Madden NFL 22 Reviews
Madden NFL 22 definitely tries to get things right, but the lack of competition turns it into its own worst enemy. The rush to release a new game every year during a period in which game development takes more time than ever results in an incomplete and bug-filled launch. EA Vancouver skipped a next-gen version of NHL 20 to try to knock things out of the park with NHL 21 — maybe EA Tiburon should have done the same with Madden. If they do not learn from their mistakes, they might stumble into the same fate they have with their own NBA Live series.
For every enjoyable new thing in Madden NFL 22, there's something else that's equally as frustrating. The real saving grace that makes the game a solid experience is the upgraded gameplay and graphics for next-gen. If you like Madden, you'll have fun, even if you get annoyed from time to time, but the franchise still has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with the other sports games on the market.
Madden NFL 22 is another Madden game, with not many new features to warrant a new price label of $59.99. If you do not like NFL Football, you will not like this game. While known NFL commentators such as Rich Eisen lend their talent to this entry, it is wasted by being overshadowed by nameless voices called ‘coach’. Ultimately, if you own Madden NFL 21 and don’t NEED to play online, you could possibly skip this entry.
From a modes standpoint, Madden 22 does a lot of great things. Unfortunately, the gameplay keeps the game as mediocre as it comes.
As usual, Madden is best enjoyed with friends on Sunday mornings before watching games on TV, but most of what’s available beyond Exhibition mode feels like a downgrade from the same product released 10 years ago.
All in all, Madden NFL 22 is ultimately disappointing. Even after all these years, it still feels like EA is coasting on its exclusive rights to NFL simulation football.
Madden is a billion dollar franchise that has grown content. Thanks to its exclusivity deals, EA takes zero risks and fumbles each year providing us rehashed versions of previous entries. Madden NFL 22 is no different. Meager improvements are outweighed by series fatigue. Instead of focusing on giving us polished gameplay mechanics and an improved Franchise Mode, EA's focus is divided into unwelcome modes like Face The Franchise and The Yard leading to an overall incomplete and broken experience.
Madden 22 is, simply put, a blast to play at times, but it comes with some issues that may take longer to iron out than a single patch can provide. I have come to terms with that, and thus Madden 22 feels like a title that will be in my rotation throughout the NFL season.
Madden 22 is a ridiculously safe bet for EA. We’re hopefully on the cusp of getting fully dedicated next gen games that leave behind PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in favor of having a truly superior product, at least in the sports genre. Even though companies like Sony are betting on releasing crossgen AAA’s like Horizon: Forbidden West, it’s truly to fans’ best interest getting an evolutionary step when in comes to EA’s sports catalog, which as it stands in a unique position of being literally the only game in town and in result, is stagnant and tired. Will Madden 23 get over this hump? We’ll find out in twelve months from now.