Madden 17 shows how vital a fresh coat of paint can be

Listen, we get it. We've said before that Madden 17 was going to be more than a roster update, but we know that, by and large, the gameplay elements of sports games stay the same, down to the yearly controversies surrounding player ratings. Sure, it's by design — a Madden game has to abide by the rules of football, after all — but the fact remains that some gamers will always want something new: new gameplay experiences, new hooks, new ways of interacting with the games they love.

Madden 17 offers none of that, and it's better for it.

What the game offers instead is a whole bunch of incremental changes that may not seem like a lot on their own but, grouped together, bring the game much closer to feeling like a true NFL simulation.

That said, the game has made a few larger changes, mostly on the offensive side of the ball and special teams. Ball carriers now have more tools when one-on-one (or two) with a defender. You can see your defender's angle of approach as well as your trajectory, and on easier difficulties, the game will even suggest a specific move the ball carrier should perform in order to shake defenders. New ball carrier animations also really help players feel distinct from one another. Todd Gurley feels like Todd Gurley, breaking tackles, pinballing off defenders and breaking away.

On special teams, kick and punt blocking is now completely user-controlled, which is a nice change, even if it is massively overdue. The designers also overhauled the kicking meter, and anyone familiar with any sort of golf game will instantly recognize the new system. It makes kicking a lot more exciting, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Defense-minded players will be happy to see that Madden has finally (FINALLY) added gap assignments, and they seem to work decently so far. Unfortunately, line play on the offensive side of the ball is still kind of a mess, although there are some steps in the right direction with line players actively working to open up running lanes.

The other big gameplay change is the addition of ball physics. This means that unlike previous games, the ball won't just clip through defenders and trigger a catch animation. The ball is live for the duration of the play and gets tipped and fumbled a lot more often. Madden 17 is the first video game that seems to truly capture some of the beautiful chaos of the game of football.

Fumbles bounce around unpredictably. Tipped balls get tipped again and intercepted. Blocked kicks get recovered by the kicking team, and a player is given the chance to run for a miracle first down. It's such a small change, but it affects everything.

Another small change that has deep implications for the future of the game is the brand-new announcing team. It's just... so much better than Phil Simms and Jim Nantz ever were. The reactions are more genuine, the chemistry doesn't seem forced and the promise that commentary will be updated every week based on real-life NFL events is a tantalizing one.

Yes, before you ask, Madden Ultimate Team is still in the game, and yes, I know you don't play it, and yes, I know you don't care. However, EA Sports sure does, and it'll push the microtransaction-laden game mode on you a few times when you start the game. It's easy enough to ignore, but it's odd that EA Sports seems unaware that most of the hard-core Madden fans don't even touch the mode, focusing more on the franchise mode.

Speaking of which, there are some tweaks to franchise mode as well, but most of them are built to make the mode more user-friendly. There's a half-simulation mode that works kind of like RedZone channel, which lets you take control of your team only on key plays and drives, as well as computer-generated suggestions for practice modes, upgrades, and coaching decisions like trades based on your play, your opponent's play and what is going on around your league. It's a nice touch.

And that's the theme of Madden 17. A whole bunch of nice touches work together in tandem to create what is possibly the best video game simulation of football that we've ever seen. The skeleton hasn't changed, no, but the new paint on this game shines bright. If you've missed out on Madden for the past few years, Madden 17 gives you a whole bunch of reasons to part with your hard-earned cash. Just... next year, please fix line play. That's all I'm asking.