Listing the things people love and hate about Madden NFL 23 isn't the same as it has been in years past. Pretty reliably, the love and hate could both be summoned up in "whatever was said last year, the same is true for this year." But there are actually some changes to dig into this time.
Any change is bound to be perceived as a good change in Madden NFL 23. Not all of these changes are actually positive, but for a franchise that has been stagnant for so long, simply making the effort to do something different is at least not naturally perceived as lazy.
10 Loved: New Tackling Nuances
It is somewhat inaccurate to hype up the new tackling system as having lots of new animations. For the most part, ball carriers will enter into the exact same animations as before, with the notorious vibrations from the controller happening even before a hit registers.
But the sunny side here is that this animation, once entered into, isn't the end. The ball and ball carrier can be impacted for extra fumbles or pushes back and forwards. it's not the total end of animation reliance, but it's a step in the right direction and gives players extra control during these moments on both sides of the ball.
9 Didn't Love: Monetization
When the franchise decided to toss in a bunch of microtransactions for the single player in addition to the multiplayer, some gamers held out hope that this was a mistake that would be corrected going forward. Nope. Microtransactions are back.
As an added layer of insidiousness, the top tier of the EA service, EA Play Pro, no longer unlocked the top package for gamers automatically. This package cost the price of a huge game and still has the guts to extract more money from its prayers. Want the best linebacker in Ultimate Team mode? Pony up the dough.
8 Loved: New Player Models
Tired of seeing the same identical bodies used for everybody on the offensive line? Thank goodness, the players are now distinguishable from one another.
It was getting bad when the best offensive linemen looked the same as the worst, so players following their blockers would often mistake which ones were blocking. These different body types go for all positions and it gives the game some badly needed diversity.
7 Didn't Love: Faces
While the models got an overhaul, the faces of the athletes are still in poor condition. It's become more noticeable as graphics get better across all consoles and series like NBA 2K and MLB The Show are starting to make the players look extremely recognizable.
With the helmets on, everybody is just a blank, generic face. This is a game that brings to life the stars of yesteryear to play with the stars of today. Facial fidelity is important and the lack of updates in this area is concerning.
6 Loved: Gameplay On The Line
When playing on defense, pro players will almost always select somebody in the secondary. Playing on the defensive line was a waste of control as these players were either negated entirely or made it to the QB/RB without outside assistance.
Now, playing with one of the best defensive line players can impact the game significantly. Double coverage isn't an automatic elimination from the play and the moves are more quickly executed. Pocket passers might not love this, but it is more realistic and more fun for the other side of the ball.
5 Didn't Love: Defense's (Lack Of) Catching Abilities
It's been widely known that passing has been in a bad place for the franchise. Passing has been so overrated and risky that tournament winners were using punters at quarterback to save money for runners and blockers.
The nerf to the defensive backfield was inevitable, but it's gone way too hard. Even the best cornerbacks in the league are dropping balls with any contest on a consistent basis. Maybe take away those 50/50 jumpers they come down with, sure, but keep their ability to pick the ball.
4 Loved: The Hit Stick Is Back
Perhaps the most under-advertised change comes with the hit stick. Granted, saying that the hit stick works again confesses that it wasn't working properly, which isn't a good look for the popular feature that debuted decades ago yet fell into obscurity.
Now, instead of missing wildly, the hit stick actually delivers a powerful blow. Thankfully, this is a video game, so the gamers don't have to worry about concussion protocol. Hitting hard brings back a classic era of football that every fan can appreciate.
3 Didn't Love: Same Old Cutscenes
It's hard to believe that a new package of changes didn't include new cutscene animations. That expressionless referee, the coaches talking to themselves on the sidelines, the fan cheers, the pregame show, anybody who has been playing Madden for the last ten years will be familiar with all of this before playing the game for the first time.
For many social media critics, this was their primary criticism of the games for the last few years. Once again, it will remain their primary criticism. And, in fairness to them, this is getting a bit embarrassing. Can they at least remove the players talking to themselves after plays?
2 Loved: Running The Ball Is Balanced
It's already been mentioned that running the ball has been overpowered. With the improved tackling and tweaked gameplay, it's now no longer viable to win an entire game on the ground against players of equal or greater talent.
Running is not at all bad. The best running backs will still ruin gameplans. And running up the middle is now more effective than it was before. Really, it's just those constant sweeps to the outside that have been clamped down. They still work, they're just not guaranteed to succeed. As it should be.
1 Didn't Love: Replayed Audio
After one game of Madden NFL 22, players were tired of the commentary from the booth. Bad news, it's largely the same this year. Not just that one game is the same as the rest in terms of audio, but it's the same as last year's game.
It's not just the commentators (who are, in fairness to them, very good, they just need more lines of dialogue). The practice coordinator scene is re-used but with a new actor in Face of the Franchise. They apparently forgot to have him do dialogue for this scene, so now he's slapping helmets and tapping his clipboard with full sound effects, yet his lips are moving and no words are coming out. Oops!
Madden NFL 23 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.