Madden NFL 25 drops tomorrow, Anniversary Edition still available

Console quarterbacks don’t have much longer to wait for the next version of EA’s popular football franchise, Madden NFL 25. The game arrives tomorrow in stores and, if you pre-ordered, will likely be on your doorstep by the time you get home. Unless you pre-ordered for the Xbox One or PlayStation 4: Madden NFL 25 for those consoles will come after the systems have been released.

Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers have been buying up the game like it’s the last one that’ll ever be made, especially the Anniversary Edition, which packs in a free year of DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket that can be streamed to computers, tablets and smartphones. That version costs $99.99, tacking on $40 to the price of the standard console version ($59.99). You can still order both from a number of different retailers, such as Amazon and Best Buy, but it’s worth noting that, until 12:01 AM on Tuesday, August 27, ordering the Anniversary Edition through Amazon is still technically a pre-order.

And there are pre-orders available, which means you still have some time to lock down that free year of NFL Sunday Ticket streaming.

As far as gameplay goes, the photo of Barry Sanders on the front cover is more than just a nod to 25 years of the Madden franchise and the many NFL legends its digitized. The game places a renewed emphasis on the running game and has focused many new features — including 30 new moves — around making it a bit stronger than in previous versions of Madden NFL.

The game also contains an updated Connected Franchise mode, which allows you to jump into the NFL world as a player, coach or owner and either play, coach or wheel and deal your way into NFL history. The Owner Mode is an addition that you’ll either love or hate, depending on how involved you want to be in the intricate details of a football club. Do you like setting ticket prices? If so, Owner Mode is for you. If you’d rather deal with the X’s and O’s, you’re better off playing as a player or a coach.

If you pick the game up tomorrow (or it comes to you), drop us a line and tell us what you think of it.