The top selling games in the United States for August 2016 were revealed courtesy of The NPD Group. Madden NFL 17 led the pack but No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided also had strong sales.

In fact, according to NPD analyst Sam Naji, spending rose by 9 percent year over year thanks to Deus Ex and No Man’s Sky. The new games managed to sell three times the number of copies as those in August 2015 and that’s not including digital sales for No Man’s Sky.

However, as Naji pointed out, “Madden NFL 17 was the top-selling game for the month. However, there was a three percent decline in spending compared to last August release of Madden NFL 16.”

Grand Theft Auto 5 fell to fourth place while Overwatch was in fifth, again with PC sales on Battle.net not being accounted for. Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Minecraft and Destiny: The Taken King contributed to the remaining top ten.

Though its predecessor had a “much stronger” entry into video game charts in the UK, Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided still managed to debut as the number one selling UK title among all platforms as per Gfk Chart-Track.

The difference in impact is more due to the disparity in current gen console owners compared to previous gen as the market at the time was “close to double the current installed base”. F1 2016 is in second place followed by No Man’s Sky and Overwatch.

Another new debut is Madden NFL 17 at fifth followed by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Asseto Corsa debuted for consoles at eighth place with Grand Theft Auto 5 at ninth. Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom rounds out the top ten as the fourth new debut for the week.

What are your thoughts on the diversity of this week’s top ten especially compared to last week? Let us know in the comments below.

As someone with literally no Madden experience at all, I didn’t really know what to expect when I installed Madden NFL 17 onto my PS4’s hard drive. My only previous experience with a game based on football came from NFL Blitz 20-03. A great, entertaining game, to be sure, but I don’t think I ever ran a single running play, there were no penalties, and it took thirty yards to get a first down – not exactly the best representation of America’s most popular sporting event. I was a football fan (Go Steelers!), but I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I did, however, know all of the complaints.

"The Skill Trainer features more than 80 drills and tutorials and will teach you pretty much everything you could ever want to know about football. Have no earthly idea what Cover 2 means? Curious about what a Slant is? This mode is for you."

Madden 17 opens with a game between the Washington Redskins and the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams, with both teams trying to sneak into a Wild Card spot for a shot at the Super Bowl. Putting aside the fact that the game seems to be giving both of these franchises far more credit than they deserve, and that if you’re winning (you play the Rams), hilariously conservative Rams coach Jeff “7-9” Fisher tells you to go for a two point conversion, this does a good job of teaching you how to play.

After that, you’re dumped into Madden’s Skill Trainer, which is sponsored by Gatorade, because of course it is. The Skill Trainer features more than 80 drills and tutorials and will teach you pretty much everything you could ever want to know about football. Can’t tell your Defensive Ends from your Wide Receivers? Have no earthly idea what Cover 2 means? Curious about what a Slant is? This mode is for you. It will take a while for the uninitiated for get a grip on the sheer complexity of American football, as the game is basically chess played with human bodies, but Madden 17 teaches you as well as it possibly can.

Once you’re familiar with the game, you’re free to jump into Franchise mode, online play, Ultimate Team, Draft Champions, or just play an exhibition match with the teams of your choice. You can even choose to play using custom playbooks and edit your roster. Alas, there are no historic teams, and you can’t create your own custom team from nothing, but there’s a lot of customization options to play with.

"If you’re like me, Franchise mode is where you’ll be spending most of your time. It can be a bit grindy, and rather dry, but it does a good job of simulating what it means to run or play on a football team."

Ultimately, how you play Madden will be determined by what you value. If you’re into simulations, you’ll dig Franchise mode, which allows you to play as either a coach, owner, or player. Ultimate Team is a mode where you collect cards that represent individual players by completing challenges, while Draft Champions allows you to draft a team and take your battle for gridiron dominance online.

For most people, Ultimate Team will probably be the main draw, because of the challenge content and continual updates. It’s EA’s biggest moneymaker – they really, really want you to buy the various bundle packs, and you’ll basically have to to get the best players – but you can do pretty well without them if you do the challenges.

If you’re like me, Franchise mode is where you’ll be spending most of your time. It can be a bit grindy, and rather dry, but it does a fairly good job of simulating what it means to run or play on a football team. Players gain experience for completing drills and playing games, which can be spent to upgrade a number of stats. The game also reacts to your progress with updates, tweets, and news items from prominent football personalities, which will keep you engaged and is a good way to track both your progress and that of other teams, even if there really is no story to follow when you opt to create a player. There’s also, strangely, no option to make a defensive player in franchise mode, which, while understandable (you’d spend a lot of time doing nothing), is a bit disappointing. Offense or bust, guys. EDIT: This is incorrect. There is a tab to will allow you to play defense. I just didn’t see it. I apologize for the error.

"EA has spent most of their in-game upgrades on the run game and the defense, and I’m happy to report both work very well."

You can also invite friends and set up a league that can handle everything from the draft to championships, and even move franchises to different cities. The downside is that you cannot play a season outside of franchise mode, making it a necessity for anyone who wants to carry their team to the big game.

Speaking of the game, it plays very well. You’ve got control over pretty much everything as you call plays, and I was never left wanting for options, or unable to do something I thought I should have been able to. EA has spent most of their in-game upgrades on the run game and the defense, and I’m happy to report both work very well. New onscreen prompts will alert you when to use skill moves when running the ball, all of which are conveniently mapped to a single button. You can spin, juke, dive, stiff arm, and hurdle, among other things, and each move will be more or less effective depending on the player you’re using. It makes the run game a lot of fun, and the run game quickly became a key part of my offensive arsenal, despite how easy it is to pass the ball.

New details for the offensive and defensive line also comes in to play nicely. Running with teams with excellent offensive lines like the Vikings and the Cowboys is easier than most, while playing the otherwise excellent Seahawks will make you scramble to mask their o line’s shortcomings. The same level of care has been taken with the defensive line. Players now have gap assignments that make it easier to shut down offensive plays, and you can focus on yours while trusting the AI to take care of the rest. This, coupled with the ability to swat down passes, makes both defense and offense more engaging to play, and you legitimately feel like you’re playing chess against the other team pre-snap, angling for just the right play.

"The best addition, however, is Play the Moments, which appears in Franchise mode. This sims the game to key moments – third and longs, scoring opportunities, goal lines stands and the like – which shortens your average game to about 20 minutes without sacrificing exciting events."

The best addition, however, is Play the Moments, which appears in Franchise mode. This sims the game to key moments – third and longs, scoring opportunities, goal lines stands and the like – which shortens your average game to about 20 minutes without sacrificing exciting events. Obviously, this works better with better teams, like the Steelers, Patriots, Packers, or Seahawks, where the game is less likely to throw a hideous pick around midfield, or stall on a drive when you’re waiting to play. Cleaveland fans beware, but it’s still fun

There’s a number of other small changes: kicking has been retooled, and works fine, but isn’t anything to write home about. The new commentary, provided by Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis is quite good, but it runs into the issue of repetition. After playing a couple games with the Steelers, I began to hear the same remarks about Le’Veon Bell’s college-to-the-pros body transformation, often multiple times. This is just the nature of sports games, and EA has promised multiple free commentary packs as the year goes on, the first of which is already live.

There’s also the things that are just plain weird: Bill Belichick not being the head coach of the Patriots (his choice, but the lack of The Hoodie is noticeable), the odd commentary flub, players running through the stands, etc. And it still isn’t a looker, happy to occupy the weird gap between kinda bad and uncanny valley good. These are, however, very minor qualms and do very little to take away from the fact that Madden NFL 17 is a celebration of football at its best, a sim that captures the joy and excitement of the game that has captivated a nation. I may not have known what to expect going in, but I couldn’t be much happier with what I got.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

We have also included a video guide for some of the trophies and achievements of the game. Madden NFL 17 is now available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Let us know in the comments section below if you have any questions about the game.

Unlimited Draft Picks:

If you want Unlimited Draft Picks in Madden 17 – which can be a powerful thing for you to have as you manage your team and try to take them to victory – then you’ll be happy to know that just such a method exists in Madden, which lets you get this (unfair) leg up on the AI competition.

• Start with a team in the pre-season
• Go to the free agency, and sign three agents (this hurts your cap, but you trade them on as soon as you sign them, which means their salary is taken off your draft, meaning you effectively get a free draft pick and trade)
• The reason you do this in pre-season is because you have better free agents to sign later. Try to sign very young free agents (young rookie agents with the highest overall value)
• Go to the trade center and put an offer. Try to then milk the best draft pick you can get out of the other teams, including with multiple rounds of trading if necessary- don’t worry so much, since the draft pick here is absolutely free
• Do this with the other signed agents too, with, again, multiple rounds of draft picks- again, these draft picks are for absolutely nothing
• This process should net you essentially the top draft picks in the NFL for no cost.

For more details and specifics on how this works, check out the video below.

How To Make Gold Coins Faster:

Having more coins on hand is always welcome- and making them faster is one way of having more of them on hand. After all, having more coins on hand means you’re ready to start spending big on your team. However, the way Madden’s economy works, you may not know the best way to get rich.

One way to get rich is to make money faster- and this video below explains exactly how a new player might achieve that. It does that by explaining two separate routes, one for players who may be willing to spend some money straight upfront, and another for players who don’t want to spend money right off the bat. Either way, you’ll be making a lot of gold very fast, very soon- so it’s worth trying.

Madden NFL 17 Ultimate Team Guide:

Ultimate Team is one of the core elements of any sports games from EA Sports and Madden NFL 17 is no different. However the developers have implemented some changes and tweaked a few things in the latest iteration so let us take a look at them.

Ranked Draft Champions And Ranked Salary Cap Modes:

The Madden 17’s Championship series has $1 million up for grabs and the only way to win that is through the Ranked Draft Champions and Ranked Salary Cap modes. However this time around a few things have been changed in both of them. The first major in DCR (Ranked Draft Champions) is that the leaderboards will give you a clear indication of how you stack up against other players and you will have almost twice the number of players available compared to previous iterations. Furthermore, both Ranked Draft Champions and Ranked Salary Cap Modes have been allocated new rewards. They are:

DCR Rewards:

– COST: 3 Tickets
– DURATION: 6 Wins or 2 Losses
– 0 WINS: 1 Pro Pack, 2 Coin Quicksells
– 1 WIN: 1 Competitive Badge, 1 Pro Pack, 3 Coin Quicksells
– 2 WINS: 2 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 1 Event Ticket
– 3 WINS: 3 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 1 Event Ticket
– 4 WINS: 4 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 2 Event Tickets
– 5 WINS: 5 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 3 Event Tickets
– 6 WINS: 7 Competitive Badges, 2 Pro Packs, 3 Event Tickets

Salary Cap Rewards:

– COST: 3 Tickets
– DURATION: 6 Wins or 2 Losses
– 0 WINS: 1 Pro Pack, 2 Coin Quicksells
– 1 WIN: 1 Competitive Badge, 1 Pro Pack, 3 Coin Quicksells
– 2 WINS: 2 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 1 Event Ticket
– 3 WINS: 3 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 1 Event Ticket
– 4 WINS: 4 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 2 Event Tickets
– 5 WINS: 5 Competitive Badges, 1 Pro Pack, 3 Event Tickets
– 6 WINS: 7 Competitive Badges, 2 Pro Packs, 3 Event Tickets

Salary Cap mode see the arrival H2H Unlimited Events which means H2H Seasons have been removed form Madden NFL 17. However playing in 2H Unlimited Events does not require a ticket and you will be given the opportunity to earn 10 wins before reaching 2 losses. The rewards in H2H unlimited are:

– COST: FREE
– DURATION: 10 Wins or 2 Losses
– 0 WINS: 2 Non-transferrable Bronze players
– 1 WIN: 2 Non-transferrable Bronze players, 1 non-transferrable Silver player
– 2 WINS: 2 Non-transferrable Bronze players, 1 non-transferrable Silver player
– 3 WINS: 3 Non-transferrable Silver players, 2 non-transferrable Bronze Players
– 4 WINS: 3 Non-transferrable Silver players, 2 non-transferrable bronze players
– 5 WINS: 1 Non-transferrable Gold player, 4 Non-transferrable Silver players, 2 non-transferrable Bronze players
– 6 WINS: 1 Non-transferrable Gold player, 4 non-transferrable Silver players, 2 non-transferrable Bronze players
– 7 WINS: 2 Gold players, 3 Silver or Gold players, 2 Silver players
– 8 WINS: 2 Gold players, 3 Silver or Gold players, 2 Silver players
– 9 WINS: 2 Gold players, 3 Silver or Gold players, 2 Silver players
– 10 WINS: 1 Master H2H Uniform, 1 Non-transferrable Elite player, 5 Gold players

Top Players:

Below is a comprehensive guide for the top players in Tight Ends, Linebackers, Defensive Lineman and Defensive Backs.

Top Players For Tight Ends:

• Jimmy Graham – TE, Seahawks
• Tyler Eifert – TE, Bengals
• Delanie Walker – TE, Titans
• Greg Olsen – TE, Panthers
• Rob Gronkowski – TE, Patriots

Top Players For Defensive Backs:

• Reshad Jones – SS, Dolphins
• Patrick Peterson – CB, Cardinals
• Tyrann Mathieu – FS, Cardinals
• Josh Norman – CB, Redskins
• Richard Sherman – CB, Seahawks

Top Players For Defensive Linemen:

• Ndamukong Suh – DT, Dolphins
• Geno Atkins – DT, Bengals
• Kawann Short – DT, Panthers
• Aaron Donald – DT, Rams
• J.J. Watt – RE, Texans

Top Players For Linebackers:

• Khalil Mack – LOLB, Raiders
• Don’t Hightower – ROLB, Patriots
• Justin Houston – LOLB, Chiefs
• Luke Kuechly – MLB, Panthers
• Von Miller – LOLB, Broncos

Top Kickers:

• GRAHAM GANO
• DAN BAILEY
• STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI
• STEVEN HAUSCHKA
• ADAM VINATIERI

Top Free Safeties:

• TYRANN MATHIEU
• HARRISON SMITH
• ERIC BERRY
• EARL THOMAS III
• MALCOLM JENKINS

Top Middle Linebacks:

• LUKE KUECHLY
• BRANDON MARSHALL
• DERRICK JOHNSON
• BOBBY WAGNER
• JAMIE COLLINS

Top Cornerbacks:

• JOSH NORMAN
• CHRIS HARRIS JR
• RICHARD SHERMAN
• PATRICK PETERSON
• DARRELLE REVIS

Top Defensive Ends:

• J.J. WATT
• JURRELL CASEY
• BRANDON GRAHAM
• MIKE DANIELS
• OLIVIER VERNON

Top Defensive Tackles:

• AARON DONALD
• GENO ATKINS
• FLETCHER COX
• NDAMUKONG SUH
• KAWANN SHORT

Top Running Backs:

• LE’VEON BELL
• ADRIAN PETERSON
• DOUG MARTIN
• JAMAAL CHARLES
• LAMAR MILLER

Achievements And Trophy Guide:

Madden NFL 17 Master

Congratulations on earning every Madden NFL 17 trophy!

Comeback City

Comeback and win when trailing by 17+ points at halftime. (No SuperSim, Co-Op or Ultimate Moments)

Threw down the Gauntlet Again

Defeat the Level 25 Boss of the Skills Trainer Gauntlet.

Run Degree

Earn at least a bronze medal in all 8 Run Concepts inside of Skills Trainer.

Antifreeze

Make a FG while iced. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

Enforcement

Make a tackle for a loss while controlling the Force player. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

POW

Win 3 tackle battles on offense. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

BOOM

Win 3 tackle battles on defense. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

The Ball is Free!

Successfully block a punt. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

Move Master

Successfully fake-out a defender when prompted to perform a ball carrier special move. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

Mouse Trap

Execute a successful fake punt for a first down. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

The White Whale

Successfully block a Field Goal. (No SuperSim, Co-Op, Practice or Skills Trainer)

Luck of the Irish

Execute a fake FG for a TD or 2 Point Conversion. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

Triple Crown

Record a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery with the same player on a single play. (No SuperSim or Co-Op)

Beyond a Hobby

Complete a MUT set.

Grindin’ Solos

Win a MUT Solo Challenge.

Negotiator

Win a MUT auction.

This is My Ultimate Team

Create a MUT Team.

Now Do It Again

Complete your first Draft Champions experience.

Good on Paper

Draft a team with an OVR greater than 82 in Draft Champions.

Team Building 101

Activate two Chemistries at the same time.

The Champion

Complete a Draft Champions draft undefeated. (4)

Online Next?

Complete a Single-Player Draft Champions experience.

Great Pick

Draft a player with an OVR at least 15 points higher than the player he replaces in Draft Champions.

Draftaholic

Complete 5 Drafts.

Going For Gold

Earn gold from a drill inside the Skill Trainer.

Marcus Mariota Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 40.

Devonta Freeman Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 400.

Alshon Jeffrey Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 1,150.

Julio Jones Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 2,150.

Rob Gronkowski Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 4,500.

Dan Rooney Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 6,075.

JJ Watt Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 7,500.

Aaron Rodgers Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 8,000.

John Madden Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 10,100.

Tom Brady Legacy Award

Using a created player, coach, or owner – surpass a legacy score of 25,000.

When the Xbox One S finally goes on sale starting August 2, it will only be the 2TB variant of the system that costs $399- the cheaper 1TB and 500GB SKUs of the console will not be made available until a bit later. How much later? Well, not much, as it turns out.

Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced on his blog today that the Xbox One S 1TB and 500GB SKUs will go on sale starting August 23, for $349 and $299 respectively. And more importantly, they will both come with a copy of Madden NFL 17 in the package, too. The two consoles are already available to pre-order starting today from a variety of outlets, including the Microsoft Store, and Amazon.

The Xbox One S is 40% smaller than the original Xbox One console, and comes with UHD, 4K, and HDR support for video playback, as well as an improved controller with better wireless connectivity. A more powerful variant of the Xbox One, the Scorpio, is due to launch by Holiday of 2017.

No Man’s Sky

After many years of hype, Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky will finally be releasing. Billed as an open space adventure where players have the freedom to explore, fight and trade, No Man’s Sky boasts 18 quintillion planets to explore thanks to its procedural generation capabilities. Whether it lives up to the hype or not, there’s no denying that No Man’s Sky will quench our thirst for adventure on PS4 and PC come August 9th.

F1 2016

With a new career mode packed with ten seasons, F1 2016 promises its most immersive Formula One experience yet. Players will create their own character, earning contracts and joining teams to advance further up the ranks and become more successful. F1 2016 is out on August 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC – if highly realistic racing from Codemasters is your thing, this will be worth checking out.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Set a few years after Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided sees the return of Adam Jensen in a world fraught with even more danger. New abilities and on the fly weapon customization combined with even more player freedom for approaching missions should allow for one of the better FPS/RPG experiences since…well, since Human Revolution. Look out for it on August 23rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Grow Up

It’s amazing how one of the better titles to emerge from Ubisoft last year was also one of its most experimental. Grow Up is the sequel you didn’t know you wanted and will see the return of BUD as he explores a new planet while seeking to repair his ship. The game’s puzzle heavy approach returns as BUD uses new tools – like the Floradex 3000 – to take advantage of 24 different plant species and their abilities. Grow Up is out on August 16th and will be heading to the Xbox One (unlike its predecessor) along with PS4 and PC.

Abzû

From the director of Flower and Journey comes diving simulator Abzû. This isn’t your typical realistic swimmer though – Abzû features highly artistic visuals courtesy of Unreal Engine 4 and offers linear exploration in a mysterious sea. Interacting with fish, exploring underwater ruins and being one with the sea make Abzû one of the more peaceful titles to look out for on August 2nd for PS4 and PC.

The King of Fighters XIV

SNK’s premier fighting franchise returns once more with The King of Fighters XIV. Featuring 48 characters along with two boss characters, KOF XIV makes use of a new Max Mode for special EX moves and even implements the Garou‘s Just Defend feature. Online mode seems pretty simple at this point but that’s KOF for you. It’s out on August 23rd for PS4.

Verdun

Before Battlefield 1, there was Verdun. Having begun in open beta way back in June 2013, Verdun features realistic squad-based World War I gameplay for up to 32 players. Interestingly, Verdun sports some cool game modes like Rifle Deathmatch where players are all armed with rifles and Frontlines, a trench warfare assault mode where teams take turns attacking and defending. Available on PC already, Verdun hits PS4 and Xbox One on August 30th.

World of Warcraft: Legion

The Burning Legion returns and players must team up with the Demon Hunters to push them back in World of Warcraft’s Legion expansion. With a new class in the Demon Hunter, balance changes,  Artifact weapons (with 36 unique weapons for each class), order halls, a new transmogrification system and of course, plenty of new areas to explore and quests to complete, Legion is just the fix for those disappointed with Warlords of Draenor.

Madden NFL 17

Say and think what you will about EA’s Madden franchise – the publisher clearly knows what it’s doing if it keeps raking in success. Madden NFL 17 will introduce some new features – as the sequels are wont to do – such as the new ball carrier UI, Path Assist, a revamped Franchise Mode and new announcers in the form of Brandon Gaudine and Charles Davis. Look out for it on August 23rd for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4.

Bound

Bizarre 3D platformer Bound caught our attention thanks to its vivid art style and expressive motion capture. Touted as one large puzzle that will appeal to those seeking a highly narrative experience, Bound will also include a fair amount of procedural generation. It arrives on August 16th exclusively for PS4.

EA showcase the next iteration of Madden with Madden NFL 17 and it was promised to be the “most balanced” gameplay-wise till date. Premier, Challenger and EA Major events were touted for online play with EA Major offering large broadcasts for competition.

The biggest new feature this year is Play the Moments which allows players to jump into the milestones of matches and simulate the most important moments. For example, how will you fare when making drives through the red zone? Along with shorter games, the mode will allow for players to simulate an entire season, all the way through the Superbowl, in the span of a weekend. It’s still possible to experience complete matchups but you can choose to play those moments whenever you feel like.

Madden NFL 17 promises the deepest Franchise mode till date with a new commentary team as well. What are your thoughts on its appearance? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information in the coming months. Madden NFL 17 is out on August 23rd for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Madden NFL 17 has been officially announced by EA sports and the game will be launching right around the same time the previous versions had been released in recent years. Coming on August 23, EA Sports says it will be announcing who the cover athlete is going to be later this week.

The company has taken the rather unusual step of not putting the cover athlete up to a vote. Whoever the company has chosen to adorn the cover of Madden 17 will be announced on ESPN on May 12. This will be the first time since 2009 the publisher has been the one to determine who will grace the cover.

As has been the case for the last couple of years, the game will be available for the Xbox One, the PS4, the Xbox 360 and the PS3. While Madden NFL 17 is going to be officially available on all those platforms on August 23, 2016 it will be available on EA Access for the Xbox One a few days earlier. In the meantime check out our review of Madden NFL 16 in order to get a taste of what might be coming.