Sports games have been trying to grasp the attention of the mainstream gamers for long now and recent times have seen them rise in the rankings of games that are liked and played by all rather than just sports fans. Madden NFL 15 is another such title that has taken to making its mark in the game industry with some splendid improvements over its predecessor and emerging out as more than just a decent game.
While Madden NFL still doesn’t stand anywhere near being a graphical benchmark of the day and age, it has come a long way in improving not only its gameplay, but its visuals too.
(Xbox One) While it’s not a common sight, there are times when player models don’t interact with other game assets as they should.
"The Xbox One version of the game has some issues with maintaining frame rate consistency but it does not impact the gameplay to any experience jarring degree. Nonetheless, it's noticeable at times "
The game may very well have come leaps and bounds ahead in graphical terms, but the fact that EA was basing the graphical improvement as its selling point was quite ridiculous. As the latest game in the series, it is taken for granted that the game will look better than its forerunner. NFL 15 runs at 60fps on both the current gen consoles.
The Xbox One version of the game has some issues with maintaining frame rate consistency but it does not impact the gameplay to any experience jarring degree. Nonetheless, it’s noticeable at times . The Xbox One version of the game also seem to have better lighting to it which lends it a rather richer look while the PS4 version of the game has a suppressed look to it.
Preference of one over the other is more a matter of choice than of which platform renders the environs better. Multi-sample AA seems to be in place with both the platforms doing their best to keep the jaggies at bay. There isn’t any instance where you would end up grumbling about the poor implementation of anti-aliasing.
(PS4) The game is amply detailed and yet leaves us wanting more in terms of texture mapping, especially when it comes to players and team members since they’re the ones who have received utmost attention from the devs.
"The developers have paid attention to extra field assets including crowds, cameramen, benched players and the stands. The crowd has a variety of raiments that it dons and while their reactions are variegated too, there aren't too many of those. "
There were reports of the PS4 having some major frame rate drops during online play; the culprit was stated to be the ongoing maintenance of the PSN. Apart from this, there seem to be no differences in the game on the two consoles. The game features 3D grass which really makes the playfield a fine place to be in.
The developers have paid attention to extra field assets including crowds, cameramen, benched players and the stands. The crowd has a variety of raiments that it dons and while their reactions are variegated too, there aren’t too many of those. This results in numerous files of sitting spectators doing the same action at the same instance; it’s still fun to watch though.
The sidelines have the cameramen and reporters who don’t move much but still have been given ‘enough’ detailing to make them seem an almost active part of the game. The benched players and coaches are given as much attention as the players on field; with great textures, good shadow mapping and varying reactions to changing situations in the game, they really add to the experience of the game.
(Xbox 360) The Xbox 360 version of the game does have slightly lesser gamma correction than the PS3 version.
"The current gen platforms have ambient illumination and excellent shadow mapping which is bound to impress you. Reflections have been worked upon as you’ll see from the unrelenting shine from all helmets on your screen. "
Player models in the game are realistic and greatly detailed although they lack the ‘next gen hair’ thingy that was rather rad in MLB 14. Other than that, the devs have taken care to even include tattoos of players who don one. One of the most significant improvements in the game across all platforms has been that of lighting. The current gen platforms have ambient illumination and excellent shadow mapping which is bound to impress you.
Reflections have been worked upon as you’ll see from the unrelenting shine from all helmets on your screen. Even seat in the stands reflect light and the dynamic shadows of the game help give the stadium a realistic look. Anisotropic filtering on the new consoles is quite standard and nothing to boast about since the active playfield is not that huge.
Player physics are quite good but sometimes you will come across instances when the physics goes spelunking as player’s legs go through other players’ faces and torsos or where the impact of charging player seems unnatural. These minor hiccups aren’t too frequent and do not pose a problem as such, but they are irksome.
"The old gen of consoles share the same story as is with every other game that is released on them. Their potential having been tapped completely, differences hardly remain. Frame rates are consistent at 30fps and do not drop much on either of the systems. "
The old gen of consoles share the same story as is with every other game that is released on them. Their potential having been tapped completely, differences hardly remain. Frame rates are consistent at 30fps and do not drop much on either of the systems. The game has nice 3D grass on the older generation too which makes the game look excellent, although the lack of dynamic shadows makes it seem tepid in comparison to the new gen consoles, but that’s expected.
Player models are pretty good, but player animations and movements are not very fluid and they feel blocky in comparison to the new gen consoles. Reflections are also something that gamers might appreciate but they are limited to a few in game assets. Anti-aliasing is not any good but they are at par with the console hardware.
Crowds in the stand have very little variance and their reactions to game situations are unchanging and carried out by almost everyone at the same time in the same manner. The team members on the benches too lack fluidity in their reactions to changing game situations but the texture quality is quite good when it comes to other games of the genre. It’s still not like FIFA 14, but it’s close.
Madden NFL 15 has received the developer’s close eye and the results are visible. The game doesn’t manage to set any new graphical benchmarks, – not even in the sports genre of games – but then again, we get gleaming helmets.