Still, you’d like to see every mode attempting to grow in a noticeable way, though that isn’t always possible.

Become the world's greatest as you play through a redesigned campaign featuring stunning locations around the globe. Learn the best ways to stop the run in Madden NFL 22, how to identify run fits and various defensive formations. With that rather lengthy, but necessary introduction out of the way, let's talk about the good, the bad and the bottom line with Madden 22. See who’s taking home the hardware in the first-annual celebration to recognize the best of Madden NFL 22, decided by user stats at key positions plus expert and community votes. Madden NFL 22 PS4 Review– If you’re like me, you’ve known for quite some time to keep your expectations low with every new Madden game. Every year, it’s a rehash of the previous entry with updated rosters and minimal improvements in an attempt to keep the community happy. Don’t expect anything to change in Madden 22.Barker, Sammy (August 20, 2021). "Madden NFL 22 Review (PS5)". Push Square . Retrieved August 20, 2021. The campaign is simplistic, giving you goals to complete in each match, and some matches will come with preset modifiers such as higher team fatigue. Scouting will be a big addition, but it isn’t scheduled to be active until September, which doesn’t do much for users who buy the game on Day 1. An expansive new set of features across the redeveloped Franchise Mode puts you in charge of literally everything. That’s why this one is marked as “minor,” and you should understand: a non-simulation sports feature has to be REALLY good for me to plug it into my regular rotation.

After years of justifiable clamouring from fans, EA finally makes transformative changes to franchise mode this year. For instance, you’re now – finally! – able to hire and upgrade coaching staffs across four positions: Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, and Player Personnel. Each position has its own RPG-like skill tree which enables you to improve coaches in a similar vein to individual players. These controls will let you change things up at the line of scrimmage to counter what the defense is showing you. One area of Madden 22 that shows minor improvement is in the game’s presentation. Pre-game, half-time, and post-game presentation is slightly better over Madden 21. Also, EA finally updated the Super Bowl presentation, which was sorely needed. The commentary from Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis has some fresh lines, but will most likely get old and redundant after a single season. The weekly goals and such for players and teams continue to provide some sub-plots and challenges, but they aren’t intrusive into the overall experience. The Yard introduces a campaign mode: Fans of Madden’s co-op mode will find a new campaign mode featuring unique stages, challenges, and bosses. The mode is divided into four chapters, each featuring a unique venue with its own house rules. The Yard is Madden’s “other half” – a surprisingly fully-featured co-op mode that dispenses with any hint of realism in favor of pure arcade silliness. If it’s to your taste, there are plenty of enjoyable hours to be had with The Yard.Scouting will be updated... later: Scouting has been another sore point for franchise mode, and fans will be happy to know that it's finally being overhauled in Madden 22. It's just not happening right away. Graddy says the team considered pushing the update to Madden 23, but ultimately decided to make it part of a live update. "We've been treating the whole game and certainly not just franchise like a live service," Graddy says. "So we said, well, let's continue to work on it and get it out, you know, close to the NFL season in that September timeframe. So the fans can have it this year." When it does arrive, it will feature elements like a dynamic draft board that changes throughout the year Career mode lets you hire offensive and defensive coordinators: In the real NFL, offensive and defensive coordinators are almost as well-known as the head coaches. Madden NFL 22 now makes it possible to hire (and fire) offensive and defensive coaches at will, each of which have a unique skill tree that offers buffs to certain position groups. I like the idea behind it, but its rough interface makes it feel a bit cobbled together, and there are virtually no consequences for simply firing a coordinator and hiring someone else. Like many of Madden’s ideas, it’s a start, but it could be taken so much further.