I always ask myself a few questions…
What do I like?
What don’t I like?
Is what I don’t like fixable?
I ask myself these questions before determining for myself if I like a game or not.
So with that being said let’s get started with the review…
Cons for this review:
- Run/ Pass glitch- It can be very difficult to play an opponent when they know every single play whether you are passing or not. Thankfully this is something that should be addressed soon but hard to imagine how they didn’t notice before releasing the game.
- MUT Importance has Been Diminished- MUT unlimited is the only mode you can play in Madden 17 where your performance does not affect your ability to qualify for tournaments this year. That is a little odd considering MUT is easily the biggest revenue generator for EA. The two most obvious signs that they are trying to steer players away from MUT is that they removed records off the leaderboards and they have completely dwarfed rewards for playing Ultimate Team. Even MUT master does not require you to play…MUT. I am sure in time we will understand the thought process behind it but at this point it’s a curious decision.
- Fumbles and Block sheds- This year has been particularly bad in these two areas and they go hand in hand. Block sheds have been pretty insane the first week or so of Madden 17 which is enough of a problem on its own but when you compound the situation by fumbles being way up these block sheds can have very strong consequences. I am sure if we had data as to the amount of “fumble 6†touchdowns in the first week of Madden 17 vs the first week of Madden 16 the numbers would be astonishing. The issue with this is that it keeps players in the game that frankly have no business being there. You can lose a game to a toaster if you fumble 4 times with 3 of them being returned for touchdowns. There was a tuning update this week to address some of the fumbling issues. Personally I haven’t played enough since the update to accurately judge its success.  Block sheds is something that should also be tuned. It’s ok once or twice a game to have an elite pass rusher beat  your offensive lineman for quick sack but you shouldn’t feel that you can’t even throw a drag consistently.
- Dropped Passes: – The percentage of dropped passes by wide open elite wide receivers is just too high. As stated above its ok for this to happen once or twice a game but it is too frequent at the moment.
- Open Field Movement- I wasn’t a huge fan of the double juke but in Madden 17 you can have a great player one on one in the open field and you has a very tough time getting away. The new run mechanics are not very good in my opinion.
Pros for this review:
- The Dev Team is Listening- It is definitely an encouraging sign when there is a high level of interaction between the Madden 17 developers and the community. I would say the biggest pro for me and this game is that everything I don’t like about it can be fixed. A lot of the issues that plague this game while being extremely frustrating are things that can easily be addressed as long as the desire to do so is there. No game will be perfect at launch but if there is the desire to make the game better it can be done for Madden 17.
- Zones Play Well- For a player like me who likes to make a lot of adjustments to counter what my opponent is doing Madden 17 is a huge improvement over last year’s game.  There was nothing more frustrating last year than knowing a throw to the flats was coming, properly adjust to it and still have the flat pass be completed.  This is a huge improvement over last year!
- Tournament Qualification- Two things about this topic make me very happy. First and foremost the fact that there is a strong effort being placed into growing Madden as an E-Sport. Let’s not forget that Madden 15 had absolutely nothing to offer us as far as tournaments. Madden 17 is taking E Sports to the next level. Secondly, the fact that you can qualify for tournaments through different avenues is huge. I remember last year playing Draft Champions in order to qualify for the first tournament of the year. Personally I hated the mode last year so being forced to play it close to 200 times really bothered me. This year I can choose Salary Cap, Draft Champions or Reg. Teams to qualify.
- Playmaker Has Been Toned Down- I think we can all agree it was getting out of hand last year. The nerfing of playmaker is a step in the right direction in my opinion.
These are just some of the pros and cons I see in Madden 17, I am sure everyone has their own as well.  At this point I am taking a wait and see approach to Madden 17. The issues this game has can be fixed with some minor tweaks. Truth is EA has the ball in their court let’s see what they do with it. We will review the game again at some point and see how our feelings have changed.
Regardless of how the game plays we will always give you the tools needed to win as many games possible here at Madden Turf. Stay tuned for more updates and information. I hope you enjoyed the review, comment below with yours!
Gus
Turf Team
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