Madden 2025 Wishlist

 GamePlay

• Better physics off of animations
  • Put bone structure into player models. Stiffen to prevent most ragdoll physics.
  • Use some sort of physics based on a balance rating for players to keep their feet if hit in that spot.
  • Get rid of ALL suction blocks and tackles.
    • It’s frustrating when you try to steer your player one way and he goes the opposite because of animation driven circumstances when you run into your own player.
    • Suction blocks are just as bad when playing defense.  Oline will run up and grab the LB and hold them there.  You can’t move at all and the RB will just run right by you.  There is no rating based mechanics there. 100% of the time you are held.
  • Slow down the game
    • Slow down the game just a tiny bit.  The speed of the game is just a little too fast.  This again, makes it feel a little like an arcade style game than a simulation game.  You can keep that in comp, but sim, I think needs to slow down to the speed or close to the speed you see a game on tv.  Right now it’s super fast.
  • Add in form tackles, high tackles and low tackles.
    • Use the a button and a right stick to either go for a form tackle, go high on the tackle or dive for a foot or ankle type of tackle.  You can free up the dive button for something else.
  • Need more wrap tackles
    • Most QB sacks in the game are where the defense just puts in a shoulder on the QB and he just flops to the ground. This is not realistic.
    • There are too many hit stick style tackles in the current game.
    • Group tackles are non-existent.  The most you get are two players tackling and It’s always one animation.  They need to attack more, watch less or avoid less.
  • Better movement in PS5, PC and Xbox Next Gen Consoles
    • There are too many sharp cuts (like Madden 19) and jerky.  These turns need to be tuned to a more smooth, natural turn unless you use the cut mechanic. 
  • Better play by Secondary vs QB and RB runs.
    • Secondary needs to come back towards the line when facing the offense once the QB or RB reaches the line of scrimmage. Too many standing around or no reaction until the RB or QB has run for 10+ yards.
  • Better CB play
    • Take back the CB interception rate.  It’s far too high.  They play like they have WR hands.  If that was the case then they would be playing WR.  CB drops or tips should be mostly animated .
    • Add more aggressive CB.  CB’s just standing behind the WR STANDING has been an issue for a long time.  CB will sit behind the WR and let the pass be completed before doing anything.
    • As stated above they need to be more aggressive on knocking the ball down.
    • Tune back the CB knockouts and put in more WR bobbles that can be catches if not hit so there isn’t a knockout on a ton of pass plays.
    • Rating need to matter when a CB is covering a TE.  TE shouldn’t be outrunning the CB.
  • Better LB play
    • Take better routs to the player or fill gaps.
    • If they have the coverage rating on them, be able to cover the TE instead of trailing no matter the rating to speed of the LB. if the LB has good coverage skills then he should be able to cover up the TE well and not always free for easy completions.

QB misses

• When the QB misses a throw don’t constantly show a massive overthrow over the players head, about 15 yards off the wr.  Show a skipped pass, a pass just outside of the fingertips of the WR or something CLOSE.  No QB is that inaccurate and in the NFL. Not one. 
• If a WR has an ability to spectacular catches then add maybe a few animations where the wr catches the pass.

WR catching

• WR should NOT catch everything that come their way.  It should be rating based and so far that I see is that there is nothing working with ratings in this game with any position.  I’ve had 69 overall QB’s, in their rookie year, act like they were Tom Brady in his prime.
• Add some bobble animations for the Knockouts instead of just the hit and drop.  Have bobble catches as well.  Mix it up a bit.  There are too many arcade like hit stick tackles in this game.

Bad Snaps/Hand offs

• Have times where the snap is bad and goes over the QB’s head or trickles by him based on a snap rating for the Center.
• Have a hands rating for the QB for rate of handoff efficiency.  Have a chance of a fumble when initially handing the ball off.

Franchise – Presentation

• Studio Pre-game (weekly) show
  • Discuss games/teams
    • Today’s matchups
    • Today’s injury reports
    • Today’s season team trends
    • Today’s season player trends
    • Today’s Playoff clinching scenarios
    • Today’s weather on games
    • Today’s analyst picks on games
    • Today’s players to watch
    • Players nearing season/NFL record
    • Pro Bowl team announcement
    • Any other stat related item you could easily pull in from inside the stats that are in the game.
    • Trades, transactions, etc…
  • Penalties
    • Add ALL NFL penalties to the game. Every one of them.  Then you need to increase the times a penalty is called per game.  Current rate for a 11 min quarter that I use.  There is a total of around 1 to 3 penalties for BOTH teams for the whole game!  That is NOT even close to the NFL rate.  That frequency needs to be increased FOR FRANCHISE PLAY ONLY.  Do not do this for online H2H.  Frequency can be determined by penalty rating on players. This would help with scouting as it would make your leary of drafting a player scouted to hold a lot.  Current slider do not work at all.
  • Field Goals
    • FG’s made in this game has to be close to 100% for both the CPU and player. There is NEVER a missed field goal in a game.  Never.
      • Get rid of the black accuracy bar on the meter.  It doesn’t do anything.  Only use power on the kicks and determine the % made by kick ranges on player rating for accuracy.  Some players could be good at short and mid kicks but some can be inconsistent depending on rating.  There needs to be more missed field goals.  It’s not realistic.  It’s going back to an arcade feel in Franchise when this should be the most authentic part of the game.
    • Cut Scenes
      • After Punt – show drive stopping moment in slow motion and put in a score and time overlay then fade out for pretend commercial break.
      • After Score – show the scoring play in slow motion with small clip of players celebrating with score overlay and fade out for pretend commercial break.
      • A couple plays after an injury – (put in a blue tent scene) and have a reporter go over the injury before moving to the next play in the game or the next time the clock stops for an incompletion or out of bounds play.
      • After a turnover – have a brief slow motion replay of the turnover with a score overlay and fade to pretend commercial break.
      • Game breaks – show a quick highlight of a score from either a team in your division or if a team is part of your scenario to make the playoffs.
      • Pre game – scene of stadium and weather conditions, if any.
      • Pre game – key players, coaching vs records and overall records
      • Intro pre game – show outside the stadium with tailgaters, above or inside the stadium with a overlay of the team logos and team records playing in the game.
      • Super Bowl Intro – have player introduction for each starter on for both teams on offense and defense
      • Super Bowl winner – create a few short celebrations that can go on a rotation of some sort.  20 short ones would be nice.  Could rotate until the 20 have been review and THEN repeat instead of seeing the same thing every Super Bowl.
      • NFL Draft intro – alternate with all 32 cities. Have unique intros based on what that city is famous for.  Maybe add in some video or animation of famous areas around that city that are well known.  Have a fly in intro with a banner of the year and the city.
        • Have the commissioner walk up to start the draft
        • 1st rd only, have player walk up’s on stage and commentary about the player and scounting report for that player.  That could all be pulled from the player card we see in the draft.  Relate that somehow on what the team already has or compare with current NFL players.  Or maybe announce that could be a huge hit or miss.  Something unique that is not constantly repeated all the time.
        • Finish draft with mr irrelevant ceremony
      • Halftime
        • Map is okay, but go over ALL THE GAMES being played and show some sort of highlight.  At least one play with the overlay of the score, quarter and time left.
          • I would love to see a studio go over these instead of just the same map used for a few years now.
          • Go over first half highlights of your game
          • Game analysis
            • Reveal the common plays, formations and recommendations to slow it down.
          • Scouting
            • We need a brand new system.  You do NOTHING in the current system.  The game does everything for you.
              • Since you have the NCAA working again. Be able to pull in the ncaa schedule for all the teams. 
              • Have scouts that with ratings.  Some are good at some things, some things they are bad in assessing on player talent.
              • Ability to hire and fire scouts like we do now, but increase the amount of scouts each team has.
              • Have the scouts assigned to specific games for specific teams and give reports of the players in that game that they think did well and you can have that scout track certain players.
              • Be able to search by a type of player. If you are searching for a mobile QB then have that ability to narrow to that type.
            • Networks
              • Real or fake, separate networks and commentators per network.  Different graphics, layouts based on network
            • Commentary
              • Add play by play action better.  If the qb is under pressure, rolls out, rb runs up the gut…say it, but……after the action is done so it’s not giving too much away on the play for the defense.
              • Please stop with the stupid, repetitive jokes!  They are not funny and become annoying when they are constantly being said every single game played.
              • Have the commentary based on the game, season, career, the current play and no banter.  That’s where you want to pull your hair out because of the repeating of it.  If you have something based on the play or stat then it would be less stale of commentary.
            • Crowd
              • Crowd is AWFUL in Madden 24. Awful! This needs to be redone.
                • Crowd level is not loud enough in some parts where it should be.
                  • End of game, close game.  If feels like it’s on a bad momentum meter used in the game or something. Crowd react to or don’t at odd times.
                  • On defense in a close game at home the crowd should be loud unless losing by 17 or more points.  Any less, it should be loud.
                  • 3rd and 4th downs on defense should be LOUD.
                • The crowd itself should be leaving the stadium in routes.  It doesn’t have to be the whole stadium and they can show up to the game in full.  People  leave the stadium when the home team is losing bad.  The game should reflect that.
              • Weather
                • Weather should impact the game more
                  • Wet, snow – should be a overall decrease in player ratings overall for ball security and catching.
                  • Hot days – more fatigue for all players
                  • Grass fields – should be slippery on logos and pain when wet day or snow
                  • Windy days – affected throw accuracy for all qb’s and kickers as well.
                  • I would love to see the mud on the jersey’s if that player had been tackled in mud or dirt.  Have it stay on there the whole game. Idk if that would be possible for each player to have his unique splatter of dirt or mud on their jersey.
                • DAILY schedule instead of weekly
                  • Do a daily schedule for the HC or owner or both.
                    • Take or make trade calls
                    • Player requested talks
                    • Injury reports per day and action to take the next for that player
                    • Determine if you want to rest or practice a player that day
                    • Updated league transactions for that day (maybe with a scene of the coach in a office watching a segment of Good Morning Football and they are discussing the transactions on a screen in your office)
                    • Calls from coaches with recommended prep or input for an upcoming game
                    • Calls from the owner about what he wants to gee
                    • Calls from the gm asking about brining in a certain player and wanted to hear your view of that player.
                  • Adjust gameplan on the fly
                    • If there is something that is not working or the opposing team switched something up that puts you at a disadvantage.  Have the ability to adjust, in game,  at any time during that game.