'Madden NFL 25' Reviews: Anniversary Football Game Gets Mixed Response From Gaming Critics

Madden NFL 25 celebrates the quarter century of football games that began with John Madden’s first one that changed sports video games for good.

In this latest installment of the gaming franchise, a number of new features are introduced, including Owner Mode, which allows the gamer to run their own NFL franchise – from vending, ticketing, drafting, trading, stadium construction and even uprooting the team altogether. There’s also improved nuance in controlling runningbacks and the offensive line. Furthermore, Madden 25 provides a bit more of the spectacle of NFL games with all the pregame jazz.

While reviewers found the game satisfactory, some felt it needed a few more improvements – including more of a John Madden presence – to make it worthy of its 25th anniversary celebration.

“Despite the name, you get the same old story with the traditional roster update, a few tweaks to the graphics engine, new control schemes to rev you up, and a teensy bit of feature creep. Instead of closing out the current generation of consoles with a big bash, this year's Madden just plays out the string.” – Brett Todd, GameSpot

“Electronic Arts' sports simulation Madden NFL 25 returns with several interesting features such as Owner Mode, but big improvements to the running game — particularly while running the Pistol formation or Read-Option plays — are what stand out for better or worse. Madden NFL 25 fits the mold of previous launches of the pro football simulation. Despite needing more consistency in its portrayal of on-the-field action, Madden is still a satisfying sports experience.” – Brett Molina, USA Today

“Madden NFL 25 embraces the big-budget bluster of the NFL. Fighter-jet flyovers. Mascots running through fireworks and confetti. Talking heads in the booth. Muscled-up millionaires chest-bumping each other. It’s all in there — except for the washed-up country singer doing a cheesy lead-up. […] The presentation is excellent, and it serves as the thread binding the package. Developer EA Tiburon focused on the details. Each important primetime matchup starts off with a customized video for the participating teams.” – Eduardo Moutinho, Venture Beat

"For an anniversary so important it warrants messing up a long-established naming scheme, you’d think EA Sports would do more to celebrate it than just put in some retrospective trivia in the loading screens. Unfortunately Madden NFL 25 is more of a run-of-the mill upgrade than a big anniversary edition, but it is still a great version. Madden NFL 25 makes a lot of small improvements that build on last year’s big Madden NFL 13 revamp to create one of the finest football gaming experiences available.” – Jack Devries, IGN

Madden NFL 25 is currently available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It’s rated E for Everyone.

– Chelsea Regan

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