Launched on August 19, 2022, Madden NFL 23 is the new American football game from EA Sports, which promises a series of improvements in Artificial Intelligence in the player experience.
In addition, this is the first title in the franchise after the death of John Madden, former NFL coach and commentator, who gives his name to the Electronic Arts franchise. TechSmart tried the game and explains the details to you in this review.
O Madden NFL 23 does not innovate in game modes, compared to its predecessor. The story part continues on Face of the Franchise – the name of this game’s career mode – in which you play a player who evolves throughout the campaign.
But now, there’s not the same amount of cutscenes like last year. In other words, the narrative of talent aiming to reach the top has changed and is now much more focused on the chosen positions and the matches themselves. That’s because you already start as a free agent in an available position, with contract offers from all 32 teams in the league.
In terms of the fluidity of progress, we feel that the decision was right and leaves it at the pace that NFL fans want most: to play with few interruptions. If you prefer a fuller story, you certainly won’t like the reformulations for this generation.
An important part of the game is the tribute to John Madden. From the game’s introduction, to the John Madden Legacy Game – a kind of Star Game – you will see tributes to the former coach, whether like the head coach of your team, or some cutscenes with his reactions. There are limitations that might not exist, but the initiative is still valid.
Among the other modes, you’ll have an option to play with friends, the Ultimate Team to build your team – in the patterns seen in other EA franchises, with the addition of the Field Pass system, to see reward levels and objectives –, the franchise – which prioritizes teams – and the modality to only play a friendly.
More specifically about the franchisethe scouting management system and the skill tree system for the coaching staff are back and are good returns for the experience and personalization of the work of each member of the staff.
The player motivation system, on the other hand, allows you to manage squad satisfaction, which – if not used well – can result in requests for a trade or contract renewal refusals – in practice, you will have to pay more money to keep a certain athlete in the game. squad.
In terms of gameplay, the highlight is the improvements in the game’s Artificial Intelligence. Now, defenders are smarter and create a great challenge until you find the perfect pass. At that point, races end up more favorable to advance.
In any case, the decision needs to be quick so as not to take a tackle before he manages to gain a few yards. Defenders are getting faster at the player with the ball – be it the quarterback or some other attacker – which requires little delay in taking action.
The gaming experience has improved on an already known basis. With each down, whether you’re attacking or defending, you’ll be able to choose your strategy before the ball goes out. There are a number of options, according to your planning, to coordinate the paths of each player and whether you intend to go short, long or just a run.
What was already known, applied to the current title, makes it clear that there was an attempt to make the game more “real”, even in the mobility of the players. There is room for improvement, but the balance was satisfactory.
On the graphics side, we noticed improved angles and a higher overall quality of textures and animations throughout the game. The game’s shadows were well fitted, while the characters and arenas are of a very satisfactory quality.
You can switch between performance mode and graphics mode, but within the current generation of consoles, you shouldn’t feel that much of a difference between them. The fps rate will change little even if you choose the second option.
The bugs weren’t fully mitigated, but we’ve noticed a lot less problems now. Removing the Problems cutscenes of Face of the Franchise favored this reduction, as we noticed many graphical flaws in them in the previous generation.
The soundtrack continues with narration in English only. Only now the effects look more realistic. From the fans’ reactions to the actions directly in the plays, they gained quality and contributed to the player’s immersion.
Overall, we have here a big cut to the story mode and inclusions of homages to John Madden as major changes to what we already know. The return of systems in the management of the franchise and the graphical improvements help, but do not make a significant difference in the player’s experience.
The modes are still limited, while the mechanics have not been changed or improved. What has improved, and indeed the main highlight of this generation, is the defensive AI, which now makes the experience much more interesting than before.
Tributes to John MaddenSystems Return to Franchiseimproved AIBetter textures and animationsMore realistic soundtrack
Limited game modesHistory endGraphics still buggyhigh price
The story has been largely reduced entirely for this issue, in the Face of the Franchise revamp.
The gameplay continues with the same base, but now the AI ​​has been improved and makes the matches more challenging.
Animations, textures and shadows have been improved for this year. We noticed fewer bugs this time around.
The soundtrack doesn’t compromise and now has more realistic effects than before.
The immersion remained satisfactory, but without the story, the involvement with the player drops a little. In games, you can spend hours playing without getting tired.
Madden NFL 23 maintained the average of the last generation, although it presents some general improvements.
It is worth it?
Madden NFL 23 is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms – via Origin, Steam or the Epic Games Store. For consoles, it can be found from R$ 299 (Xbox) or R$ 338.90 (PlayStation), while on PCs the values ​​start from R$ 249.
We don’t recommend this year’s version for anyone who was a fan of the history of face the franchise. However, those who want to enjoy the updated edition and check out the tributes to John Madden, the suggestion is to wait for a promotion that lowers the cost of R$ 200.
What were your impressions of the new Madden NFL 23? Tell us in the space below.
*We thank the game’s advice for providing a copy of it to TechSmart for this analysis!
