As for new features, some of them seem like novel ideas and others, well, we’ll just have to wait and see. The new “Rewind” feature is a bit different to say the least. A big focus this year is attempting to even the playing field between those who are great at the game and those who are but mere mortals—that’s what Rewind is all about.

Basically Rewind is a do-over. You can turn this feature off and it is not available in ranked online games, but this allows you to literally rewind the play like watching an instant replay and run the exact same play over again. So if you break a kickoff for a TD, your opponent could rewind the play, forcing you to do it over again. Stevenson says this is about making games even. “Instead of you spotting me 14 points, we could agree on giving me five Rewinds for the game. We want to even the playing field for those with varying skill levels.”

In addition to rewinding plays, the new Backtrack feature teaches you first hand how to play the game at a higher level of proficiency. If you throw an interception, for example, Backtrack will kick in and show you a replay – slowing down the action and even highlighting the player you should have thrown the ball to as well as showing you the defensive coverage and teaching you not to go deep against a Cover-2. “We want players to learn more about the X’s and O’s of football this year, ” said Stevenson.

All of this is tied back to the new Madden IQ score. This is another feature you can completely disable but this new rating is basically your Madden Aptitude rating. When you first fire up the game you are presented with a series of holographic tests and drills from running, throwing, tackling, playing pass defense, etc. When you’re done John Madden reveals your Madden IQ. This is further broken down by area: you might score highly in running but poorly in passing, or you might be rated highly in run defense but terrible at stopping the pass. Based on your IQ the game will tweak settings accordingly. It’s like your own custom set of gameplay sliders. Again, this is an optional feature and we’ll have to see how well it works after we get a deeper look into it.

Other new tidbits include new play by play from Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth—yes, the dreadful radio announcer has been retired. The player models are new so you no longer have obese looking offensive tackles; they look a lot better, no doubt about it. You now have the ability to “fast sub” players into the game with the press of a button.

Online features include the addition of online leagues. “Even though we know only 5% of players will ever use it, we added it this year,” said Stevenson. Up to 32 players can play online and you have a flex schedule ability that allows you to play any game on your schedule without waiting for slower players.