Honorable Mention: Madden NFL 17
It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Starting with a few runner ups, let’s look back at the best sports and racing games from this year and our 2016 winner!
Last year’s Madden NFL 16 was the final year of a rebuilding process. A year where fans could finally start to see the picture coming together and a bright future ahead. Madden NFL 17 finally delivered on that promise, and while it still has a ways to go before it’s a contender to some of the other games we’re honoring, the franchise is in a lot better shape.
Madden’s Ultimate Team is still one of the best “fantasy” modes out there, and M17 added more depth than the mode has ever seen. Competitions, unique seasonal cards, and a hefty amount of situational challenges give players more things to do with their team beyond just squaring up in exhibitions. Franchise is also in great shape. It wasn’t as buggy at the start as M16 was, and the Play the Moments is an excellent addition which allows you to put a dent in your season without feeling the need to sim a large portion of it.
And finally, on the gameplay front, Madden NFL 17 added some welcome changes to both RBs and defensive play calling. There’s still some work to do, but calling Madden nothing but a roster update is just untrue as of the last few years, including this one.