Madden NFL 22 has great football gameplay and presentation, but is held back by bugs and shallow modes
If there is a patron saint of annualized sports video games it is surely Madden NFL. This series has been a mainstay on home consoles for over three decades, faithfully producing a new edition each year. Madden NFL 22 comes hot off the presses with promises of improvements across the board. While that is certainly true of the underlying gameplay and presentation, the gameplay modes disappoint, while technical problems frustrate. Madden 22 is EA’s sophomore effort on the new generation of consoles, and the visuals are suitably stunning. The authentic gameday presentation features the most realistic looking players yet. Mud and grass stains accumulate over the course of games, and the improved crowd models are a thankful upgrade over the dated low polygon versions from before. Weather effects are satisfying. A snowy game played late in the evening has a cinematic feel, evoking the same tension of a primetime showdown between two great teams. The lighting has taken a noticeable leap forward in quality from Madden 21. Open air stadiums cast realistic shadows from their structure, with some of the most pleasingly illuminated fields in gaming. The gameplay itself has seen quite a bit of adjustment. All motion feels a bit slower, and more deliberate. That is strongly for the better. Players move and collide with a great sense of mass. Running with the ball has an excellent feel, especially between the tackles, where the more measured pace allows great runners to maneuver precisely through the mass of bodies, finding creases to gain a few extra yards. Defensive play has been overhauled the most. Tackling animations are much more realistic. Defenders will wrap up runners and try to drag them backwards, preventing them from reaching first downs or the end zone. Tackling low often results in “gator-rolls”, where the defender wraps up the ankles of the runner and rolls in order to bring them down. That extra layer of authenticity really adds to the experience.
