The argument could be made that I’m not the best person to be reviewing this game, and I would have agreed before I played it. However after spending about 14 hours with the game I can say that going in with a fresh perspective may have made me enjoy the game more than I would otherwise.

"However after spending about 14 hours with the game I can say that going in with a fresh perspective may have made me enjoy the game more than I would otherwise."

That isn’t to say that the “same game every year” reputation is unearned, after 26 entries into the series and being a game based on a real sport with set rules, it makes sense. Games like Blitz and Backbreaker try to mix it up by being more of an arcadey experience, but without NFL licensing who cares? People want to play as their favorite teams and players, simple as that.

If you’ve played Madden in the last few years the gameplay of Madden 15 is going to be standard fare. EA has been putting emphasis on defense this year, which many have felt was a lacking aspect in the series. After talking it over at length with Madden fans, I get the feeling that the changes are largely superficial. They don’t actually change the dynamic all that much. Added to that are the new camera angles for the defense, which seems like a larger improvement to me.

With that said, I can’t help but feel like having an alternate view for the defense after 26 entries is pretty poor. The problem is that Madden has no competition, and it has stifled the growth of the series since 2004. Unfortunately this wont be changing anytime soon so players looking to play a football videogame have no other option.

" EA has been putting emphasis on defense this year, which many have felt was a lacking aspect in the series. After talking it over at length with Madden fans, I get the feeling that the changes are largely superficial."

The tutorial in Madden 15 does a pretty good job of explaining mechanics and concepts to new players. I can honestly say that I would have been completely lost without it, and it made the game seem more accessible than it has been before. I remember sitting down with my brother in Madden 10 and being so overwhelmed with the mechanics that I didn’t have any fun at all. I asked him if there was a good way for me to learn the game and he just chuckled.

I spent most of my time with the game playing a connected franchise with my own created player. I started off as a late round draft pick QB with low expectations on the Texans, but quickly outranked the old QB in stats by the end of the first season. I didn’t make the playoffs that season but the experience I gained was invaluable. I learned the strengths and weaknesses of certain plays and certain players and shaped my strategies around that.

Going into the second season I was pretty pumped up. I had the game simulate the off-season so I could get right in and start playing. My performance was night and day compared to my first season, and my player was noticeably better at certain things due to having been leveled up with EXP gained. I eventually went 12-4-0 and won the AFC Championship, which meant I got to play in the Super Bowl.

" The tutorial in Madden 15 does a pretty good job of explaining mechanics and concepts to new players. I can honestly say that I would have been completely lost without it, and it made the game seem more accessible than it has been before."

Unfortunately I didn’t win the Super Bowl against the Vikings, but the score was 27-31 so it was pretty close. If only I could have pulled off that last touchdown from the 10 yard line… But I digress. This was an extremely fun experience to have with the game and the feeling of being an underdog coming up and getting to play in the largest sporting event in the USA? Probably one of the best gaming moments for me so far this year. But I am reminded by the fact that for long time fans, this feeling has become commonplace or non existent at all due to franchise fatigue. Its certainly not a new thing for the series by a long shot, and I was only affected this way because I haven’t ever gotten to a Super Bowl in Madden before.

Like most EA Sports titles these days, Madden 15 has a mode heavily based on monetization through micro-transactions. I won’t go on a tangent about the damaging nature of such things in a full priced title (especially in an annualized series) right now because this isn’t the place for it. However the mode is pushed on the player in most of the load screens, and can even take an advertised spot in up to four of the menu spaces at any given time. This is the most uncomfortable thing about it, because it almost felt like they wanted me to play that mode more than the main game. You can imagine the reason why that might be the case.

" Like most EA Sports titles these days, Madden 15 has a mode heavily based on monetization through micro-transactions."

Overall Madden 15 seems like its exactly what you would expect to get from a new entry in the series. A few upgrades here and there, new roster lists, and prettier visuals. When it comes down to it, I found it fun to play when I was in a game. The menus are kind of a mess and can be somewhat confusing for newcomers, but they are easy enough to learn.

Unfortunately the experience was a bit soured by the relentless pushing of the Ultimate Team mode. Bottom line is, if you haven’t played Madden in a few years it might be worth checking out again on the new consoles, but if you are someone who bought the last entry and are satisfied with that, maybe wait.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

505’s Backbreaker sits somewhere in the middle ground.

Judging by the title and the games presentation, Backbreaker appears to be a game that will have over the top tackles, people running around on fire, and fireworks going off as receptions are made. Instead we have a realistic attempt at an over the top gameplay style.

Confused? So I am.

The first thing you will notice when you play Backbreaker is the camera. Backbreaker uses a close 3^rd person camera to try and simulate the feeling of being on the field. The only problem with this is that the camera is not realistic to what it is like to be on the field, and because it is locked 3^rd person, makes just running around quite tricky. In real life, even with a helmet and face mask, you still have about 160 degrees of vision, no TV can emulate your peripheral vision, and because of that a more wide angle camera is always a better compromise. The problem with the fixed 3^rd person is that when you try to do a simple loop around another player, the camera shifts completely.

So for example, in real life, if you were running to a person who was in front of you, but there was an obstacle in the way, you would loop around the obstacle, but keep your head facing your target. In Backbreaker, your neck cannot move. So as you run around that obstacle, you are now looking into the stands, and have no idea if the thing you are running towards has moved.

So does a fixed 3^rd person camera seem more realistic, no. And not to mention, this already troublesome camera proves to be nearly impossible to handle when you are switching players. Because you are so close to the action, and everything is so hectic, when you switch players, you have absolutely no idea who, or where you are. It’s not like in most football games where a birds eye camera just moves over to another player, keeping a similar perspective of the field. Instead, its like you are swapping positions with another person.

Example number 2, imagine if you were standing in a room with 21 other people, all mingling around doing different things, and you suddenly swapped places with a random person. You are completely discombobulated for a few seconds, and in that time the play is already over.

I actually found that if I missed a tackle as my “primary” player, that it was more effective to just let my AI do the rest on their own.

The game also boasts for its realistic physics engine that makes every tackle unique. This would be very interesting if this game actually had Backbreaking tackles. I’m sure that every once and a while you will score a good hit that will send someone flying, but most of the time you just watch two rag dolls tumble to the ground on top of each other. Not very exciting. Also, given how mundane most of the tackles are, I really don’t see the need for a replay video to come up after every hit.

The Euphoria engine boasts Realistic Tackles

You literally have to watch skip a replay after every down.

The game does take a unique approach on how you control your player. The right stick functions similar to the right stick in the Skate series, meaning that specific flicks, half and quarters circles will make your player perform their actions. In addition to this there is the right triggers “Aggressive” Mode, in which your player can perform more aggressive as opposed to evasive maneuvers. There is also focus mode (left trigger), which helps the QB focus in on his receivers while passing.

This mechanic is interesting, but at the same doesn’t doesn’t pack enough punch to really hook you in and make you want to keep playing.

Although, the two most interest peeking aspects of this game are Tackle Alley, and create a team.

Because the Madden Franchise has bought out the licenses for the official NFL rosters, competing games have been forced into creating fake teams and players for their Football universes. If you are the type of player who is looking for this kind of customization, Backbreaker promises a “powerful” logo editor, uniform editor, custom player and team names, with the added bonus of being able to bring these custom teams online.

I cannot vouch for how “powerful these editors will be, but unless you are hardcore into customization, this is probably something you are just going to fool around with once or twice.

Tackle Alley is a lot like this

The Tackle Alley is a mini game where you start off holding the ball, and you try to run down the field and evade defenders. Each time you get by, you are respawned on a more difficult wave, which changes the number of defenders, where they spawn on the field, and how they act towards you. The game promises 100 waves of Tackle Alley. This mode will definitely serve as a great time killer when you aren’t in the mood to play regulation matches.

Aside from flashy music and visual style, Backbreaker offers nothing groundbreaking to the football genre. Most hardcore fans are going to stick with Madden, and I feel this is because football games are more about being the commander of a team. Football as a sport is played more through choosing the right plays, subbing in and out players, and controlling draft picks. Backbreaker attempts to go for the more personal experience, stressing the control of the actual players on the field.

Backbreaker hits the stores June 1^st, and I can say I would be glad to see it compete well against the tyrant Madden series.