Madden NFL 17

Madden NFL 17 continued EA Sports' long-standing tradition of the official American football simulation, and on Xbox One it introduced an improved running system called Ball Carrier Balance, which gave players greater control over jukes, dodges, and staying balanced under defensive hits. This one change had an impact on the overall feel of the game – battles at the line of scrimmage and runs into the defense felt more dynamic and less predictable than in previous years, something appreciated especially by veteran series players who had spent hundreds of hours with earlier installments and were very sensitive to fine differences in the controls.

The game again offered the full range of modes typical of Madden: a franchise mode with team management spanning several seasons ahead, online leagues against other players, and the collectible Ultimate Team mode, where cards were used to build dream lineups of NFL stars. Match presentation stuck to a TV-broadcast style with commentary and graphic transitions meant to give viewers the feeling of watching a real broadcast, which had long been a signature trait of the whole series and one reason why even casual sports fans sought the game out, appreciating its accessible presentation.

On Xbox One the game benefited from the console's power especially when simulating a larger number of players on the field and in the more detailed animations of trench battles, where most of the match's decisive moments took place. Reviews at the time rated it a solid, if not revolutionary, installment that moved the series forward through incremental improvements rather than a major overhaul, and players explained this conservative approach as an effort not to risk tampering with a well-tuned system. For American football fans, however, it was the only truly official option on the market, and Madden NFL 17 still serves today as an interesting glimpse of what sports simulations looked like in the mid-2010s.

Why play it: For American football fans with no other official option on the market, Madden NFL 17 offers a solid, well-tuned system and detailed animations of trench battles, even if it's more of an incremental improvement than a revolution.