Ready to run the The Gauntlet in Madden NFL 15?

By Michael Lee July 11, 2014

ready run gauntlet madden nfl 15 announcement — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read our full Madden NFL 15 review.

EA Sports’s latest trailer for Madden NFL 15 highlights the new Skills Trainer mode, The Gauntlet, showing off the arcade-inspired minigame that’s meant to test your skills in a variety of situations. The player is given 5 ‘lives’ with which to complete the challenges, and losing those ‘lives’ (by failing at a given task) results in a game over. In addition to the ‘lives’ mechanic, The Gauntlet also features ‘boss levels’ which require the player to complete a more outrageous play.

Challenges in The Gauntlet range from completing relatively normal plays, to kicking a 107-yard field goal in hurricane force winds. There are even challenges designed to teach players how real-life football plays, offensive and defensive, are designed and how they’re used.

The Skills Trainer mode, introduced in last year’s Madden 25, is designed to educate players on some of the finer points of football and has made use of the minigame style to great effect. The Gauntlet looks to challenge players, while retaining the arcade-y, minigame feel of the Skills Trainer mode. The official website describes The Gauntlet as the place to “test your new found skills through intense challenges and conditions.” The end of semester exam if you will, where you take everything you’ve learned in your lessons and put it all on the table.

EA Sports is always refining the Madden brand with smart, functional changes, as discussed in our hands-on E3 preview, and The Gauntlet is just one more small addition that could have a big impact on the series and how gamers play Madden.

Enter The Gauntlet below:

Madden NFL 15 will be released on August 26 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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This mid-air hit is an example of one of Madden NFL 23's new disruptive FieldSense animations.

Down, set ... hike! It's a yearly tradition for the biggest, best Madden title to drop in near the end of summer and this year is no exception. Madden NFL 23 has fans of both games and the physical sport joining together in shared excitement for this latest installment in the quintessential football simulation game. Madden NFL 23 will let you carve your own rise into the ranks of the best players of all time, go behind the scenes in the Franchise mode to scout players, facilitate trades, manage your staff, or even build an unstoppable dream team in Madden Ultimate Team.

Madden games have come a long way since the early entries on the early consoles. Madden NFL 23 is a full-on service game, with its own currency and progression to keep the game fresh and relevant all season long. While you could just grab the game after release, hardcore fans of the game who know they will be investing more than the initial asking price should check out what extras there are available for pre-ordering, as well as if the extra content included in the different editions speaks to you. Here's everything you need to know about how to pre-order Madden NFL 23.

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Madden NFL 23’s development was somber and self-aware

This mid-air hit is an example of one of Madden NFL 23's new disruptive FieldSense animations.

While EA's Madden football games often top sales charts every year, those sales haven't reflected quality. The critical consensus on the series has been on the decline in recent years, and Madden NFL 22 was riddled with bugs that hampered the experience. Thankfully, the developers are aware of Madden's flaws and trying to improve its signature gameplay with Madden NFL 23.
Madden 23 Official Reveal Trailer
Speaking to Digital Trends, Executive Producer of Gameplay Aaron McHardy painted a picture of a more somber and reflective development of Madden NFL 23 as EA Tiburon mourned rthe passing of series namesake John Madden and tried to make up for the franchise's past failures. While Digital Trends hasn't gone hands-on with the game yet, McHardy highlights that Madden NFL 23 will address many issues fans have thanks to a plethora of bug fixes and a new suite of features called FieldSENSE that touches every part of the experience.
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Before the team could make Madden NFL 23's gameplay better, they had to fix what was broken already. The past few Madden titles have all been riddled with bugs, and the situation got worse than ever with Madden NFL 22. The annual release schedule and pandemic had finally caught up to EA Tiburon's game quality. McHardy outlined the steps the developers are taking to ensure it (hopefully) doesn't happen again.
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