madden 17 later this year. I'm glad they finally added new equipment like the Revo Speedflex. I'm interested in seeing the improvements to connected franchise, I love relocating a franchise and making them a new team, then gutting the whole roster making my all dynasty, with my own players I draft.

-d0hv

 

[IvanJ]

Last Madden game I played was 14 (well, 25 as it is officially called).
I liked it, but since my favorite FIFA mode is Ultimate Team, I found MUT to be overly convoluted and counter-intuitive, I just couldn't get into it at all.

So I stopped playing altogether.

If someone could answer 2 questions so I can decide whether to pick this up:

1. Is MUT still lime that, or have they streamlined it a bit? Also, did they ever get around to making a mobile companion app? FIFA's is top notch, letting me do everything in FUT while away from the console.

2. Are there still hordes of quitters online? And I remember a long time ago (08, 09?), if an opponent quit, you'd continue playing against Easy Bot. Is it still like that, I honestly cannot remember what the outcome was in 14.

 

[smokeymicpot]

Looks decent, but I think I'll wait until next year since I picked up '16 at launch and there aren't too many new features in this year.

Oh and out of curiosity, haven't the last gen versions been '14 with Roster Updates since '15?

Last gen versions are basically roster updates and different menus. If you are going that route better off downloading rosters offline and importing them into the game.

 

[Greg]

time for another roster update, I see

can't wait to see what they added to the GOAT MUT mode!

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

So what's this EA Access thing about? I could play Madden 17 tonight on XBONE?

 

[PadWarrior]

I'm glad formation subs are back.

 

[smokeymicpot]

So what's this EA Access thing about? I could play Madden 17 tonight on XBONE?

4.99 for a month try it. It is honestly one of the best things on xbox one. You will get a ten hour trail of the game and 10% if you decide to buy it. Games go in the vault after a few months and sport games go into the vault right around the time seasons are ending.

 

[perfectsil]

EA Access 10-hour trial starts today 5pm est

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

4.99 for a month try it. It is honestly one of the best things on xbox one. You will get a ten hour trail of the game and 10% if you decide to buy it. Games go in the vault after a few months and sport games go into the vault right around the time seasons are ending.

EA Access 10-hour trial starts today 5pm est

Sweet. Will definitely do this, but I'll be buying on PS4.

 

[Balb]

IGN comparing it to Madden 05 has my interest high. Also comparing the franchise mode to being as enjoyable as NCAA has me hopeful as well.

Hard to really make that kind of comparison, unless the reviewer has had the game for weeks. I'm cautiously optimistic but I typically don't trust those kinds of claims.

 

[storybook77]

Hard to really make that kind of comparison, unless the reviewer has had the game for weeks. I'm cautiously optimistic but I typically don't trust those kinds of claims.

I don't either but if it can even get close to that, I'll be happy. I enjoyed 16 though. I am very happy that franchise mode has finally received an overhaul.

 

[The Albatross]

EA Access 10-hour trial starts today 5pm est

oooohh shiiiit. Definitely leaving work early then. Will update the OP.

I'll have some video footage done tonight probably, but there will be plenty of other footage on YouTube as well I'm sure.

So what's this EA Access thing about? I could play Madden 17 tonight on XBONE?

EA Access is a subscription model for EA games. It's either $5/mo or $30/year (they may have some other term pricing too). Basically, you get early releases of all EA games and your activity transitions right into the full game. They also release most of their back catalog games to download for free about 6 months after release. For instance, Madden 16 got released the week before the Super Bowl (so like Jan 27 2016) for free last year. It's not just sports games either... Unravel, EA's new platformer ws just released recently along with the latest Need for Speed and SSX. It also give you a 10% discount on EA games purchased through the marketplace, so it ends up being a pretty good deal. Honestly, I dont' use it as much as I could, but I like it a lot.

 

[Netherscourge]

PS4, Xbox One, PS3, XBox 360, iOS (mobile version), Android (mobile version)

-All that and no PC version?

Come on...

No PC version - NO BUY

 

[Smokey]

Any MUT peeps in the house?

Present

 

[BearPawB]

Excited!

 

[PadWarrior]

My steelers look fun on offense defense not so much. Miss the old days when they had good defenses.

 

[brentech]

Are you sure you couldn't find shittier gif quality?

 

[smokeymicpot]

EA Access 10-hour trial starts today 5pm est

Fuck won't be home till 10 tonight. Sunday it is then.

 

[The Albatross]

Are you sure you couldn't find shittier gif quality?

I searched high and low for the shittiest gif quality, and that was one turned up.

We can blame imgurs youtube->gif maker for that. Feel free to contribute your own and I'll add them to the OP

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

EA acess is not sorking properly MS fuckin it up

 

[Megalosaro]

Wast going to but this year, but I got to for the gronk.

 

[Bread]

oh shit ea access trial already!! gonna play some tonight for sure.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

Can't wait.

Madden has become a game I play semi-frequently all year, but I only play online games against randoms. No MUT or Franchise mode whatsoever. I just want the thrill of beating someone I don't know.

 

[BigAT]

Can't wait.

Madden has become a game I play semi-frequently all year, but I only play online games against randoms. No MUT or Franchise mode whatsoever. I just want the thrill of beating someone I don't know.

This sounds like something from an American Psycho monologue.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

This sounds like something from an American Psycho monologue.

Lol. Honestly, I have no idea why playing against randoms is thrilling to me, but that's my jam.

 

[2002whitegt]

Ready to start my Texans franchise. Brock is going to go crazy with Hopkins, Strong, Fuller and Miller.

Might also start a player career, as the videos I've seen on youtube for career mode look like fun. Still miss the old career mode with the radio show.

 

[jacobs34]

The EA Stream is showing off franchise mode, looks like they put a lot of work into it this year.

 

[jmizzal]

EA Access 10-hour trial starts today 5pm est

Sweet will be able to download it and play it tonight

any word on download size?

So happy about EA access, getting Madden and Deus ex on the same day would have been overwhelming, now I can get a good Madden fill and play Deus ex more on the 23rd

 

[B1gg_Randall]

Any MUT peeps in the house?

Yes sirrr! MUT all day!

 

[krpiper]

I've never really got into MUT before but would like to this year. Any quick tips? And is there any single player content for MUT?