Football season may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy some gridiron action. The long-running Madden series is now a tradition, with a new game for every new football season. Despite being basically the same year in and year out, Madden NFL 17 makes an attempt to expand the gameplay of the series. Does it make the play, or is it a major fumble?

First thing first: Let’s address the elephant in the room, or the 6-foot, 6-inch, 265-pound football player. For those who are unaware, there is an infamous streak of bad luck for players who have been featured on the cover of Madden games. It is so well known that it has its own name: The Madden Curse. Over the years, superstars who have been featured front and center on Madden have eventually fallen to some kind of major injury during the season. The list of names is long, and while, of course, injuries are expected in the football world, the frequency at which they have happened to these players in particular has led many to become superstitious and believe in the so-called “curse.”

This year on the cover of Madden is none other than the Patriots’ own Rob Gronkowski. By now, we all know how Gronk’s season came to a crashing halt, adding fuel to the curse speculation. But alas, we’re not here to play hocus pocus, we’re here at Game On to get our game on, so let’s dive in.

Madden NFL 17 is the most complex and realistic football game ever. You don’t have to be a total football buff and know all the Xs and Os to have fun. If you have a football mind, however, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. There are new additions included in the game setup make Madden NFL 17 more hands-on. To start, the mechanics of controlling the players’ moves are spot on. In Precision Mode, you are given the ability to hurdle over the head of defenders in a snap while putting together other dazzling moves, all with precision control. There is no need for button mashing; all the controls are laid out cleanly for you to master.

What Madden NFL 17 really hangs its helmet on is the newly introduced Franchise Mode. This is the be-all and end-all for football games, as it allows you the opportunity to be in charge of every nuance of your favorite football team for an entire playable season, from pre-season all the way up to the Super Bowl. There is a vast array of things you can do in Franchise Mode, including setting your season goal for your team by declaring how many wins you expect to get. The higher the number, the higher the risk and reward. (Saying you’ll make the playoffs increases the likelihood your coach will be fired if you don’t.) The detail that goes into the game plan is incredible. The fact that you can even create a game plan not only for another team as a whole but also for individual players on opposing teams is remarkable. Add to this the ability to trade and cut players, and you are truly in control of every moving part of your franchise.

There is so much in Madden NFL 17 to keep the most picky football fanatic pleased. Some of it may be intimidating for new players, but Madden NFL 17 makes sure to have easy tutorials that will have rookies playing like Super Bowl champs in no time.

For more, visit easports.com/madden-nfl/features/gameplay.

By Jason Savio