Rumor has it that John Madden refused to approve EA Sports’ original soccer simulation until he had 22 players on the field. The rest, of course, is history. Since then, the Madden NFL franchise has strived for realism. That ambition comes in the form of several buzzwords of the year, such as his clearly marketing-driven FIELDSense and Accurate Pass, but is there a difference?
Yes, that’s right. There is no doubt that the ground game will take Jonathan his Taylor-sized step. Being able to hit holes with more accuracy means navigating between blockers with agility is more satisfying than ever, and as you sprint toward the end zone, the running back’s cleats I love how the thunder of the echoes off the DualSense.
The exact paths introduced as soon as you start the game also make sense. Ball placement isn’t just a commentator’s catchphrase, it’s a real phenomenon in the NFL. The best quarterbacks don’t just find receivers, they put the ball in a position that only teammates can catch. This, of course, reduces the chances of the ball being hit. Worse, it also reduces the chance of an INT occurring.
Unfortunately, the visual representation of this feature can be a little cluttered. Effectively, you have to move the analog sticks to adjust the throw to match the QB’s animation, but the jumbled sprawl of on-screen meters and crosshairs can be overwhelming. Especially when you have a monster-sized pass rusher on the grill. Become.
However, the impact of FIELDSense is less significant. However, there are still times when the game transitions awkwardly between motions as it calculates results, resulting in some sequences feeling robotic. is it good? Yes, especially when the final hit can knock the ball out of the receiver’s hand, but there’s still room for improvement here.
The same is true of the Face of the franchise, despite making an Odell Beckham Jr.-like leap from last year’s disastrous attempt. EA Sports can cut a lot of the crap here and pick up the plot of a fifth-year free agent trying to get his career off the ground. You can “enjoy” the enviable responsibility of covering. We speak from experience when we say that everything is a fun game until one mistake and he gets sucked into Tyreek Hill.
Rather than racking your brain with lousy cutscenes, the gameplay loop focuses on the field. As well as overall goals, you can choose your weekly prep, including training drills and rest days for stat boosts. Most of the time, though, it’s just playing soccer to earn his XP, which you can use to increase your stats and become a better player. We found that some of our individual drive goals weren’t always achievable from our standpoint, but this is a minor gripe.
On its own, we enjoyed Face of the Franchise this year, but the ball doesn’t perform well when compared to established alternatives such as MLB The Show 22’s Road to the Show and NBA 2K22’s MyCareer. The same goes for franchises, which are definitely getting better. The addition of new free agency logic that takes player motivation into account definitely adds depth and variety to the team’s building aspects, but some of the peripheral features such as the coordinator still seem to be undercooked. I feel like
I’m not even sure about some of the changes to Madden Ultimate Team, to be honest. It claims to have cleaned up its progression and interface. But frankly, we were completely overwhelmed by this.It’s more unclear than ever what to do with the unused cards, and to start a New York Giants theme team has been a long time in the past few years. In our experience, it doesn’t help that the menu launches so slowly.
Of course, longtime fans will argue that the unclear interface and slow loading are the least of Madden Ultimate Team’s problems, and the emphasis on expensive microtransactions remains present. We argue that it’s easier to build a competent team without spending money here compared to the mode, Grind if you don’t mind playing against AI.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Madden NFL 23 is that, quite frankly, it’s just enough. Considering how much more is packed into this year’s NBA 2K23, including an industry-leading franchise mode and his huge MyCareer suite, plus Michael Jordan’s full-length campaign, EA Sports’ football sim feels inevitably lighter. Sure, street football’s yard mode is back, but it’s buried so deep in the menu that it gives the impression of less developer interest.
Also note that following the unexpected death of John Madden last year, we had the opportunity to do more to celebrate his legacy here. Full of nods and winks, it would have probably been nice to see an homage to that classic 16-bit style of gameplay acknowledged outside the opening cutscene. There are special matches you can play featuring players from , but much of the content honoring Madden is reserved for Madden Ultimate Team, which seems a little offensive.
Conclusion
Madden NFL 23 is the best grilled-grill game on the PS5 so far, but the series is on its toes rather than a big confident leap forward. There is no doubt that both the franchise and Face of the Franchise are better this year. I like the improved run game and the addition of accurate passing. But will this be enough for a series that has been accused of stagnation over the past decade? It feels like EA Sports is settling for easy 5-yard gains instead of deep balls down the field .