5 Cool Madden NFL 17 Tips to Help You Dominate the Gridiron

Truck, juke, and Hail Mary your way to the championship gold.

When a company has a perennial favorite like Madden NFL in its catalog—a series that's been around longer than many gamers—it's important to freshen the experience when a new title hits store shelves. Madden NFL 17 £27.12 at Amazon UK is probably 90 percent the same game you know and love, but that's fine. It's based on real-world football, after all. NFL Blitz, this is not.

Sure, it's great that EA Sports didn't ruin a good thing, but you're probably wondering what could be done to take the series to another level. Don't fret, we've got the answers to make your digital pigskin experience even more enjoyable. And when we say "enjoyable," we mean dominating friends to the point where they hurl their controllers.

We've highlighted the features that you should add to your playbook when you pop the Madden NFL 17 disc into your PlayStation 4 £306.98 at Amazon UK or Xbox One £299.99 at Amazon UK. Don't be stuck in your old ways, man. Learn. Adapt. Succeed.

And try to get that ring.

Block That Kick!

In previous years, blocking punts and field goal attempts was possible, but not very probable. In Madden NFL 17, the entire kick defense game has been reworked. Follow the kick-blocking skills tutorial, and add this powerful weapon to your arsenal. Play as one of the players tagged with a "B," jump the snap with the R2 button, and put your body in front of the ball. Press the box button to dive, but don't rough the kicker. Learn this skill, young grasshopper, for it can change the outcome of a game in an instant.

New Kicking Mechanism

The punt and kick mechanics are updated, too. You aim the kick using the left thumb stick, and tap the triangle, circle, or box buttons to set a kick modifier, such as Kick It Sky High or Put a Back Spin on the Ball. Push the X button once to start the meter, again to set the kick strength, and tap it one final time set the kick's accuracy. It's now possible to turn punts into weapons and bury the opposing team deep in its zone.

Special Moves Make Special Runs

Ball carriers have a multitude of special moves at their disposal in Madden NFL 17. There are the standard hurdle, spin, juke, truck, and dive move, but you can modify each one by tapping R2 for a speed boost or tapping L2 to add extra precision (think of a precision move as something slow and deliberate that can really throw the defense for a loop). You can also turn on modifier assist to make the ball carrier automatically execute special moves. On the Rookie and Pro difficulty levels, a tip appears that tells you if your special move timing was early, late, or perfect.

Get In the Zone

If you're like me, then you've learned over the years that man-to-man pass defense is the way to go in Madden NFL. It's time to rethink that strategy, as Madden NFL 17 adds 10 new zone defenses to the playbook. AI is also improved to make defenders more effective when they drop back. More importantly, on-field graphics before the snap identify zones and defenders, so you can shift and change assignments on the fly. There are also updated swat controls for defensive backs. Call a zone, check matchups and make adjustments, let the play run, then take switch to the closest DB and take control of the ball.

New Ball Physics Will Keep You on Your Toes

Madden NFL 17 seeks to right the years of injustice caused by bad bounces with all new ball physics. Look to capitalize on loose balls from blocked kicks, tips, and fumbles. The ball pops out of the ball carrier's hands based on his motion and direction, and the angle of the defender. Fumbles that result from sacks are more realistic, too, as they take into account the motion of the QB's arm as he's hit. It's cool enough that ball physics is calculated in real-time, and it is even cooler that the outcome of a fumble or tip is determined by calculations and not manipulated to suit a canned animation.

Video Review

Get a quick rundown of Madden NFL 17 in the video above.

About Our Expert

Matthew D. Sarrel

Contributing Editor

Matthew D. Sarrel, CISSP, is executive director of Sarrel Group, a technical marketing consultancy. He is also a technical marketing consultant and technical writer. To read his opinions on games please browse http://games.mattsarrel.com and for more general information on Matt, please see http://www.mattsarrel.com.

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