After years of players clamoring for improvements, Madden NFL 23 finally delivers some much-needed improvements. Most of the new features in Madden were made specifically to enhance Franchise Mode, but there were also significant upgrades to gameplay animations. For a game desperately in need of a refresh, EA improving key Madden ingredients is a welcome sight.
RELATED: Every Player Madden NFL 23 Snubs With Their Rating
New Free Agency Features
The biggest improvements in Franchise Mode came to Madden’s free agency. In previous editions of Madden, gamers were able to acquire players by simply offering the most money. In Madden 23, money still matters but isn’t the only factor. EA added player motivations that impact where someone wants to sign. The motivation factors include a team’s historic relevance, contention for the Super Bowl, and the weather where a team plays. The motivations have a different impact on each player. For example, an experienced NFL veteran is more likely to sign for less money with a Super Bowl contender to end his career, much like all the veterans who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to chase a ring with Tom Brady, the best quarterback in Madden.
One other new free agency feature is salary cap rollover, a concept brought from the NFL. Essentially, if teams don’t spend their entire salary cap, the leftover money rolls over into the next season, giving gamers a bigger budget with which to acquire players. This introduces a bit more strategy into free agency, making players decide if they want to spend money now or try to save it to go after a bigger free agent in the next offseason.
Player Tags are another feature that affects free agency. These are features specific to individual players that impact how Franchise Mode is played. For example, Aaron Rodgers has the “Award Winner” tag after earning the NFL MVP in 2021. This means that other players will be willing to play with him in Green Bay at a discount to have an elite teammate. Tags also influence player progression in Madden. If a player has a “Day 1 Starter” tag, they are placed at the top of the depth chart and will start over players with higher ratings, allowing them to gain XP faster than they would on the bench. This is typically reserved for rookies like Ja’Marr Chase and Micah Parsons who are a huge part of teams’ futures.
Improved Scouting Tactics
Madden also made changes to scouting features in Franchise mode. To start, there are more scouts to choose from when hiring, allowing players to get results on prospects faster than before and increase the chances of landing a top rookie with X-Factor Abilities. Additionally, EA improved the skills that are revealed first while scouting prospects and weighted them towards what is most important for the position. Players no longer have to worry about spending scouting resources on a quarterback just to unlock their kick power attribute.
Another scouting improvement came with the draft classes. Previously, it was nearly impossible to draft a good player outside the first three rounds in Franchise Mode. Now, there are more busts at the top of the draft, and diamonds in the rough scouted throughout. Finding key Madden breakout candidates will give gamers a more realistic drafting experience in Franchise Mode.
New Gameplay Animations
While Madden tries to introduce new animations every year, it went all out this time around. With its new FieldSENSE technology, EA added a suite of new, realistic animations to make the game feel more lifelike. On the field, there is a new 360-degree cut feature, which allows players to plant their foot in the ground and quickly change directions at any time. Madden NFL 23 also reintroduces tackle battles, which allow players to mash buttons to try to fight for extra yards with an increased risk of fumbling as a result. There are also plenty of new celebrations, including the famous Griddy dance that the best Madden receivers love to do.
Madden NFL 23 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: WWE 2K22 is Proof Madden NFL Games Should Take a Time-Out
