If one was to go off the critics, then Madden 20 looks like the high-water mark for the franchise in the last three years, with the PlayStation 4 version receiving “generally favorable reviews” and a cumulative score of 76, according to Metacritic. The reason I’m starting to like it now is, in my opinion, it takes more skill,” Joke said. 4 in the world in the Madden Championship Series (MCS) standings and has been a player since Madden 07 (my personal favorite in the series).

“The player movement is completely different from anything I've ever played in Madden,” said XSET’s Raidel “Joke” Brito. Whether you think these are good games or not, though, to argue Madden 22 plays very similarly to Madden 21 is patently false, bordering on absurd, as pros would tell it. Now, any year the devs don’t reinvent the wheel - and, let’s be honest, Madden has had the same core presentation for more than two decades - it’s easy to make the claim the agreement is behind any perceived lack of innovation.

The term “glorified roster update” has been the go-to knock on sports sims since the ‘90s, but it’s always hit closest to home with Madden since the exclusivity deal between the NFL and EA began in 2005. “They look at it as a glorified roster update, and that’s where a lot of bad reviews come from.” “I think people who say, ‘It’s the same game,’ are somewhat misguided,” said Chris “Ace” Lincoln, founder of, which offers tips and coaching from some of the best Madden players in the world.

Yet, Madden pros who sink far more hours into the game than the average person or journalist and play it at the highest possible level describe an experience that - while admittedly imperfect - is a step forward for the series in many respects. If subpar reviews are preventing you from buying Madden NFL 22, you may want to hear what players in the competitive scene are saying about the game first.įor the second year in a row, the latest edition of EA Sports’ football sim was met with mediocre scores from critics and review bombs from so-called fans.

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