Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Milestone 25th Madden game drops the ball on innovation.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Madden NFL 25
What's It About?
Available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- and in November, for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 -- MADDEN NFL 25 from EA Sports is the latest in the best-selling pro football game franchise, commemorating 25 years' worth of virtual NFL fun. New this year are 30 bonus moves; a precision modifier for adding some spice and variation to moves like jukes and stiff arms; and a new Owner mode that lets you do everything from signing and trading players to setting prices for tickets, merchandise, and concession stands to renovating your home stadium (or even moving to another city, if desired). The game also boasts an updated physics engine for smoother and more realistic animation including a new Force Impact system for bone-crushing hits.
Is It Any Good?
On one hand, it's still a fun and exciting game to play. It captures the intensity of professional football, and lets you play as your favorite teams and players. There's also a lot of meat to the gameplay between playing online or side-by-side and among the various modes. The new tackling and "run free" moves offer a few new thrills too. On the other hand, the core gameplay remains relatively unchanged from last year, and the visual presentation is in need of a refresh. There's not enough new here to necessitate an upgrade if you still have Madden NFL 13, but if it's been awhile since your last Madden purchase, and you're intrigued by the 25th anniversary edition of the premiere NFL game franchise, go for it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fact that Madden NFL comes out every year like clockwork. Is it fair to pay the same price year after year for a few new features and new rosters?
Are professional athletes positive role models? Should they be expected to be?
Which sport do you think makes the best video game experience? Why do you think that is? Is that sport also your favorite to play outside of a video game?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3
- Subjects : Language & Reading : following directions , Hobbies : sports , Science : momentum , motion , physics
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : decision-making , prediction , strategy
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : EA Sports
- Release date : August 27, 2013
- Genre : Sports
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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