The end of middling summer gaming is typically marked with the annual release of the next Madden game. This year is no exception, with the best Madden to date delivering the most realistic football experience yet. When a game is so near perfection that you can nitpick blemishes so minor that most will completely ignore them, you know a developer nailed it. The gameplay has been slowly creeping towards perfection for a few years now, and this iteration leaves little room for improvement. The biggest addition is the new 'Pro-Tak', or procedural tackling, system. It finally delivers the oft-demanded gang tackles gamers have been salivating for since the dawn of the current console generation. Up to nine players, though typically more along the lines of four, can surround and clobber a ball carrier.
The realism of the physics is especially impressive, with other offensive players even jumping into the fray to help push the pile forward for that extra yard or two. Just like in a real game, just because you have a handful of defenders with their hands on Adrian Peterson does not mean the play is over. The highlight stick is incredibly useful in escaping defenders' grasp, turning those few long runs after breaking through a wall of defenders into exhilarating, heart-pumping plays that live in your head for days. Running generally feels more realistic, with the running back doing a better job to scoot through holes as you work the highlight stick. The game also makes smart use of the highlight stick for defensive lineman trying to get to the quarterback.
With swim and rip moves tied to the stick, it feels as though you have much more control over how a defensive tackle goes about dispatching offensive linemen. The player ratings seem better tied to gameplay, making it easier to plow over a poor offensive lineman with a stud defensive tackle, and making you work much harder when the situation is reversed. The battle between offensive and defensive lineman is much more organic, with the quarterback's pocket forming and collapsing in a way that looks much less scripted than in years past. When the pocket begins to break down, the quarterback can evade the rush with a quick flick of the highlight stick. It works fine, but feels a bit awkward to remove your thumb from the passing buttons, even for that split second. A quarterback hit as he throws results in various degrees of 'lame duck' passes; with the severity and timing of the hit determining where the ball lands.
Turnovers receive special attention, too. Fumbles ending in pile-ups trigger a button-mashing minigame akin to tug-of-war, with buttons changing every few seconds to keep you on your toes. It smartly triggers only where players from both teams are involved and increasing in difficulty with the level of play and how far your player was from the ball. Interceptions also feel more realistic, with cornerbacks doing a better job of getting between a wide receiver and the ball. You do not get nearly as many passing plays that look as if there is no way the ball should be caught, with defensive players making smarter decisions and paths to the ball. The one more human change they could have skipped is the way the computer acts like your kid brother, faking the snap by zooming the camera out as if looking at the play.
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