It is hard to believe but this year marks the 25th installment of the Madden Football series. We have went from tiny dots on a screen to realistic looking players that are programmed to think and react as an NFL player. These improvements are awesome to see as gamers but at the same time, they come at a price. The game is no longer easy.
The best Madden 25 players have all sorts of tips, strategies, and defenses that they use in order to succeed. Here are a few improvements made to this year’s Madden game and how to use them to your advantage.
- The New Run Free Feature – In the past, football video games have been all about passing the ball 50 yards downfield at a time and hoping for touchdowns. With the introduction of “Run Free” to Madden 25, those days are behind us. There are all sorts of new juke moves, spin moves, and other combinations you will want to learn before you head into a tournament. He running game will be more important than ever. Don’t believe me? Just look at the cover art. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is on the PlayStation 4 and XBOX One cover while former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders is on the PS3 and XBOX 360 cover. EA Sports is signaling a clear change. If you don’t know how to run the football this year, you will be in trouble.
- The Improved Infinity 2.0 Engine – Essentially “Run Free” takes advantage of the infinity 2.0 engine for running backs, but it has a similar effect on defense. The hit stick is back and better than ever this year. Even with the hit stick, you won’t be able to stop a good offense in Madden 25 without a little help. The community at Madden School helps with gameplay tips on how to be effective on both offense and defense. Once you learn a few of the secrets, the game will become easy for you.
- Purple Zones have been fixed – In Madden 13, it was very hard to run a zone defense because of how ineffective the purple zones were. The defenders would leave their area and cover any route in the flat before covering the route deeper. This was obviously a mistake and it has been corrected for Madden 25. The best way you can use this to your advantage is to use purple zones this year. They are so much more effective than the light blue zones and should be used as often as possible.
- Minor gameplay improvements – As with any new game, Madden 25 will have lots of little tweaks that will take some getting used to. These never make any headlines and don’t get mentioned in the media, but they are nonetheless important. It is the little things that determine champions in sports and the same concept holds true for sports video games. Master the little details early on, and you will have plenty of success.
Do let us know your own thoughts about the new Madden title and how you feel the improvements will affect actual gameplay in the comments below.