The ground game also sees you having a touch more control, with ball carriers able to cut in more effectively while the plethora of moves available on the rush –trucking, for example– are more responsive and effective. And if this sounds like all the focus is on attacking play, the defense has its own tweaks. Some of the canned tackling has been ditched, so there is a lot more response to what you are doing. Defensive AI has also been boosted; the pass rush is far more aggressive and effective, pinning quarterbacks in the pocket and giving them just a few seconds to release the ball. I’ve seen very little of the over-effective scrambling of recent Maddens. Misplaced or poorly chosen passes will also be gobbled up by coverage, meaning turnovers are much more of a risk for careless play.
As a whole, it feels that you have a greater influence on the play after the snap, but that doesn’t mean that play calls are diminished. Quite the opposite, as the improved defensive AI makes strategic decisions more crucial than ever on both sides of the line.
It’s good, is what I’m trying to say, even if those improvements are subtle in isolation. And there are still some legacy problems that are harder to iron out. While those canned animations have been pared back, you still get the feeling on some plays that some outcomes are decided a split-second ahead of time to get in a fancy-looking catch or takedown. Still some yards to go, but on-field Madden has taken some real strides.
Off-field… not so much. It feels that EA Tiburon have a conundrum here as there is both too much and not enough when it comes to Madden’s modes. Persevering with stuff like The Yard and Face of the Franchise to keep the options broad is all very well, but when no aspect of the game is given full attention, everything feels undercooked.
The obvious answer, seemingly, is a root and branch reboot; stripping back and focussing on what’s important –as 23 alludes to with its tributes to the late John Madden and fine on-field tweaks– but if you do that, you are open to criticism of not offering a fuller package. The struggle continues, 4th and inches, decisions to be made. But that’s for EA to tackle. In the meantime, if you can look past its shortcomings, Madden NFL 23 offers what its famous namesake coach would simply call ‘good football’.
