I am not a fan whatsoever with the direction this year’s Madden game is going.  It started when they put Calvin on the cover and destined him and the Lions to be jinxed, and it continued when they removed some of the fun/key features from Franchise mode.  That being said, they did a fantastic job with the commercials.  The game comes out August 28th, but I would recommend playing the demo or finding somewhere to rent it from before buying it.  Enjoy.