What is there to say about the yearly madden that hasn't already been said? Every year we see another edition of Madden football that has some tweaks and improvements to the relatively standard formula. I will say that this year's entry is a pretty good one. There is a revamped and much upgraded Franchise mode. This is the mode I play more than any other so this was a good for me. The interface is nicely streamlined, the menus are easy to navigate, and there is a lot of information at the ready that hasn't been there in previous years. I enjoy the ability to assign players to the practice squad, and I also like the quick roster overview, which allows you to reorder your depth chart very quickly. This same view also allows you to go into more depth on each player, such as their stats, contract info, and upgrade XP. There is some cool features now such as Suggested upgrades for your players, staggered contracting that only allows you to start negotiating with certain players at certain points in the season. I also like the ability to choose game plans before each game as well as the 3 players that you would like the training to place your focus on. The game plans that you choose translates into the game by awarding extra XP when you choose those plays. Moving on towards gameplay, I do enjoy the feature that allows you to choose what type of game you'd like to play. You can choose from Offense or Defense Only, the full game, and then you can choose to play key moments. The Key moments format brings you into a simulation version of the game which then allows you to jump in on either side of the ball at pivotal moments that you would expect. (Red zone, 3rd down plays, 4th down plays, and a pretty variation of others that allows you to take direct control when you want to, while not dragging the game out over a period of time that you may not have to play.) Accompanying the gameplay is a new set of commentators. And I will say that this is some of the best and most contextual commenting that I have ever heard in a a Madden game. When playing franchise mode it really helps the immersion when you hear them chatting about your team as well as the other team. You will hear references to past games of the season, winning or losing streaks, and even specifics on certain stats like turnovers and things like that. They have also added the score ticker to the bottom of the screen of all of your games so you can see what is going on in the rest of the week's games. Now for your meat and taters. FOOTBALL! In order to win the game you have to score more points than the other team!! What can I say about the gameplay? it's football. It works, there's some pluses and minuses. It took a while before I started feeling the differences and nuances in the gameplay from last year. But they are there. The game feels a little faster, it also feels harder hitting. The running is a lot of fun this year when you can establish it. The passing makes for some really spectacular plays and catches. A lot of veteran players will be frustrated with some of the same old inconsistencies. But this is where guys like me and them will find their way to the custom gameplay sliders. I tweak these every single year until I find a comfort level of realism and fun. They are worth experimenting with. All in all I'm glad that I bought it on sale. Which is what I typically do every year. I don't feel the yearly upgrade is worth full price unless you absolutely can't wait to have it. I will likely continue buying Madden every year as it is the only iteration of pro football out there for gamers so you can pretty much take it or leave it. Play on!