Madden 16 has been given the bundle treatment already, with Microsoft announcing a deal which includes the new 1TB model of the Xbox One and a year’s free subscription to EA Access - yours for $399.99.
If you’re a football fan waiting for the time to pull the trigger on upgrading to next-gen, Microsoft has you covered. The latest edition of the long-running Madden series will be available to purchase with a 1TB Xbox One from August 18th. Madden 16 is released on the 25th of August - so if you take advantage of this deal you’ll be getting a head-start on the competition, allowing you to be among the first to get to grips with the “new and improved controls”.
As ever with most EA Sports titles, many subtle improvements have been made to Madden 16 compared to it’s predecessors. Improvements to the CPU Quarterback AI have been made, with EA developing a completely new AI architecture called “Behavior Coordinator” which will make different Quarterbacks react differently to situations in game depending on the traits they have.
A new multiplayer catch system which has been in development for “more than two years” will also make it’s debut in Madden 16. This system allows “receivers and defenders to go up for a catch simultaneously and battle for the ball in the air while using ratings, mechanics and positioning to deliver the appropriate outcome”. A new handoff system, improvements to passing and catching mechanics, new playbooks and shot plays are also among the many improvements confirmed for Madden 16.
Long standing popular game modes such as Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise return for Madden 16 are joined by the new “Draft Champions” mode. Draft Champions incorporates a Fantasy Football element to Madden 16, where you can take your drafted team into competition versus the CPU or other players online. At the moment you only need to win 4 online games in a row to claim a championship, which seems to indicate a testing of the water from EA. If Draft Champions receives good feedback, you can probably expect improvements to be made during either the course of Madden 16, or future versions of the series.
On top of a brand new Xbox with a whopping 1TB of hard drive and the new Madden 16 game, the 1 year of EA Access subscription gives you a wealth of games for free while your subscription lasts. Games like Titanfall, Battlefield 4, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and Peggle 2 can all be downloaded and played for free. You can also check out Madden 15 for free, along with other EA Sports games like FIFA 14, FIFA 15, NHL 15, NBA Live 15 and EA Sports UFC.
Also, if you’ve enjoyed the Ultimate Team game mode in Madden before, being an EA Access member entitles you to a 10% discount on Ultimate Team points. Trials of selected new EA games are also sometimes available usually a week or so before general release, giving you a 10 hour window to experience the full game before you decide if you want to purchase it.
The Xbox One Madden 16 bundle will be available to purchase on August 18th. Madden 16 is released August 25th on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
