Madden NFL 23 Review – A Step in the Right Direction

Hi everyone. Welcome to John Madden Football. Madden NFL 23 marks a monumental but mournful occasion. At the end of 2021, Legendary NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden passed away. Over the last thirty years, John Madden’s name has become synonymous with football and the NFL. In fact, Madden NFL used to be called John Madden Football before EA acquired the rights to use NFL teams and players. Madden NFL 23 memorializes the legacy of John Madden. So would John Madden be content with what EA has done with the latest Madden title or say, boom goes the dynamite?

Game Name: Madden NFL 23
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Publisher(s): Electronic Arts (EA Sports)
Developer(s): EA Tiburon
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Price: $59.99 (PS4/Xbox One) $69.99 (PS5/Xbox Series X|S) (Standard) or $99.99 (All Madden Edition)

Madden NFL 23 is the latest edition of the Madden franchise with a special focus on the career of John Madden. The loading screen showcases moments throughout the Madden Dynasty. The game introductory match features fantasy drafted game rosters starring some of Madden’s favorite players. Players receive a history lesson on John Madden’s life during this fantasy game.

New Features

Madden NFL 23 features a variety of new features to improve the overall gameplay experience. A momentum system impacts the game where the team currently winning gains an advantage. This system can affect an opposing player’s likelihood to turn the ball, see play calls, and even their field vision. The momentum system can be nauseating and disorienting. Overall, this system adds an unfair advantage beyond moral defeat.

Character movements are no longer predetermined animations. The latest iteration features a new skill-based passing system, allowing players to be more precise with their throws. Players can choose to use the precise system or go the classic route. If you feel like taking the time to be more precise than good on you, otherwise, spend time learning a more important skill.

Outside of the QB passing system, players have more control of each NFL player. Players’ tackles in groups will look different based on how many tacklers are in the pile and the angle of the tackle. The game introduces a Stand-Up mechanic for players to avoid being tackled or to gain a few extra yards once hit. Wide Receivers (WR) and Defensive Backs (DB) can control side steps, jukes, and even how they want to play the ball. Defensemen can use the right stick to get around blockers or deal out devastating hits to make an impact. If you enjoy playing defense changes, make the gameplay more realistic. 

Finally, the game features new camera angles to make each position played feel unique. While playing Face of the Franchise, players will get to feel what it is like to step into each role. While playing solo, they can flip the camera on defense to have a more direct look at the quarterback/.  The player can choose to lock onto a certain NFL player and control their actions, whether it’s blocking, running, tackling, or passing. 

Now let’s dive into Madden NFL23’s game modes.

Game Modes

Madden NFL 23 features five core game menus: Franchise, Face of the Franchise, Ultimate Team, Play with Friends and Play Now. Play Now’s menu contains online Head to Head, a Pro Bowl game mode, Madden Legacy Game, and Play Now; Play Now consists of speculative games, weekly matchups, fantasy matches, and a custom game mode. The face of the Franchise contains The League, The Yard, and the Customization tab. Ultimate Team is comprised of Challenges, Head 2 Head, MUT Draft, Solo Battles, and Play a friend. Franchise focuses on League play. Finally, Play with Friends contains The Yard yet again, Online Head to Head, and Superstar KO.

The game’s menus have a bit of redundancy but make getting to certain game modes easier depending on what you last played. The first menu on the left is whatever game mode you played last. Finding the right game mode can be difficult, especially if you have multiple people playing on your account.

Ultimate Team

In Ultimate team players, open computer-generated packs to create their team. Players can earn points to purchase packs; packs and specific player cards can also be earned by completing challenges. A player can choose to purchase points with real-life money, but it does not guarantee them the NFL player of their choice. Instead, players can choose to head over to the auction house to bid on their favorite NFL superstars. Players can choose to trade cards with others. In a way, the Ultimate team system is as bad as NFTs.

Face of the Franchise

The Face of the Franchise has the play design a character. After designing their character, players must choose between Agile, Balanced, and Bruiser. Once the player has selected their character model, they will then have to choose between five positions: Quarterback, Wide receiver, Halfback, Linebacker, and Cornerback.  Following this, players are offered a one-year provisional contract, with 1 of the 32 teams graded based on need and fit.

A Player’s performance in training camps and the actual game determines how much experience the player earns. During each game, the player’s created character will have drive, weekly, seasonal, and career goals; the game will make players choose their drive challenge, showing how many points they will earn if successful.

Players can then spend their experience points leveling their character’s skills affecting its overall level and abilities. Additionally, once you have created a character, you can only change it in the customization section. Despite changing roles, your character’s design remains constant though the build can be changed. 

During our play-through of the Face of the Franchise, we experienced multiple gameplay bugs. The on-field camera being locked overhead at a mispositioned angle makes plays next to impossible to run. The play menu would also disappear on certain drives, causing a delay of game penalties or a random play to be chosen. The home menu also disappeared for us on Week 10, making it hard to select options. 

 

Franchise Mode

In Franchise, the player can create a league, either online or offline; the league owner can then choose to use either real-life NFL rosters, import active rosters, or draft a fantasy team. A franchise league allows fantasy football players to play with their draft picks. A player can invite up to 31 other players to join their league.  Once players have joined a league, the league owner can choose the starting point of the season either as a fantasy draft, preseason, or regular season; starting at the regular season will negate any preseason injuries.

Once the league starting point is determined, the player determines their role. The game features two primary roles, player or owner. Choosing the Player role has you choose between selecting an NFL player or a created character. By choosing a created character, you will start as a rookie, select a position, a play type, and your backstory.  If a player chooses the player role, they will step into the shoes of the NFL star and play through their career. This choice will make the player decide on contracts, training, and more. The player can simulate the season to specific points in the season but not a specific week. The only way to jump to a select match-up is to simulate weekly. 

By selecting the owner role, the player chooses between Former Player, Lifelong Fan, or Financial Mogul; alternatively, players can choose to use a custom coach. No matter which option the player chooses, each role has its own unique pros and cons. Finally, the league owner can optimize the League settings to their desired preferences. Fantasy League is a great way for people to experience fantasy football beyond the numerical value and computer screen. There is something more rewarding about getting to play with the characters you drafted than a digital lineup.

Madden NFL 23 Accessibility

Madden NFL 23 offers a wide variety of accessibility options for new or seasoned players. Players can adjust the game’s skill difficulty, game style, and rules. With Skill level, players can choose from Rookie to All-Madden.In addition to skill level difficulty, the game’s play style can also be adjusted. The three play styles range between wanting to experience spectacular plays, playing the game based on NFL rules, or playing competitive or challenging matchups. 

Players can also adjust the skill level of the player and the computer. They can also determine how frequently penalties are called or if they are called. The game also features accessibility options for the visually or hearing impaired. Players can adjust the settings to turn on a menu narrator, add subtitles, adjust for color blindness, reduce strobing effects, and enlarge on-field graphics.

Positive Takeaways

After playing a good amount of Madden NFL 23 on the simulation game style and standard settings, the gameplay changes became more ingrained, becoming almost second nature. The overall gameplay experience could still be improved, but the game’s accessibility options make it so that any player can fine-tune the settings to meet their desired expectations. With a wide variety of game modes, most football fans can find something that they will enjoy.

Do you want to run your own franchise and push a specific player? Just do it. Whether you are a new player or a returning veteran, this game offers a variety of game modes for any player to jump into. Because of the variety of game modes, this game can easily be one you play for an hour to the only game you play. The improved physics engine made the game feel more realistic in most instances but not all; you could easily tackle a player in a certain way and get a different animation each time.

Negative Gameplay Takeaways

After taking a break from the Madden franchise, Madden NFL 23 feels like a completely different game. Most of the core gameplay mechanics have changed in one way or another. With the game’s new features, there is a lot to learn, especially for newer players. Even returning players who have missed a release or two will face an uphill battle while discovering everything that has changed. The game’s updated collision system and physics engine provide a more realistic feel to the game.

Despite improvements to the game’s overall mechanics, Madden NFL 23 still has a lot of flaws. The ball’s collision system still is unpredictable. On numerous occasions, the ball would pass through a player’s hands or arms and still manage to be caught; this is ultimately due to the player’s hitbox indicating that the ball has reached the player.  Quarterback feels like the worst position to play, whether playing with classic controls or the new precision system. In fact, these new features and updates make the game less accessible to casual, out-of-date, and new players. Madden enthusiasts who purchase the game annually will have an easier time adjusting to the game’s new features.

In order to test this out, I brought in two additional gamers to play Madden NFL 23. One player had been a diehard Madden fan until 2013, and the other had never played a single game of Madden in their life. The retired Madden veteran found that the changes made since they last played overly complicated the game, making it less fun and more infuriating. The new player became obsessed with playing “Sports Ball” and having the tiny men run at each other at full speed. Their biggest concern was how many button combinations they had to learn in order to play the game. When we switched the game to arcade mode, they were both able to enjoy themselves a bit more.

As a former competitive Madden player, the game felt foreign to me and took a reasonable amount of time to adjust. Passing felt awkward, especially in Face of the Franchise, while every other role felt smooth and crisp. Learning the mechanics and reading the opponent’s plays takes time, especially for those unfamiliar with the sport. For some, it’s time that most casual players or those with strict time schedules do not have.

Madden NFL 23 does feature a streamer mode, making it easier for content creators to get flagged for copyright violations. Madden Ultimate Team still feels like a predatory system rather than a gameplay enhancer. Ultimately, Madden Ultimate Team is a Gacha game mode.

Final Thoughts

After our time with Madden NFL 23, we feel split on our overall Madden experience. On one hand, the game’s physics engine has significantly improved since the last time we played. On the other hand, the series still features various bugs that can frustrate players. Balls passing through the receiver’s or DBs hands and connecting to a different player despite passing through the original NFL player. This was easily noticeable while playing and verified through the game’s instant replay system.

The game does not feature an immediate tutorial for new players beyond the passing system changes and throws players into the deep end with the John Madden Legacy game. Once the game is completed or exited, there is an option called to learn to play Madden. This area gives players drills to learn how to play the game. Sadly, these drills are not adequate and, at times, can be frustrating. Beyond that, some game features are less accessible for casual players unless adjusting the settings.

For non-seasonal players, Madden NFL 23 can be overwhelming with new features to comprehend. While comparing it to previous Maddens, it feels like taking one step forward and then one step back. The game features a variety of game modes for any player to enjoy, but a specific skill level is required for each.

The game lacks a streamer mode, risking streamers with copyright strikes. The game’s soundtrack is lacking in the variety of genres it offers. If you are a die-hard fan of Madden, enjoy the roster update and new features. If you are considering trying to get into Madden, buy the game on sale, borrow it from a friend, or play the demo.

The casual player’s entry skill level is higher than most recreational games. This makes it less appealing to new and casual players. Even on the PS5, the latest Madden still had gameplay and graphical issues. On numerous occasions, we experienced issues with the camera system making drives almost unplayable. Additionally, we experienced a variety of graphical issues between gameplay performance and even character interactions. The controller layout is a lot to learn for new players and still feels like overkill for returning players.

Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of Madden NFL 23 was provided to us by EA for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.

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