Whenever I write an article about the Madden NFL Series of games, I always struggle with where to begin the article. Where is the jumping off point? Where do I start writing about the latest installment of the long running franchise in EA’s lineup? Madden NFL 23 has been out for a little over a month now and it is a game burdened with shocking flaws. Flaws in Madden aren’t new and didn’t begin with the latest offering from EA Sports. The flaws didn’t start with last year’s game either, not even close, which means I can’t really start with the more recent offerings in the Madden Franchise.
In my mind, EA’s problems with the Madden Franchise started in 2005 with their exclusivity deal with the NFL. With the stroke of a pen (and $1.5 billion US) all pressure to perform and deliver a quality NFL experience was removed. EA would no longer face any competition in the NFL simulation arena – they were the only game in town when it came to playing an American Football game with the coveted NFL license.
The pain wasn’t long in coming for fans of football video games.
Fall of 2005 would see the launch of the Xbox 360 game system and the “Next Gen” revolution began. Madden NFL 06 would be one of the launch titles for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and boasted improved graphics and game play. Much to the chagrin of Madden fans, Madden NFL 06 was a disaster – Cap Management, roster vacancy bugs, lack of play by play commentary, and numerous other bugs plagued the game and carried forward for several versions of the game, some even carrying through to the current iteration of the Madden series.
2022, 17 years after the blockbuster exclusivity agreement was forged between the NFL and EA Sports. 17 games have been released in the wake of the deal, unchallenged and unchecked by any other developer. Madden Ultimate Team and microtransactions have become the driving force behind the Madden Franchise leaving casual, Franchise Mode players behind. 17 years and Franchise Mode is back to where it was prior to EA inking the licensing deal with the NFL and we as players are left with no recourse but to vent on stream, on social media, and on message boards in vain.
So what are the issues? There are so many, too many to completely write about here, but to start with, here are the ones EA needs to address ASAP:
- Turnovers
- Draft Classes
- Kicking Arc
- AI Offensive Play Selection
- Play by Play Commentary
Turnovers: In a recent rivalry game between the Packers and Bears, I racked up 92 points, 14 turnovers, and 15 sacks while the Bears had 0 points, 0 turnovers, and 4 sacks. If I were actually playing the game I wouldn’t have worried too much about it, I’m a pretty savvy player against the AI in Madden, but I was playing Coach Mode. I was calling the plays and letting the game run the action. My sliders for both fumbles and interceptions were turned all the way down to two and I still had 14 turnovers! What in the hell is going on with this game? 92 points with 11 minute quarters and accelerated clock while pitching a shutout? The Bears are not a great football team, but they wouldn’t give up 92 points and allow me to hold them scoreless – get serious EA!
The turnover bug is nothing new in the Madden Franchise, it’s been around since about 2005. but its affects on games could be diminished quite a bit by adjusting the sliders. With the advent of FieldSense in the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 systems, it seems the bug is worse than it ever has been. This needs to be address this year to bring back some much needed balance to the game.
Draft Classes: Draft classes have been a part of the Madden NFL Series since Madden NFL 99. The ability to run a franchise and build a dynasty has been a dream come true for me, even if it’s only in a video game. The ability to scout draft classes was implemented in Madden NFL 2012 and has been a fixture ever since it was rolled out. My beef is not with the scouting process so much as it is with the presentation. For the last three installments of the Madden Franchise, draft stories have fallen by the wayside taking some of the interest and immersion out of the process. Now you don’t need to scout at all, just draft based on a player’s projected round and combine measurables.
There is no draft drama – make your pick based on combine info and projection or trade down and stockpile picks – that’s it. My previous draft I managed to land 4 players with hidden talents without even looking at anything other than combine stats and projected draft round. Bring back the draft stories, add some complexity to the draft classes, use some imagination and create one of a kind characters (Boar Jackson, anyone?) and inject some life into the off season process.
Kicking Arc: This seems like a small one, but for the love of all that is Madden, fix the damn disappearing kicking arc. I understand it not being there when you are on the road, but it should NEVER disappear in a home game! This has been an issue in multiple version of Madden NFL but it’s more prevalent than ever in this year’s game, which is inexcusable.
AI Offensive Play Selection: Most NFL teams run their offenses in some form of split between run and pass which largely depends on the personnel they have on the field, but when a run first team like the Browns or the Titans abandons the run in the first quarter and ends up with a 85% pass/15% run split, there is a huge problem with the game’s AI. This needs to be resolved by the developer, not the players going in and manually adjusting every single team in the league just to get a realistic sim out of their video game. This goes against everything Madden stood for and breaks EA’s own motto of “It’s in the Game”. If it’s on the field, it should be in the game, end of discussion.
Play by Play Commentary: Where do I begin? When EA couldn’t beat Visual Concepts and their NFL2K series, they paid for exclusive rights to ESPN and the NFL. They also paid for exclusive rights to Arena Football, the NFLPA, and NCAA Football ensuring no other company could challenge them on any level when it came to American Football and the NFL. If you can’t beat them, buy them seemed to be their motto. Since then, the play by play commentary has become a stale retread of the same dialogue every year. The halftime and end of week shows that NFL 2K5 did so well have gone the way of the dodo.
EA has wasted the ESPN license and refuses to put together a presentation engine that feels fresh or pushes the boundaries of the technology – they don’t need to, they have the exclusive NFL game so we are stuck with comments in game that don’t match what is happening on the field, the same comments being made repeatedly throughout the same game, and a half time show that is not a show at all. The whole experience is disappointing and, when you look at what NFL 2K did on hardware two generations ago, is embarrassing. Play by play commentary in the Madden Franchise is in desperate need of an overhaul sooner rather than later and it should be on the top of EA’s “To Do” list for next year’s game.
Solution: With the Madden formula becoming a stale shadow of the NFL, there is a solution to the EA problem. Instead of releasing Madden NFL every year, I suggest they release the game every other year with a comprehensive roster update following the draft each year in between. Instead of releasing Madden NFL 24, release Madden NFL 23+ as a title update or game expansion that brings all of the rookie class into the game along with comprehensive bug fixes and new play by play dialogue to freshen up Madden NFL 23. Madden NFL 23+ could be priced at $24.99 US or similar, so players wouldn’t feel like they were getting ripped off and EA would still get some revenue in the time between releases of the full game. EA would have time to refine and implement exciting new features and also have more time to do QA on their game to ensure they are releasing the most complete version of the game.
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