A Quick Look Back
It has now been 20 years since ESPN NFL 2K5 arrived on the scene, widely/rightly regarded as the best American Football game of all-time. In the years since, there have been some high points in the ongoing Madden series, but plenty of lows too.
This time around, with Madden NFL 26, there are plenty of positive similarities: an Eagles player gracing the cover, the stellar Saquon Barkley, a new presentation system featuring the fantastic Scott Hanson, and some of the best gameplay in years.
It proves that Madden doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel with surplus modes like The Yard from Madden 22 or Face of the Franchise that haven’t been missed at all. Focus on the basics – and Ultimate Team – and make them the best version in years and you will be onto a winner.
Headline Additions
The big headline additions with EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 are the improvements to Franchise mode, and a revamped presentation experience. Right down to representing mascots and how they make their entrances – looking at you Freddie Falcon – this revamp has been done to make it feel like Sunday every time you load up the game.
EA Sports have even roped in Scott Hanson from NFL Redzone to do some presenting. The new primetime broadcast features have been a much-requested inclusion, but perhaps isn’t quite what was ordered.
EA have done an interesting thing by creating new scoreboards depending on whether the game is played on a Thursday, Sunday or Monday in the in-game calendar, complete with unique theme tunes. But ESPN NFL 2K5 did this 20 years ago, and it was a licensed sports network, rather than EA’s interpretation of it. It could have been so much better.
The other big headline change this year has been to Franchise mode. Arguably, some of these features should probably have been in here for a long time now, making their appearance now somewhat muted. But better late than never, right?
For example, Coach Archetypes sounds like something that should have been around for years, but is a big addition this time. Choose from an Offensive or Defensive Guru, or a Development Wizard whose talents are more suited to off the field. Your created coach starts at level one with one of these archetypes, but you can also select a real-life NFL coach that comes with a level boost. These all come with unique abilities and levelling them up unlocks more. Hardly an innovation, but yet it is presented here as something new and exciting.
There is a new injury mechanic as well that supposedly tracks every hit players take over the course of a season. It may not be apparent at the start of a season, but as the hits rack up, expect to notice a difference. A QB getting sacked is never a good thing; repeated sacks over a season could be the difference between a Super Bowl and an early end to the season.
The Big Hits Continue On-Field
On-field the action has been pretty good for a couple of years now, and I am pleased to report that continues in Madden NFL 26. Tackles hit hard, juking about never gets boring and catching a Hail Mary in triple coverage always feels like it was worth the risk with the clock ticking away. I haven’t yet been able to perform the reverse hurdle that graces the front cover – even as someone who plays primarily as the Eagles – but the clip is always readily available on the title screen to watch over and over again.
Not only that, but thanks to the new Presentation features, stepping out onto the Linc, or ‘insert your team’s’ home stadium, feels better than ever before. Unique entrances for the teams have been included that goes far beyond what has come before. Many of the songs that play in-between downs can now be heard in the menus too, meaning Madden 26 has over 70 tracks to listen to. And for the first time in a long time, the soundtrack is full of artists I have heard of, along with plenty I hadn’t, but the option was there for me to remove their songs from rotation.
Superstar has had some tinkering too, but with varied results. More of an attempt has been made to add some structure to the mode rather than simply playing your way through the ranks. A sphere of influence now shows you how well your relationships are, from the very top with your head coach, right down to your tattoo artist. Currently, my created Superstar has a better rating with my tattoo artist than my offensive coach, so you can see how well that’s going…
Levelling these up grants additional bonuses and progresses through the chapters as you aim for that Super Bowl. It’s fine, even if things are a little skewed. The reason my offensive coach level is so low is because every time we fail to score on a drive, our rating takes a hefty hit, even if I wasn’t targeted once during that particular drive. There are a few teething issues with these new features, but as EA have said this is the fastest growing mode for the series, so expect these to be ironed out.
Even Ultimate Team Gets An Improvement
Of course, it would be remiss of me to not also mention Madden Ultimate Team, but for the first-time in a long time, it is a game mode I have returned to more than once. That is all down to one simple improvement that streamlines the menus.
We all know that the opening of packs has lengthy animations that just get more and more exhausting as you progress. This has not changed. However, straight after opening a pack and seeing which players you have unlocked, setting them as a starter is made all the more easier by simply having a button prompt allowing you to do just that. A small window under the player card shows the current player in the line-up and a few stats, with your new player and stats below. If you like what you see, just press the right trigger twice and your roster is changed on the fly. It’s a minute improvement that makes a massive difference. You’re spending less time in the menus, and more time playing.
On the subject of the menus, they have had an improvement over Madden NFL 25. It was a major gripe, the slow and sluggish nature of them last year at launch, and whilst they’re still not perfect, they are a big improvement. EA still have this bemusing ability to require manual saves for Franchise mode and making their menus clogged and difficult to navigate, but at least you can quickly return to the previous screen when you make a mistake.
A Super Bowl Contender in the Making
For the first time in what feels like a long-time, a Madden game feels like it is in a great place. EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 clearly shows that the American Football sim is on an upwards trajectory. The on-field action remains solid, but it is backed up by modes and general improvements across the board. Some of these should have happened a while ago, but they’re here finally, and at the right time. Even the improvements make Ultimate Team more playable to the Madden players who have traditionally been focused elsewhere.
All-in-all, Madden NFL 26 has a clear shot at the playoffs and a chance to be a Super Bowl contender.
Important Links
Madden NFL 26 is Out Now as American Football Reaches New Levels – https://www.thexboxhub.com/madden-nfl-26-is-out-now-as-american-football-reaches-new-levels/
Buy Madden NFL 26 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ea-sports-madden-nfl-26/9NVD16NP4J8T/0010
Grab a Deluxe Edition – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ea-sports-madden-nfl-26-deluxe-edition/9P0DQG2G85X2/0010
Go Super Big with the MVP Bundle – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ea-sports-mvp-bundle-madden-nfl-26-deluxe-edition-college-football-26-deluxe-edition/9N9H1DXTZ44B/0010
