Madden NFL 23 Review

It’s Football season baby, and by that, I mean American Football! After all I live in the UK, and Football to me and most of the planet, is what Americans would call Soccer.

Two things you can always guaranteed with EA Sports and it’s Madden franchise….. That is top presentation, which is second to none. Madden is by far the Developer’s Flag ship when it comes to TV Style representation of a sport, and secondly the John Madden Influence. This year it’s time to play homage to the Legendary Coach, and as always you would expect nothing less than EA Sport’s providing a fitting experience to the main man’s legacy.

This Season, Electronic Arts Unveil an all new FieldSense gameplay system which brings with it new technology and mechanics…

Yes Madden NFL 23 offers something new, and something fans have been calling out for, full control of its passing system. With Field Sense you get to impact play on both sides of the ball, allowing you to create realistic plays and outcome’s influencing both the throw and the run at the same time, and of course by both sides i mean defensively too, it’s not all Attack, Attack, Attack. Field SENSE is a welcomed change and a huge addition for the brand, that can only lead to more enjoyment. FieldSENSE creates a fluid gameplay experience with realistic field results using innovative technology and mechanics.

Hit Everything, made possible by FieldSENSE’s animation branching technology, redefines the physical exchanges during the play by allowing players to fight for every inch and influence the outcome of tackles, whether they occur in the air or on the ground. Additionally, Madden NFL 23 boasts brand-new mechanics like Skill Based Passing, which gives players complete control to send the ball precisely where they want with the strength they want, and 360 Cuts, which enable players to change direction instantly while managing ball carriers.

“Coach Madden lived and breathed football and his commitment to authenticity is at the heart of EA SPORTS,” said Aaron McHardy, Executive Producer of Madden NFLGameplay.

“Coach Madden had a vision for the most realistic 11v11 football simulation possible and with FieldSENSE the game is more authentic this year and beyond. We can’t wait for our fans to feel the control they have in Madden NFL 23; the new features we built with FieldSENSE put the power in their hands to make big plays all over the field.”

While new mechanics like 360 Cuts allow players to change direction with ball-carriers on the fly and Skill Based Passing gives players complete control to place the ball exactly where they want, FieldSENSE delivers deeper realism on the field through animation branching technology that enables Hit Everything to redefine interactions on defence. Additionally, enhancements to defensive coverages, the pass rush, and containing mobile quarterbacks provide a new degree of balance to the game’s key gameplay mechanics.

“Coach Madden’s enduring love for football has forever shaped the sport, and all of us are deeply proud to continue welcoming millions to experience that passion through Madden NFL,” said Cam Weber, EVP and Group GM of EA SPORTS.

 “We’re eager to introduce a new generation of fans to the groundbreaking levels of authenticity and realistic gameplay in Madden NFL 23, all inspired by Coach Madden.”

Regardless of the setting, FieldSENSE modifies Madden NFL 23 gameplay by providing players the power to demonstrate their prowess with the sticks and affect the game on the field. Madden NFL 23 achieves a new level of gameplay balance thanks to a plethora of upgrades to the fundamental gameplay features that strengthen football fundamentals including zone coverage, the pass rush, and containing mobile quarterbacks.

New Player Body Types, gear, and visuals

Redesigned from the ground up using fresh NFL player full body and game day gear scans for the first time, presentation across the game also receives a lift. More player and coach likenesses will be added throughout the season after hundreds of new ones have been scanned for launch. Additionally, new player-focused 4K touchdown cameras that replicate the most recent NFL broadcasts produce an NFL realism unlike anything else.

Face of the Franchise

The League is returning with a sharper focus on creating a legendary NFL career across five skill positions, including cornerback for the first time, with the objective of joining the highly sought-after Madden NFL 99 Club. FieldSENSE adds player-specific elements throughout the entire game, and because The League is a player-locked mode, there are new mechanics to master regardless of the position selected in Face of the Franchise.

Top player demands like brand-new Free Agency and Contract enhancements, upgrades to Scouting, and revisions to the Hub and Trade Logic are among the latest additions to Franchise Mode, placing players in the owner’s seat to make decisions from the front office. In Madden Ultimate TeamTM, fans can assemble the strongest roster of active stars and NFL legends thanks to an easy team-building process and accessible competition.

Play Like Mad – The Action

In a ritual that now withstands all bad weather, both real-world and virtual, John Madden is back with his oval ball that flutters on the lush NFL fields. In light of this, EA Tiburon’s Madden NFL 23 edition is a type of love letter to one of the most endearing and charismatic sports figures and TV analysts in the history of the stars and stripes.

The game Madden NFL 23 is distinguished by the fact that it pays homage to the career of a legendary athlete like John Madden. However, the developers at EA Tiburon also aimed to produce a game with an even more emphasised spectacular element and a higher simulative adherence to what is the authentic American football.

When starting out, a good idea is to immediately become familiar with the new passing techniques and more importantly, the new management of the buttons for the same steps; of particular importance is the ability to precisely manage the receiver even before he has the oval ball in his possession.

As soon as the game is launched, you are taken to test three different modes of passage.
You are immediately thrown into the Madden Legacy Game, a true testament to John Madden, after testing the transition options and choosing to use one of the three (you can then change your mind at any point in game from the options menu).

The match is an NFL All-Star game between the AFC and NFC divisions, where you can choose which of the two teams to manage (both loaded with all-time champions). However, there is a unique twist: both teams will be coached by our legendary John Madden, who will switch between one bench and the other in a nod to the man who helped make football great. Everything is further enhanced by the inspirational sayings of Madden that are displayed on the massive screens together.

This is an extremely clever ploy that will enable us to manage the finest players in the NFL while also enabling you to learn the new passing system and other gameplay innovations that we will discuss below.

Added to this is the increasingly inescapable Ultimate Team mode, which opens the typical menu of EA Sports games and gives players access to all of Madden NFL 23’s single-player (Single Game, Franchise, Face of the Franchise, Superstar KO, and Yard) and multiplayer modes.

Franchise Mode

The primary mode is still Franchise, in which we assume 360-degree control of a real-world NFL franchise in an effort to elevate it to legendary status by hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. In comparison to recent years, the Franchise mode has some intriguing integrations. These integrations range from the obvious advancements promised by the new game engine (we will discuss them shortly during the gameplay analysis) to the unique management of the “free-agent,” or the unpaid players who can be signed without having to negotiate with another team as long as they offer “interesting” engagements. For free agents, a “hub” has been created specifically for the negotiations you are conducting as you try to reach the agreement that is most useful to your team’s project. For instance, a free quarterback will only sign with a team capable of winning the Super Bowl, while others may be inclined to play in their home state or city again. Even though the AI routines need to be improved from this perspective because the CPU frequently causes you to miss wonderful possibilities, everything combines very well with the dynamics of scouting that manages to uncover the talent you need with good approximation.

The Franchise mode is your standard single player (online), with a vast database of statistics and outstanding handling of all those “locker room” circumstances, from physical fitness to personal vices of certain individuals.

Other Modes

Face of The Franchise has also returned; and in this new edition, it will permit us to controling exclusively our virtual alter ego, in contrast to Madden 22, when you could take charge of the entire team.

Ultimate Team is this year’s “Top Trump” option thanks to its adaptability in both the offline and multiplayer arenas. Sincerely, the only significant change I noticed between this year’s version and the previous one was the addition of the Field Pass, which functions similarly to a season pass but allows you to earn rewards by levelling up by participating in as many matches as you can without using microtransactions instead. By successfully completing these challenges, you can unlock specific upgrades and items that you can use to build the team of our dreams.

Superstar KO (restricted to a one-time minigame to be played within Ultimate Team, though) and The Yard (6 vs. 6 arcade mode that closely resembles the old NFL Street) are two options that, when played in multiplayer, promise hours of pure fun. From the categorised dry races to the online leagues with a nearly flawless matchmaking system and the absence of lag almost entirely, the online multiplayer activities function quite well. You will very certainly have to interact with gamers from the United States and Canada, so keep an eye on the time zone as you can occasionally feel lonely.

Technical Marvel

At this point, we descend onto the NFL’s lush fields to examine the technical aspects of this new edition. Many of the flaws that were exposed last year might be fixed thanks to the new game engine.

The most prominent players’ faces are successful and outstanding as always, and the stadiums and playing surfaces really push the boundaries of perfection in terms of match presentation and general context. If you’re looking for pure photorealism, you definitely won’t find it 100%, but regardless, if you play the game on Series X or S, you’ll see the clear visual differences from Xbox One.

As is frequently the case, you can decide whether to prioritise the frame rate or the image quality (and consequently, the resolution). Personally, I prefer to obtain a good frame rate, but it must be stated that the differences in this instance are not particularly obvious.

FieldSENSE (New Game Engine)

Madden NFL 23 introduces us to a new gaming engine dubbed FieldSENSE that could be compared to the Hypermotion of the FIFA football series, since the risk of these serial games is to give few surprises from year to year. In fact, it appears that the tackles between attackers and defenders represent the aspect that benefited the most from the introduction of FieldSENSE. The goal is to have a game engine that can make the animations and, more importantly, the collisions between the different athletes as faithful to reality as possible.

It should not be forgotten that in American football, the “face to face” between the defender and the attacker is the centre of the action. In Madden NFL 23, the contrasts are noticeably more diversified with notably vibrant but also incredibly realistic “face to faces.” To the excitement of the crowd, shoulder-to-shoulder sprints on the back line and mid-air tackles between wide receiver and defensive back demonstrate the same ferocity. What happens, in addition, is a greater harmony in the motions of the athletes, with the defenders standing out as well as the attackers who easily slip into the tight defensive jerseys thanks to the same technical qualities.

The new feature known as Skill-based passing, which you can test at the beginning of the game, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, is beneficial to quarterbacks, or those players who spin the entire team with their millimetre throws. To put it simply, we can say that the programmers introduced a sort of manual aiming network that enables the perfect launch for the receiver all while coupled with a bar that manages the accuracy.

Obviously, the new strategy to position their receivers able to fly to the touchdown area will help passers of the calibre of Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers more than quarterbacks who are less competent. Even if I, the undersigned, feel everything to be much more realistic, it is a system of a passage management system that lowers the percentage of interceptions. The FieldSENSE was specifically created for the latest generation of gaming consoles, so we can only fully enjoy it on these, and not via Xbox One. You can see it in action even when the cleats dig into the grass, bringing tackles to life.

The series’ focus is on the exaltation of physicality specifically, and while it is not without errors, the contrasts are the most gorgeous and authentic I have ever seen in comparison to earlier iterations of the series.

The standard controls for the game include the bumper buttons and d pad for managing and implementing schemes, the right trigger for sprinting, and the analogue sticks for controlling player movement. The game menus are excellent as always, and the soundtrack on offer quite superb.

All new Madden Key Points

Field Sense

Fieldsense incorporates a lot of blatant advancements in the field rather than being restricted to a single function. The new system of skill-based phases represents the biggest and most satisfying improvement in quality among them. This approach aims to shift decision-making from the pre-packaged attributes and eliminate some of the effects they provide. This is made possible on the field via a new launch metre and a target area that is shaded when the ball is hurled. Players can now, more than ever, decide where they want the ball to go directly by doing this. The most talented players can skewer defences and pounce on cover holes like never before in Madden’s history thanks to a tool that delivers on its promises.

Simulation

In actuality, the Madden series has always taken a simulation-based approach, especially at the most difficult levels of play, but in Madden NFL 23, some aspects stand out particularly strongly. A talented player can now detach from the sprint button on the line, make an excellent cut through the defense’s holes, and then detach to put the defenders out of position because the cuts with the ball carriers are enhanced. The receiving of set pieces and punts, which were previously commonplace 25-yard returns, also fits this description.

Passing

The pressure on passes has also been increased in Madden NFL 23 to assist combat the issues associated with the franchise’s tradition, namely the fact that a quarterback gets the whole lunch break to throw the ball. If the rushers are effective, pressure can be created with just three or four of them, which helps to make the game more realistic since quarterbacks typically only have two or three seconds to throw the ball. When the player’s QB presses the sprint button alongside the QB, expressing the intention to escape the “pocket,” AI pass rushers also intelligently disengage the opposition defence.

Off Season Franchise

As always, the Franchise mode stands out in the context of game modes, particularly for those who wish to fully experience the game in single player. Well, the more control over university scouting and the greater instability in free agency are definitely going to deepen the experience, especially in the offseason mode. Now, when free agents are choosing where to sign, they won’t just look at the money and reputation of the team.

The Not so Great

Despite the all new FieldSENSE engine there are still some flaws, albeit they are not very problematic. As previously indicated, the new feature significantly improves the gameplay’s quality, but it also leaves flaws intact, starting with an artificial intelligence that isn’t always that intelligent. Even when there are seven officials on the field, you will occasionally see listless players who do not follow the patterns established by certain unrealistic catches, unreported abnormalities, and entirely unnoticed fouls.

The Field Pass, which was added in Ultimate Team mode, and its benefits.

Although the Field Pass rewards are frequently received, they are given out unevenly and only after we have reached the pinnacle of our displeasure. The next Field Pass reward may need you to play a different game in order to unlock it, however there is always a delay after the game is over before you receive the reward.

Even worse, the rewards screens are consistently broken and contain no useful information: frequently, the game briefly pauses on a pink-purple background, giving the impression that you have been given pertinent information, but in reality, it is just a loading screen that won’t reveal what you have unlocked until several minutes or even entire games later.

The Verdict

As long as you play it on a system from the new generation, Madden NFL 23 is definitely a game that feels fresh and innovative, rather than the usual lick of paint and new rosters from the previous year’s effort. The introduction of a new game engine in FieldSense, and the new control mechanic on offer for better overall play feel make it the strongest Madden to date, introduction.

The passing feels fluid, and the target and release system on point. The John Madden legacy tribute is just fantastic and makes the game a must have for any fans of the franchise on its own. Not only do you get that Madden legacy experience and a game that holds up – This year’s Madden feels like it’s going places….. First Down!