It’s hard to deny the quality of games we’ve been seeing recently. Having never owned a PlayStation 3, The Last of Us: Remastered is something I’ll need to purchase. My girlfriend recently picked up a copy of Diablo III for her Xbox One and I’d really like to play with her. Destiny is coming out sooner than we realize. So it totally makes sense that the game I picked up the other day is Madden NFL 15.
Wait, what?
I realize the stigma that sports games have: they hardly change year in and year out. Believe it or not, Madden has been on an absolute tear with features these past two years. Last year’s Madden NFL 25 (it was their 25th anniversary) improved blocking ten-fold. This year, the defensive side of the ball gets an upgrade and play-calling tempo received a nice boost. It’s a good game, I promise. Here, check out Lance’s review if you don’t believe me!
There’s something else about a sports game, though, that’s appealing to me: the ability to play it for an entire year without worrying about whether or not it will remain relevant. An issue with multiplayer shooters is that sometimes, they fall out of favor. People have moved on from Titanfall, they’ll move on from Destiny, Evolve, and others. While these shooters may maintain a healthy player base, it’ll never match the quantity of players that were around for launch. Sports games, however, don’t depend on these players.
For those that aren’t aware, the sole reason why I own a PlayStation 4 is for MLB 14: The Show. I absolutely adore baseball and this was the only way to play a legitimate baseball simulator. Over time, I’ve popped in a couple of other games in my PS4 (Infamous: Second Son, Transistor, Wolfenstein: The New Order) but I always keep coming back to MLB 14. It’s always there for me, ready and waiting. Do I have ten minutes to kill? I’ll play a quick game. Busy with work? I can play as I type.
The same is true for Madden; it’s always there for me, regardless of how much free time I actually have. I don’t always have to devote my full attention to it and I don’t have to feel guilty about not having played it since April despite the fact that I miss Titanfall terribly.
Plus, it’s just really, really nice to live through a fantasy world where the Red Sox don’t suck this year.
Jake Valentine adores all games and that does mean he enjoys his fair share of sports games. No sports game, however, will come close to NHL 94. Follow him on Twitter @hop3less.
