Madden NFL 23 Reviews
I can’t, in good conscience, recommend this game to anyone playing on PC. Loyal fans of the Madden franchise probably already own Madden 22, and won’t be getting anything new, and those looking to make Madden 23 their first Madden game would probably be better off buying 22 instead. Console players should feel free to pick up 23 and experience all of its promised next-gen features, but PC players should wait until EA (hopefully) patches their promised updates into the game.
At the end of the day, Madden NFL 23 is a poor pro football simulator. It isn't even a fun arcade-style game. It feels somewhat aimless with the development team pulling the game in many different directions at the same time. The changes from Madden NFL 22 are minimal and the PS5/Xbox Series X/S exclusive features still do not address core gameplay problems.
Madden NFL 23 is an improved game when compared to Madden NFL 22, but that isn't enough to make it good.
Even with the introduction of the new FieldSENSE technology, and updates to Franchise mode, Madden 23 is a disappointing entry into a franchise that seriously needs to reevaluate everything from the ground up. As a diehard Madden fan since my youth, I desperately wish that EA would straddle down and say enough mediocrity is enough. Sadly, it’s hard to say that day will ever come.
In the third year of the franchise on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, one would think that Madden would really round into form and solidify itself for a renaissance. Yet, it still looks and feels like a game that is missing quite a bit.
On PC, Madden 23 makes a couple of decent changes to the established formula, but not enough to truly move the chains for the series
Madden 23 unfortunately delivers another lukewarm experience that isn't saved by its new key features.
Maybe a release every other year with DLC and roster updates in between? You can still charge for that stuff. My greatest sadness is that this product makes me anxious about what EA Sports College Football will be like. If it's anything like the new Madden, it'll be a decent time on the field and a slog in the dynasty mode, with everything geared toward getting players to pay for digital trading cards.
The foundation for an excellent entry to the Madden series is here. EA & Tiburon just need to patch up some glaring game breaking bugs. As it stands, Franchise Mode is practically unplayable and for me that is the essential component of Madden. Fans of Face of the Franchise, The Yard and Madden Ultimate Team may find some enjoyment, but it doesn't last long. Under the assumption that the issues get fixed in upcoming patches, Madden NFL 23 has potential to be the best entry in recent memory.
EA's latest gridiron sim makes big gains on the field, but barely inches forward off it
Some fun improvements make this playable – yet Madden still features too much carryover. Not just from last year, but the last decade.
Madden NFL 23 has some good new ideas, but is mostly more of the same. The graphics and presentation are fine, but only just. The football appears to have a mind of its own sometimes, while commentators don’t always have a response to the on-field action that makes sense. If Franchise mode is where you spend your time, then you are likely to enjoy the changes. Outside of that, though, Madden 23 feels awfully familiar.
EA has shown that it has listened to fans of the franchise after the bad feedback of the last two years and has brought small changes that give more options for how to play the classic American football simulator. The graphical improvements in the new generation are very sharp and the amount of bugs has decreased. The game modes are pretty much the same and the small changes don't sustain interest for long.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Stripping away the flash with a bigger focus on the core basics, Madden NFL 23 feels like a breath of fresh air. It's still a series lacking an identity right now, but this year's entry is the course correction the series has desperately needed.
Overall it's a step in the right direction that I hope carries the franchise back to its once great heights.
Madden NFL 23 is a game that does quite a bit to make on-field play more fun than in years past. And even with its shortcomings, it’s finally starting to turn into the game fans have been hoping for some time.
Like a scratched record, then, we end our review of Madden NFL 23 like we have the last few releases. That’s by saying that with its numerous incremental improvements, it’s the best Madden yet. But as ever, unless you’re an ardent fan who knows the series like the back of their hand, it’s an inessential purchase if you have last year’s offering. Or perhaps even the one before that. In terms of what’s actually new here, there’s very little. And even less of monumental value.
Madden NFL 23 does some things right and delivers a good experience on the field. However, it is marked by problematic game modes and a number of bugs and technical issues that playing it is frustrating and disappointing, even for the most passionate fan of the sport.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Madden NFL 23 is the best of the last several entries, but by lacking the overhaul it really needs, it only achieves so much.