My annual Madden playthrough has seemingly become an exercise in righting the wrongs of the previous season. Namely, the second half of the Philadelphia...
Whilst at first, the additions to Madden NFL 23 would appear to be more subtle over previous versions, they all add up to make one of the better instalments of recent years.
Almost every change in Madden NFL 22 this year is of a positive nature, and it is easily one of the best entries in recent years. Franchise mode is in great shape, and set to get better as the year progresses, and it almost feels like EA Sports are reminding themselves that not everyone wants to just play Ultimate Team. Some modes such as The Yard and Superstar KO still feel tacked on but at least offer a bite-size gameplay experience if time is limited.
Whilst improvements have been made to overall presentation and data analytics in Madden NFL 21 NXT LVL Edition on Xbox Series X|S, this remains largely the same disappointing entry. It is severely hampered by shallow game modes such as The Yard, Superstar KO, Class Franchise and Face of the Franchise. In the months since the initial release these could have been fleshed out, but the only major update comes in the form of Next Gen Stats.
There is a lot of football to be had in Madden NFL 21 on the Xbox One, and when you are on the field, the football is good. EA have created a game that if you have 15 minutes or a couple of hours, they want you tossing their digital pigskin. From modes like The Yard and MUT that offer quicker challenges to a full simulation in either Franchise mode, you will be spoilt for choice. Sadly though, they’re not all good choices. MUT is the big money earner, so receives the most TLC, but this comes at a cost to all other modes. Face of the Franchise runs along a very by-the-numbers storyline, and even Superstar KO and The Yard feel quite shallow at launch.
Another year, another Madden, and the premier football game is back. EA promises that Madden NFL 20 will be the best, most-authentic football experience yet. But they say that every year, don’t they? In the past, many have accused this series of just being an expensive, yearly roster update. Is that the case here, or has EA developed something that significantly improves on its predecessors?
A mainstay in the sports video game genre, Madden NFL has been one of the most popular sports game franchises for decades. Along with its popularity, the series has also received its share of criticism over the years for not providing a significantly improved experience for players year over year. With Madden NFL 19, developers at EA Tiburon promised a game that would play and feel differently from its recent predecessors. Have Electronic Arts delivered on this promise? In many ways the answer is yes, and Madden 19, while not perfect by any means, provides an enjoyable football experience that both casual and competitive players can have a lot of fun with.
What better way to celebrate your team’s triumphs and anguishes of the latest NFL season than by jumping right into EA’s latest instalment of the Madden series? Whether it is screaming for non-existent pass interference calls, celebrating as your star wide receiver makes a crucial play down the field, or hiding your face as the opposition quarterbacks begin to haunt your team's defence, one thing is for certain, Madden is back, and it is as impressive as ever.
EA Sports College Football 25 offers a variation of American Football that may be more appealing to those who take issue with the stop/start nature of the game itself.
