I haven't bought a Madden game since 2019, but this little yet powerful addition to franchise mode has me thinking I'm back
Allow me to quote Michael Scott from The Office: "No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again."EA Sports has done it. I haven't purchased a copy of an EA Sports Madden game since 2019, when Patrick Mahomes was on the cover for the first time. Ray Lewis adorns the first edition I own, […]
Allow me to quote Michael Scott from The Office: "No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again."
EA Sports has done it. I haven't purchased a copy of an EA Sports Madden game since 2019, when Patrick Mahomes was on the cover for the first time. Ray Lewis adorns the first edition I own, Madden 05. My collection of the franchise was perfect for those 16 years, never skipping a single edition.
But in 2019, I decided the game developer was ripping me off. Heck, I wasn't even playing the games and by that point, it had been a few years since my parents were no longer funding my video game purchases (I was 18). Enough was enough.
And here's the thing: I've spent enough time on the internet to know I'm not the only one with a similar story as a former player of the game. The franchise has long been criticized for the little changes it's made to its gameplay. For years, the growth of the game has been so unnoticeable between each edition that the biggest reason to get it is if you're too lazy to download custom, updated rosters. Everyone wants to play with their team's new players but not for $70.
And yet. . .
I think I am back for Madden 26 and it's because of a simple addition to franchise mode
These days, I play less and less video games, which makes the prospect of purchasing a Madden edition even less enticing. But I'll admit. I think EA Sports got me with the latest deep dive into the game's franchise mode.
Like many other diehard NFL fans, that's my favorite game mode. I couldn't care less about Ultimate Team or anything like that. To me, the attractive part of the game is to build a franchise and act as the general manager and coach of the team. A true do-it-all, Curly Lambeau style.
But it's felt like the experience has been the same for years. However, EA Sports announced the introduction of a feature that I am genuinely excited about: Playsheets.
"New playsheets are focused sets of plays you can bring with you on gameday to expand your base playbook," says the narrator of the latest trailer. "Playsheets enhance your strategy with situational firepower, and each one upgrades through four tiers, unlocking player boosts tied to those plays."
Oh, sign me up. The gameplay shows a screen where grades of your opponent are shown, meaning you can make an "educated" choice when choosing the playsheets, which seem to be focused by personnel on the defensive side of the ball (Nickel, Dime, 4-2-5), etc. The sheets are also upgraded or downgraded depending on if you perform well or not (i.e. if you fail to get multiple sacks in three games, your playsheet package is downgraded).
In-game, you can choose plays from the sheets just like you've always been able to filter them by formation, concept, play type, etc. Per the trailer, you can equip a "loadout" of four playsheets per game.
This might sound like something irrelevant to many others but I'm so in. The reason is simple. I've never enjoyed the competitive space of the game where you have to be a guru of the stick moves, juking and spinning all around the field to win an online match. What I love is feeling like the coach of my favorite team or whichever franchise I'm "rebuilding."
Playsheets will feed into that. Putting together a gameplan for every game, meaning my approach will be different every time? Sign me up.
Madden has a long way to go before fully earning my trust back. But I'll give it a chance this year just because of this. And I promise not to equip the Wildcat Playsheet every single week. Well, on second thought, I promise to try.
Madden 26 perfectly labels Lions head coach Dan Campbell in franchise mode
I don't know how everyone else likes to play sports games, but I personally like to take bad teams and develop them into better teams. Like on NBA 2K, I'll often strip a team down to the bare bones and completely rebuild it. I guess you can call me a development wizard. You can also […]
