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For all intents and purposes, Madden's new game is out now. For those who have EA Play, a ten-hour trial is available to download on both last-gen and current-gen consoles.
While the internet is abuzz with plenty of previews of the next-gen versions of the game, how are the last-gen versions of the game? Luckily, EA did not neglect those still playing with the older generation of consoles. After spending a few hours with Madden 22, here are five good things about the game on Xbox One.
#1 Madden 22 has new tackling animations
In the NFL, every tackle is unique. In Madden 22, while there are still a limited number of animations, there is an immediate difference in how players are tackled this year. It is a little rough around the edges when the physics and the animations collide, but when your player gets tackled, it feels more like a struggle and less like a dance.
#2 'Real' music returns
While the last few Maddens have featured new soundtracks with a mix of artists, it is a real fear EA will eventually return to only an orchestral score in one of the Maddens. That is not happening this year, though, as Madden 22 features a brand-new soundtrack with some modern hip-hop beats to set the mood as matchups load and rosters are set.
#3 New franchise feels new - lots of learning
Franchise feels like a brand new experience. While playing, I noticed myself wondering how systems interact, how much they matter and how to master them. Between the new systems for staffing, practicing and the new user interface, I felt my eyes gaze over as I dived into the weeds with the new mode, in a good way. Basically, I felt like I was playing a new football game for the first time in ages. It felt good.
#4 Works out of the box
Anyone who has stuck with the last-gen consoles over the last year is wary about new games working on day one. Between Outriders, Watch Dogs Legion and Cyberpunk 2077, last-gen players have plenty of reasons to be gun-shy about new games' ability to work on the first day. Thus far, though, Madden 22 has worked in full with no issues at all. There is no high volume of crashes, and every mode is fully functional.
#5 Researching opponents is much easier in franchise mode
One of the best quality of life improvements is that EA have added a screen in franchise mode that allows players to research their opponents much faster. Previously, franchise players would have to manually dive deep into the stat screens to find out basic information about their opponent of the week. Now, the gameplan screen provides all of the information in one simple table for easy reference.
It lists the opponents' rankings with passing offense, rushing offense, passing defense, rushing defense and more. Now, players wanting to know the weaknesses of their opponents are easily presented with them in seconds, rather than needing to manually piece together the information through several different screens.
