American football gets a bad rap from Europeans, some considering the sport a padded out, childish version of rugby. But there’s no doubting the sport’s entertainment value - especially when transported to the virtual world. A stadium full of atmosphere, visceral mano-a-mano thrills, strong violence and unusually high scores all combine for a good old time with a controller in hand. Madden has never been a franchise to release a poor product. The long-running series has always had a technical precision that enticed fans of the sport, even if we knew that the gameplay or surrounding modes were not living up to the game’s potential. This year, that “simulation” feel has been increased, not through complex controls that will leave newcomers confused, but rather in expert upgrades to the presentation.

 

Though the visuals were never something that seemed like it needed improvement, there have been slight camera adjustments that will bring the player closer to the action. This gives a better shot of all the movement in front of you, while also making you feel a part of every blindside hit or miraculous catch. Some of the other slick presentation additions include stats popping up directly beside your players, almost like chat bubbles, instead of just having them flash at the bottom of the screen. This is something that you could imagine implemented into every network TV station’s coverage of sports, technology permitting.

 

New this year and equally as welcome is Madden NFL 16’s Draft Champions mode. Meant to simulate the experience of a fantasy football draft, Draft Champions tasks players with drafting star players to anchor a pre-generated team that you then enter into a tournament with. It doesn’t exactly mimic a fantasy football as you lose the human element since you’re not drafting against anyone else. However that said, you still have to make the tough choices as each draft and round is randomized and you don’t know what positions will be available and at what OVRs. For example, in a recent draft I had I choose to draft Tony Romo over other two positions of need early on. However in the final round Aaron Rodgers appeared alongside two positions I didn’t need. Sheepishly I chose Aaron Rodgers knowing now that Tony Romo was a wasted pick.

 

Experience Draft Champions- While you can go through the Auction House when you are in Ultimate Team mode, you do not want to just use the Auction House to find players for your team. Since there are so many NFL players out there to choose from, you might have a hard time knowing which players it is worth picking up in the auctions, and you also might have a hard time knowing how much to spend on these players. This is why you can go into the Draft Champions, because you can discover new players in this area that you did not know about before. This mode will let you draft your own team which is based purely on randomly selected players, but they are all top quality, and then you will be challenged to beat as many teams as you can.

 

You can use Draft Champions to basically give you a run through of the players available, and then if you like a particular player, you can use your coins in the Ultimate Team auction to purchase that player for the Ultimate Team mode. Overall, this year's Madden just feels more like a complete product. The gameplay has definitely improved, and, while it isn't perfect, is a big step in the right direction to get away from complacency. The career mode still needs some new features and changes to the options that have been available for a few years now, but it's still fun to be able to control so many aspects of the game in one mode. Bottom line is that Madden is quite a fun football game and won't get old fast, especially if you're into online gaming.

 

A revamped gameplay system allows players to take more control than ever, making Madden 16 feel like a polished product. Career mode still has some holes in it simply because of stale options, but the game truly shines online. Overall, a great experience and one to build off of for the future.