Madden NFL 17's release is imminent - or in the case of those with EA Access on Xbox One the season has already kicked off - and before getting to the big panel review roundtable podcast (that'll be next week) Bryan Wiedey, Owen Good, Rich Grisham, and T.J. Lauerman discuss early impressions and experiences with the game. Is this the year Madden finally returns to the upper-echelon of sports games?

On the show this episode:

Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre), Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News
Owen Good (@owengood), Polygon
Rich Grisham (@RichGrisham), Out of the Park Developments
T.J. Lauerman (@ThatSportsGamer), ThatSportsGamer

NBA 2K17 is now just 27 days away from release. Very little is known about the game, and that's a departure from the norm this close to a product coming out - particularly one with the massive popularity of NBA 2K.

Naturally fans are seeking out info, but not only are they failing to find it on social media, they're being treated with a level of contempt by official reps for 2K Sports simply because they want to know about the game they're planning to spend $60 or more on next month.

Bryan Wiedey, Rich Grisham, and Owen Good discuss the situation and long-running antagonistic relationship between 2K Sports and their followers on social media.

On this episode:

Bryan Wiedey, @Pastapadre

Rich Grisham @RichGrisham

Owen Good @OwenGood