Parents' Guide to

Madden NFL 15

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Family-friendly Madden packs defensive punch for this year.

Game PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One 2014
Madden NFL 15 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Madden NFL 15 Game: Screenshot #1
  • Madden NFL 15 Game: Screenshot #2
  • Madden NFL 15 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 6+

Based on 3 parent reviews

moopa
moopa Adult
March 1, 2015
age 6+

Worth buying

Fun but it is a little hard to play

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
DaltonOwens
DaltonOwens Adult
February 24, 2015
age 7+

A Great Football Sim

The only thing I can think to mention outside of it just being football one would watch on TV, is that the Madden Ultimate Team mode puts monetary value on certain players and encourages players to purchase better players whether it be through micro-transactions (using real money) or in-game coins earned through playing.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much consumerism
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

One of the most beloved -- and, not surprisingly, best-selling -- sports-game franchises is back. MADDEN NFL 15 ups the ante once again with a deeper, more connected, and more attractive offering in the pro football series. Specifically, this edition's game brings a new layer of defense on the field -- including new tackling moves and camera angles -- built to take on the very best offensive rushes in the National Football League. Also new in this edition is fans' ability to call plays with a crowd-sourced recommendation engine built from millions of games played by the online Madden NFL community. Along with significantly improved player models, stadiums, and animations -- especially with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions -- Madden NFL 15 adds an all-new NFL Films-inspired look for a more dramatic, broadcast-style presentation.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (3):

With Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman on the cover of this edition, Madden NFL 15 has tackled its way into stores and is met with much excitement. It lives up to the hype -- but don't expect too much different over last year's offering, Madden NFL 25. A quick rundown of the highlights includes a revamped defensive game with new moves and camera angles; a new set of pass-rush options to best your blocker and disrupt the backfield; presentation-grade graphics; up to six gameplay cameras; plenty of preshow and mid-game shows and commentary; and a new crowd-sourced recommendation engine that uses data from millions of online games to find the best selection of plays possible for each situation.

As with most EA Sports titles, you're probably fine to buy a new version of the game every other year or so (unless you really want the new team lineup that's in sync with the NFL), but Madden NFL 15 really brings its A game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Madden NFL 15 could possibly get kids to be more active and play football outside. Naturally, EA Sports wants you to play the video game, but how can parents turn interest in the game to outside activity? Check out our blog on handling screen time with kids.

  • Talk about the yearly release of sports games. Are these basically roster-updated titles, or is there enough new content to justify the purchase of a new game?

  • Madden NFL 15 packs a ton of branding and logos from different companies across the entire game, from the menu screens to the individual players. Is this heavy amount of branding an attempt to fully recreate the real-life environments, or do you feel like there's a large-scale attempt to sell to players?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate