Madden has been lost lately. After experiencing a brutal opening a few weeks last year, it’s no surprise that the team is turning things up a notch this time around. The result is a Madden game focused on the basics rather than flashy new modes and mechanics. Funnily enough, thanks to this refined focus, Madden 23 actually captures the essence of the game, making for one of the more enjoyable (and more stable) footy games in recent memory.
EA Tiburon’s team made some small but significant changes to Madden’s gameplay this year, shifting much of the focus. You will now be presented with three different pass control schemes, called skill-based passes.
Each of the skill-based passing options has a different shape. One, called Placement + Accuracy, gives you visual feedback for specific pass control and ball placement control. The other, known as placement + power, puts a heavier focus on the power of your pass. These both offer different incentives to players, so you can choose the one that best suits your playing style. If you want some control over where your pass ends up, go for the former option, while those who want to dictate the strength of a pass will find the latter the better option for them.
Of course, you can also go back to basics and use neither. Much like the legacy and tactical defenses in the FIFA games, skill-based passing can be switched off for the classic style that Madden’s has used for many, many years. However, I think this change is fantastic as it gave me a lot of control over how I wanted my receivers to pass and where to place the ball to avoid possible interceptions.
In terms of interceptions, defenders in Madden 23 have seen a significant upgrade. My first few matches saw opposing defenders taking passes with ease and putting an end to any momentum I had gained. And this is where skill-based passing becomes important on the harder difficulty levels – you really need to spend some time practicing as the classic pass scheme causes passes to be torn apart quite often.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $69.90 WITH FREE SHIPPING.
Still, the overall gameplay in Madden 23 feels fun to play. And that’s something I haven’t been able to say for the past few years. Instead of loading the game with unnecessary features, it feels like the team just looked at the basics and made subtle improvements. Whether it’s the new skill-based passing system or the way animations now feel heavier and interact more smoothly, there’s just something about the way Madden 23 plays that recent entries have been lacking.
Madden’s Face of the Franchise mode, however, continues to find itself in an identity crisis. The mode, in which you join a club of your choice with a one-year contract in an attempt to become one of the greats, has quite a few visual bugs and hair-raising moments. It still has a long way to go before it can reach the heights of other sports sims using this kind of mode.
Face of the Franchise gives you a handful of positions to choose from, although Quarterback is still the most fun to play – giving your player more time on the ball and delivering those spectacular moments in the game. That said, the mode squirms more than it moves at a pleasant pace, and as such it becomes more of a boredom than anything else.
Enter franchise mode, by far my favorite mode in Madden. Franchise mode continues to provide the most entertainment for new and experienced Madden players, with a range of options to customize and adapt to your experience of the game. Do you just want to play matches every week and not stress about transfers and training? You are free to do that. If you want to dig deep into the simulation, you’re also free to tell Madden to take off the training wheels and leave yourself to your own devices.
It’s a pretty deep mode that really encapsulates Madden’s drama. There are also a host of new smaller additions for those looking for a deeper and more meaningful experience in Franchise, such as player motivation that dictates a player’s willingness to join your squad and drafting class changes.
Madden Ultimate Team remains one of the weaker pieces of the puzzle, although it has also been given a refined focus in this year’s entry. Better set management and the introduction of a field pass, basically a battle pass for MUT, certainly make it a more enjoyable experience. That said, it’s still the same old, same old for Ultimate Team, as it’s still filled with predatory microtransactions and unnecessary grinding.
Before jumping into the above modes, you’ll also be treated to the Madden Legacy Game. And it’s a great way to honor one of the absolute top performers in the industry. Madden 23 is a celebration of the late great John Madden, and the legacy game pits teams made up of some of the players Madden most adored. It all comes together nicely and is presented in a really nice way, filled with interesting bits of commentary and video packages. Do not miss it.
That said, this year’s Madden game isn’t a revolution, but it does a lot of good in terms of much-needed gameplay improvements. The modes, while a little flimsy, provide plenty for NFL fans to join in and enjoy, though there’s certainly more room for improvement in future entries. I wish there was more to do here, but Madden 23 feels more like a course correction than anything. I can only hope we see even more improvement in subsequent submissions.
The Xbox Series X|S version of Madden NFL 23 was played primarily for this review.
Conclusion
Taking the flash away with a greater focus on the basics makes Madden NFL 23 feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s still a series with no identity, but this year’s entry is the course correction the series desperately needed.
Positives
Skills-based passing is a welcome addition
Focus on the core of the game makes for a more fun game
Defenders are a lot smarter this year
The Madden Legacy Game is a really nice touch
negatives
No real identity as a series
Pretty weak when it comes to modes
Face of the Franchise isn’t so much fun
Ultimate Team is, as always, predatory and incoherent
Still has a lot of the glitches
0 Comments