Madden 17's New Special Moves and Defensive Improvements Explained

Having already given the high-level overview of what areas of the game are being improved, EA has begun to offer more details about the elements of offense and defense it's focusing on in Madden 17.

EA today posted two lengthy blog posts, one devoted to each side of the ball. On offense, it discusses the new special moves ball carriers have at their disposal, which are dictated by the various special-move ratings (like jukes and spins), as well as the player's weight in some cases. Different animations have been created that span everything from "Elite" down to "Lumbering."

Elite moves are those used by players with ratings in the 90s, while lesser versions will be available to those in the 70s and 80s. These "aren't quite as explosive as the Elite moves, but can be effective nonetheless when timed correctly. These moves are a bit less efficient and highlight-worthy than the Elite moves." Lumbering moves aren't those for the heavier running backs, but rather heavy players (in the 300-plus range) with low ball-carrier ratings.

All of these moves are affected by a player's stamina; sprint for too long and tire a guy out, and he'll be forced to use moves one tier below what he otherwise would.

Madden 17 also features a new fakeout system with multi-player animations. EA says there are almost 1,000 of these dynamic animations that take into account how many players are involved and where they're located relative to each other. Faking out players requires good timing on the player's part, but is also influenced by positioning--hurdling is most effective when the defender is right in front of the runner, for instance.

Providing players even more control when they're running with the ball are new ball-carrier mechanics. Special moves are divided into different groups and can be modified by pulling different combinations of the trigger buttons.

Should all of the new options prove to be overwhelming, new difficulty settings are available that will assist players. They do this either by taking complete control of special moves, or by simply offering on-screen feedback that should help in the decision-making process. There's also the standard manual mode that leaves complete control in the hands of players.

On defense, we've already heard that zone coverage and gap assignments are being improved. A new option can be enabled so that your defense is automatically flipped when the offense flips, ensuring your players are lined up correctly against what's on the field.

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Whether or not you choose to use that, players each are now responsible for a specific gap. After a play begins, players aren't permanently locked to that assignment, and can dynamically adjust to what's happening in front of them. They'll do this more or less effectively depending on their play recognition rating. Players can also have two-gap assignments for the first time in a Madden game, allowing them to be responsible for two gaps next to one another.

You can read more about the enhancements to offense and defense here and here.

Madden 17, which much to my chagrin features New England tight end Rob Gronkowski on the cover, launches on August 23 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, and PS3. However, the changes and improvements EA has discussed to date, including everything above, have only been confirmed for the current-gen versions of the game.