To be fair to the developers ofMadden NFL 23, this game has actually addressed many of the fan complaints that have gone on for a decade or more. They needed to simplify and tighten some things up and, after many years of reproducing the same game with a fresh coat of paint, there is some actual work done this year.
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However, many of the old problems that would take effort to fix are still around and not all of these fixes have been as positively received as EA would have hoped. They deserve credit for what went right inMadden NFL 23, but there is still a list of things that need attention for future installments.
10Variance Of Commentator Audio
It must be said that Charles Davis and Brandon Gaudin are fine. They should not be blamed for a lack of variety in the commentary. But it must be pointed out that after one sixty-minute game of football, players have essentially heard everything the two can say.
There needs to be more “oof” and “whoa” moments during plays instead of endless analysis. And how about more recognition for breaking records instead of a stock one-liner? Ironically, John Madden himself was famous for these “boom” moments that are just not present enough inMadden NFL 23.
9More Player Customization
There are virtually limitless customization options for gear, but how about for the player? This time around, even body height and weight are fixed based on the position and style played. The limited number of faces and shapes are also pretty brutal.
This is a downgrade in terms of player customization in an area that was already heavy with demands to improve. While other games allow face scanning, Madden is stuck in an era where gamers are stuck craftingthe best quarterback everwith an NPC-looking cartoon face.
This doesn’t just go for models. The ability trees and skill upgrades have minimal choices as well. These are gamers, they’re going to be excited, not scared, by a full-fledged talent tree and attributes. Let them have it.
8Polish Up Coaches, Staff, And Fans
Whilesome changes were loved and others were hated, the areas that have been untouched continue to be on a drastic backslide. With new technology and console generations, one might think the referees and coaches would get some real features.
The generic fans of limited colors and palettes are getting badly monotonous. Yes, most sports games have to tune down the fans to save memory, but this is a bit too dialed back.
7Add An Inspiring Story
There is technically a story in Madden NFL 23, though it has essentially been scrubbed from the game. By listening to announcer clues and a few brief cutscenes, the player who is a running back was a backup who saw no playing time for the Titans since they have one ofthe best running backs in football.
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The other positions are in the same situation. No college story, no inspiring draft day lick, nothing. If there is a story here, commit to it, otherwise cut out the dialogue entirely. It’s not hard to make a heartfelt non-cringy football story, there are whole film series dedicated to that exact subject.
6Simplify Currencies
Good luck to all thebeginners out there learning about the game for the first timeand trying to understand what each currency does. There are too many. Some only work in some modes. And none of them are explained very well.
This is something that microtransaction games (this will be discussed later) do to confuse their player base. Gamers want to play for fun, if they need a notebook to keep track of the game’s economics, then something has gone wildly wrong.
5Less Watching, More Playing
During a game, players will often be stuck watching a replay until they can finally press a button to skip to the next play. After hearing to same celebration a hundred times, it’s not interesting anymore. Yes, the highlights can be cool, but let the gamers decide if they want to watch it or not.
Especially after taking over on offense or defense, this can get tedious. Gamers that craftthe ultimate wide receiverdon’t want to sit around and listen to the same analysis about offensive philosophy twelve times per game.
4Snappier Time Between Games
In between the games is another area of lag. These moments in Franchise and Face of the Franchise mode are appreciated since players will want to upgrade and glance over some league news. However, the loading times can get preposterous.
Why it takes as long to load into the upgrade player screen as it does to load into an entire game is a mystery. There is some optimization to do here so players can invest and get back into the game.
3Accurate Face Models
The body models got some much-needed love this year (though there are still some redundancies), but the face models are as poor as ever. As gaming advances, athletes are becoming immediately recognizable by their faces in other franchises, even on cartoon-style phone games.
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When players get into the Hall of Fame, they get a bust of just their head. This cannot remain the worst quality part of the player inMadden. Nobody wants to see one ofthe best linebackers everand have no clue who they are due to a lack of attention to detail.
2Less Reliance On Locked In Animations
There are more animations and they are well-received. Better still, both sides of the ball now have activities they can perform within a tackle that enhance the interactivity. But all this goes to highlight an issue that still plagues the game; there is an overreliance on animations.
Would implementing a physics engine be hard? Sure. But this game is a cash cow and has exclusivity rights. Asking it to do what other lesser-budget games do is not a big ask.
1Fair Monetization
Get real with the money,Madden NFL 23. Upgraded versions of the game are no longer part of the EA Play Pro membership like they have been in the past. And the monetization has seeped from Madden Ultimate Team and gone over into The Yard despite players not liking this change last year.
Come on, single packs that cost $100? Stacks of premium currency for $150? There are free games that don’t have the guts to demand that kind of money and this is a paid game. To get a player that is the best right now is a thousand-dollar-plus venture, and even they will be absolute at the competitive stage in a month.
Madden NFL 23is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
