Sports games give players a chance to make their athletic dreams come true. Every time Barry Sanders broke a tackle or Joe Montana came up in the clutch, a million fans dreamed about what that must be like. Madden NFL 22 gives gamers a chance to live out this fantasy with their immersive career mode called Face of the Franchise.
Unfortunately, not everybody is going to have the same breathtaking experience in Madden NFL 22. Some gamers might see their draft stock fall or be placed into a desperate situation with a team that gives them no support. Everybody plays for different reasons, but following these tips and tricks will ensure that football dreamers find themselves exactly where they want to be.
Updated on April 21st, 2022 by Hodey Johns: More players are getting their hands on Madden NFL 22 than ever before thanks to it hitting Game Pass. For those who have been playing for a while, it might be time to consider making a new player. What do these veterans and amateurs have in common? They'll both be making new characters to play Face of the Franchise with. Since not many of the exact details are revealed in the game and the entire mode is supposed to be a tutorial of sorts, it falls to the community to figure out exactly how it works. This guide has been updated with even more information about how to get the most out of this sports fantasy experience.
13 Pick A Favorite College
It's very possible to overthink the whole college situation. Players exist in these drafts that are going to the NFL and scouts might give one team more consideration than another. Go ahead and put all of those intelligent thoughts aside; they aren't considerations in the game.
All the colleges are, for all practical purposes, the same. The only difference is flavor. This "flavor" does matter in terms of long-term role-playing, though, since it will be referenced in the future. So make sure to pick one to be proud of.
12 Stacking Speed
Some important decisions that affect the landing place come up later but there are some important choices to make well before that time that change the gameplay. These benefits are mostly temporary and last through the "Path to the Draft" section.
Don't let that temporary nature fool anyone into thinking they don't matter very much. These bonuses will help with performance and combine results. With that in mind, speed will help a great deal, not just on the field, but in the all-important 40-yard dash.
11 Edit Avatar Before Entering Face Of The Franchise
It's understandable to be eager about throwing the perfect touch pass or hauling in a deep touchdown, but take a moment to make sure the avatar looks great. This will make for a more immersive experience, but this isn't just about looks.
Avatar size will affect many key stats for every position and style. Players can customize an agile, balanced, and bruising avatar to suit all three body shapes, that way, even if they aren't sure what style they want to be, their avatar is ready to go.
10 Look Over The Abilities First
Many players finish up the Face of the Franchise and find that their wide receiver still isn't as good as the NFL's best pass catchers. So what's the deal with that? When choosing a class, it's important to look at the class abilities before going all in.
To have no regrets, tab over to the "Ability Pool" menu, which gives a breakdown of each ability and what it does. Look over each X-Factor and three abilities, choose the most desirable selections, and then pick a class that allows all of these selections.
9 Does Being Drafted First Matter?
Many of the tips given here to help players increase their draft stock. But players have every right to question if this is even important to them.
There is a somewhat sad cutscene where the player's character calls the first pick of the draft a "mistake." But being drafted first means designing a very specific player and leaves no room for creative choices. They'll be drafting one of the best quarterbacks out there, so all other positions are off the table. Also, players will have to deliver precise answers about what they want to do, limiting creativity.
8 Call Plays That Pad Stats
The AI in the Face of the Franchise mode is not a threat. It exists to be demolished. So, with that in mind, go ahead and demolish them. But don't just demolish them in any fashion. Destroy them with the created player and fill up the stat sheet.
That means quarterbacks and wide receivers should not be handing off while running backs should be almost exclusively handing the ball off. Linebackers should queue up man coverage and blitz attempts for sacks and picks.
7 Teams Only Draft What They Need
This is going to be bad news for anybody who dreams of being a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs; they're pretty happy with their quarterback situation in Patrick Mahomes. Players who choose a quarterback can do everything right and the Chiefs will pass on them.
Because a specific team can't be selected, this might not mean much to many players. But players who even have a hope of playing with the Chiefs should think about making one of the best linebackers in football instead of a quarterback.
6 OVR Is Irrelevant To The Draft Process
Some gamers have found that leveling up certain skills contributes more or less to a player's OVR. For example, games can craft one of the best running backs in the game but completely ignore their throwing ability. The OVR will place more emphasis on a halfback's running skills than their throwing abilities.
However, don't feel the need to pick up a skill just because it makes the athlete's OVR higher. The game's mechanics emphasize gameplay and choices above player rating. Players with an OVR less than Trevor Lawrence can be drafted ahead of him if they outplay and outwit him.
5 Interview Answers
Players will be asked two interview questions during the game and both will have an impact on their draft stock. All six answers are actually pretty good, but scouts value two of these answers above the rest.
Both "correct" answers are isolated on the left side of the conversation wheel. The first answer is "We'll Work Together" and the second answer is "Without A Doubt." Again, players who don't care about their draft stock are perfectly free to say what they want.
4 Quit And Retry
There is no reason not to do everything perfectly. Of course, everyone is human and makes mistakes, but the computer doesn't need to know that. And there is a trick to making the results of every skill and game absolutely perfect.
If players make a mistake, they should quit and then re-enter the mode. The skill drill will then start over again. For full games, if it's not going well, simply quit and, when re-entering the game, choose "delete." The game will then start back from the beginning.
3 Choose The Plays
The game has a really handy default feature where the coach recommends a few plays and players get to select which plays look best. Unfortunately, the coaches don't have the goal of making the character look like a superstar.
If there is a goal to get two sacks, take over playcalling and choose plays that have the linebacker blitz. If the goal is to pass for three touchdowns, don't go with the default running play on the two-yard line.
2 Hawaii Or New York?
While the decision to play in Hawaii or New York doesn't appear to matter, it actually does. Having played through the campaign twice with identical results aside from this choice, going to New York increases the chances to be drafted higher.
Maybe it's because the charity event in Hawaii doesn't receive as much press as the Nike event in New York. The charity event might be the moral choice to make, but those who dream of going number one have to make a business decision here.
1 Stay Goal-Oriented
It's very possible to play through a game, throw for ten touchdowns, and yet not receive many points toward skills. Sometimes the goal of the game is to run for a touchdown or throw for a certain amount of yardage.
This is where experience points really stack up. This isn't to say that throwing for touchdowns is bad, not at all, just keep all of the weekly and seasonal goals in mind when taking the field.
Madden NFL 22 was released on August 17th, 2021, and is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.