Madden NFL 22 Reviews
Let’s be realistic. For an annual sports franchise, it’s not necessarily practical to expect huge evolution year on year. It’s also fair to say that at a minimum, players should expect EA to deliver incremental quality of life improvements and make an effort to hone their overall experience of the game for the better. Whilst there is only so far the needle can be pushed year on year, the launch of a new Madden on next-gen systems presented EA with an opportunity to really raise the bar. That’s why it’s particularly disappointing that Madden 22 only offers stagnant content and, sadly, creative disinterest.
Madden 22 is a step in the right direction for the franchise. It gives everyone something to get excited about. However, they are a tad far away from being considered back to the heights of Madden in the late 00's early 10's. With time, Madden 22 could be considered the best in the past six years, but in its current state it can't be considered much better than 21. Promises only go so far, it's time to get on the field and execute the playbook.
Madden 22 is not a huge step forward in a series that needs to shift gears to return to its former glory. There is no shortage of interesting ideas, too bad that there are quite a few gameplay issues and that some game modes (Face to the Franchise, for example) are way too boring and uninteresting.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Madden 22 looks like a sort of transition edition: it winks at the next-gen but doesn't fully exploit its potential, adds interesting new features but doesn't fully rectify some old flaws. The gameplay is still very good, but we are partially disappointed by the lack of the quality leap we were expecting.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Madden NFL 22 is meant to deliver a simulated and engaging experience to fans of football. Its animations are great, and you’ll likely only gravitate to one mode that you prefer over the others, but it all acts as a way for fans to connect, and sometimes a rare glitch won’t impact that. There’s a lot of demand for some growth of the series, and this game has a long way to go, it seems, but seeing my dad pick up a gaming controller for the first time in years and can’t be overlooked.
If you have Madden NFL 21, the changes here might not be enough for you to consider parting with your hard-earned cash for Madden NFL 22. It is undoubtedly a better game than last year’s version, so if you’re an ardent fan you’ll probably do so anyway. Gameday atmosphere successfully adds to the ambience from one match to the next, while the new momentum system adds a nice tug-of-war element as players fight for helpful perks. It’s just a shame that outside of Franchise mode there are few developments worthy of note, while Face of the Franchise seriously needs some work. Also, I want a proper story mode back again, EA. I miss Longshot.
Madden 22 has begun to address some major issues, and while it hasn’t fixed or updated everything, the dynamic on-field abilities and improved game modes make the future look a little brighter for the franchise.
As a whole, Madden 22 takes several solid steps in the right direction with very few stumbles backward. The straddling of console generations and lack of certain updates at launch make the game feel like it's only halfway to its full potential, but it still makes for an enjoyable entry for new players and current fans.
Some things are better, some things are the same, some things are still broken; it’s a guessing game each year what will be up or down, and in the end, it all ends up at the same result: a passable but uninspired football simulation.
Madden NFL 22 takes big strides forward from last year's game, with the focus on Franchise being overdue but appreciated all the same. We like the direction EA Sports has taken this year, with even the new Gameday Momentum system adding immersion to every individual match. Face of the Franchise still falls flat, and patches will need to be applied to the way deep coverages work. But some irritating bugs and glitches aside, it feels like this series is at least on the right trajectory at last.
With those yearly grievances aired, Madden NFL 22 is still a worthwhile pickup if you were on the fence. There's nothing that's painstakingly new in this year's release. However, next-gen technology elevates gameplay with more realistic player movements, while home field advantage is, finally, exactly that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go draft Tim Tebow as my starting tight end.
With meaningful additions on and off the field, Madden NFL 22 marks a recent high point for the series, but technical issues get in the way.
The atmosphere enhancements are welcome additions, and the on-the-field action is largely sound, but Madden NFL 22 suffers from technical issues that hold it back
Madden 22 goes for broke on improving Franchise mode after years on the backburner, and it mostly works, even as it comes at the expense of most other modes in a pandemic-struck year.
Madden NFL 22, I feel, is the first Madden in a long time that has added something significant, with a few smaller additions as well, without taking steps backwards. The full revamp of the Franchise Mode is really great and finally something done for the fans that isn’t around MUT or selling packs. While there is still plenty of greed here and even an added way for them to sell even more MT’s, the focus on some single player aspects is appreciated.
Vastly improved from last year, Madden NFL 22 brings a number of long-awaited improvements. Although it still needs tweaking, it's much easier to have fun with this year's edition and imagine that EA is finally taking care of the damage done by past games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Madden receives a kicking each year regardless of what changes EA and Tiburon make. But it seems the developer listened a bit to the voices of dissent as what I am feeling here is a much crisper and user-friendly game than the buggy mess of last year. I will be playing this one throughout the season and very much looking forward to seeing how that pans out. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the Jets. But there is always next year.
When it's the only show in town, it's impossible to recommend alternatives. Madden 22 returns almost all of 21, but with some slight immersion and gameplay upgrades. Annoying bugs and gameplay question marks persist, as does the convoluted and highest barrier of entry control scheme. Still, veterans of the series – especially most skilled – will willingly dive in.
Madden 22 bets on intelligent changes that perhaps fall a little short, but if they continue in the future they can be excellent. A title that I can not recommend for those who start in the franchise or in the sport for the number of elements it has and the little explanation of them during the game, but it is a title that I suggest to those who have already enjoyed Madden before, even in the version of the last generation being that here you will find interesting news and a new list of activities to invest many hours of life.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you’re one of those people who feel like the annual releases are nothing more than roster updates, most likely it would take a massive release to convince you otherwise, and Madden NFL 22 is not that title. That being said, if you enjoy the core gameplay of the Madden franchise and can’t wait for some NFL action? There’s still a lot of fun to be had here and I certainly enjoyed my time with the game.