The last few years have been a disaster for Madden games. Last year I kept wanting to throw the controller out the window because Madden NFL 22 was so frustrating. I had a lot of issues and EA Sports didn’t seem to care at all. Because of this, I was concerned that this year’s edition, Madden NFL 23, a tribute to the recently deceased John Madden, would be just as bad as the last one. Thankfully, this is the best part of the series in years. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s far from the bugs we’ve encountered lately.
At 100 yards (plus end zones) the greatest differences are found. Gone are the days when opponents could intercept without even looking at the ball. Something that bothered me a lot last year was that opponents could raise their arms without knowing if the ball was going to them and end up catching it. In the time I’ve been playing I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve only once seen one player’s hand go through another to catch the ball, which happened a lot last year. It’s things like this that make gaming more fun when the frustration wears off. It’s true that there are still some rough animations as the ball bounces between three players who don’t catch it and treat it like a hot potato. Fortunately, the receivers don’t have butter hands anymore and most of the time the ball slips away from them because they are under pressure from the opponent. Sometimes they fell all alone, but that also happens in reality.
It seems that this year EA Sports has decided to focus more on the perhaps not-so-appealing part of the simulation, rather than the arcade style, which is a good choice after the past few years. Player animations are done better and defenders look smarter than before. One of the most visible improvements on the field is quarterback passing. An accuracy gauge is now shown and you will get feedback after each throw as to whether or not it was calculated well. The feeling is much better than before. That’s what this year is all about, the sensations are different, although the game doesn’t look like it. The graphics, which are still good, are basically the same with a few additions here and there. For example, the colors are better. As I mentioned before, defenders are smarter and finding the perfect pass is a challenge. Stay on the ball a second too long and your quarterback will be summarily tripped. The only thing I have to complain about in terms of the games is that some animations repeat themselves between games, the viewer clips aren’t that refined, and the commentators repeat things a lot.
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In terms of game modes, there aren’t many changes. There is exactly what you can expect. Ultimate Team is still the highlight and EA Sports removes everything that can put you off this mode. Unfortunately, the Madden series is light years behind FIFA, NBA 2K and MLB The Show when it comes to this game mode. It doesn’t have the same quality, although they’ve tried adjusting things to try to please all types of players. There are online modes to compete with others, but also Challenges (which you can use to unlock new players) and the FIFA equivalent of Squad Battles, where you can face off against other computer-controlled teams. After each game, you’ll earn points based on the difficulty, your scores, and your performance on the pitch to climb the weekly leaderboard. The biggest difference this year is the new season system. Instead of earning points and going from level 1 to 100 throughout the year, there are several shorter seasons. There’s still the usual progression from level 1 to 100, where points are earned through milestones and the like, but now we’re also approaching a competitive season where points are earned through online matches. Finally, there are the seasons with specific programs. From time to time new programs appear with new map packs. The first is called Headliners (Stars) and will run for two months. A new one may appear in the meantime or after this time has elapsed. In each of the three seasons you will receive rewards for each new level. This can be coins, packs of cards or players.
Franchise mode is back, just like last year. Because like almost all sports games, this is the game mode that gets the least attention. There’s a new talent scouting system and that’s about it. I would say every other major sports game has a better franchise mode than Madden. As for the Face of the Franchise campaign mode, EA decided to go for something a little more humble. Say goodbye to the long story with lots of cinematics. The usual narrative of a young talent wanting to make it to the top has been replaced with following in the footsteps of a player (quarterback, running back, wide receiver or defenseman) hoping to get another chance in the NFL. We can directly choose which team we want to play for, but some are better for our type of player than others. There are some brief cinematic sequences, but for the most part it’s all about a week-to-week dynamic of training, maybe talking to someone in the organization and playing the games. Whether this is an upgrade or not depends on what you want from the mode. If you want a long experience like a big movie, that’s a long step backwards. If you prefer to focus on gaming with occasional breaks, this is what you’re looking for.
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Do you remember The Yard? Not many do. It was a game mode meant to be street soccer, like Volta but with American Football. At first I thought the mode was gone since it wasn’t in the menu. But now it’s hidden in campaign mode. Another sign of a change in tone for this year’s edition.
EA has a good foundation on which to build its future installments. They were absolutely successful in putting more of the simulation experience in the way John Madden himself believed the game should be. And in a game that’s focused on paying homage to Madden, graphics and everything else beyond that, it’s nice to see that the series seems to be heading in the right direction. The problem is that a game like this only comes out every few years. Something to build on that you never build on in the end. Still, this is the best game in the series we’ve had in many, many years, and the on-pitch experience feels a lot better. Most game modes still lag a bit behind other sports titles, but overall this is a big step in the right direction. A first down so to speak. Hopefully they can get a touchdown next year.
