Before I get into this review, I want to make it clear that I am not a Madden player who competes professionally. When it comes to the Madden games, I just haven't had any interest in them despite the fact that I enjoy watching some good ol' American football just as much as any other American (even with the performance of my beloved Steelers last season). Sure, whenever I went to a friend's house, we'd break out the video games, crack open a few beers, and laugh our heads off at the many, many hilarious bugs and glitches that previous games had. Aside from that, on the other hand? My interest in Madden games has flagged significantly over the past few years. As I started up Madden 23 on my PS5, the most pressing question that was going through my head was, "Would Madden 23 alter that?"

After a lengthy installation process, the game will ask you to choose your passing type before it will allow you to start playing. There is a new type of passing known as the "flick," which makes use of the sticks to provide greater pinpoint accuracy. For instance, when you lob a pass, you have the ability to direct where you want the ball to actually land within a radial marker. This enables you to move it around defenders and force them into a guessing game regarding whether the ball will fly straight to the middle or hit the outside of the court. Although it was interesting to try out, after a few rounds I gave up and went back to the old system because I got the impression that the hit detection was too picky (or maybe it's just because I'm getting older).

Following the selection of your desired pass type, you will be given the opportunity to participate in a "John Madden Legacy Game." This game will feature a number of legendary football players from throughout the sport's history, such as Tom Brady, Deion Sanders, and others. The coaches for both teams look like younger versions of John Madden, complete with sideburns and attire from the 1970s. This is true for both teams. While you are playing the game, the commentators will tell you about some of the history of John Madden's legacy during the downtime. They will begin with his career as an Eagle before a knee injury forced him to miss training camp.

Even though I'm not the biggest football fan, I still really liked this feature. There is arguably no more famous personality in football than John Madden himself. Although I am not a huge football fan, I enjoy watching some Secret Base to educate myself on the history of the sport (I highly recommend this series on the Atlanta Falcons). Football has a long and illustrious history, with each and every team having wonderful moments to look back on (except for the Browns).(We're sending our love to Jon and Alex.)

There is no question in my mind that this person came through a rift in time and space from the 1970s. Or my chemistry teacher when I was in high school, whichever one you prefer.

After taking pleasure in the amusing little tribute, I hastened to Face of the Franchise in order to give the story mode a try. It did not appear to have any significant bugs, and I had the impression that it was immediately more streamlined than the earlier Face of the Franchise modes. There were fewer cutscenes, more choices, and the 'training camp' style tutorials that were completed during the intermissions felt really good to finish. However, there are some details that simply cannot be true.

In the spirit of Breaking Madden, I threw six interceptions in a row to see if I would be benched or traded, or even if I could see my coaches burst a blood vessel. I did this to see if I could see if I could see if I could see if I could see if I could see if I could see if I could seeNothing of the sort transpired, and I continued to be hailed as a "rising star" while also being named the starting quarterback for the following contest. However, the commentators were very critical of me, and I found that very funny. I also noticed that Heinz Stadium is still present in the game, which is a little strange given that it was recently renamed to Acrisure Stadium after Heinz decided not to renew its contract. I'm sure you guys could have made the change before the game was released to the public.

The bizarre facial mo-cap and animations in Face of the Franchise make for an extremely off-putting gaming experience.

At first glance, the graphics in Madden 23 appear to be of high quality; however, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that there are some mesh clipping issues with jerseys, hair, and towels. The series has always had this problem with certain static meshes appearing to be as rigid as a board. In addition, player models, jerseys, and other items don't look correct for some reason. The mocap for facial features looks off, and the jerseys look like they have been stretched while also appearing clumped in some way. It's not just the motion capture, either; buy MUT 23 coins (add it to your favorites)’s also the player animations. On more than one occasion, I’ve witnessed players take incomprehensibly large steps or clip through the ground in order to arrive at their desired location.

The level of difficulty presented by AI appears to have been increased significantly this year. In earlier iterations of Madden, it was possible to win on the normal (or "pro") difficulty setting by employing a combination of solid bullet passes and a relatively normal rush game; it was tedious, but it was effective. In the very first game I played of Madden 23, I made two interceptions in a row on short-range bullet passes, both of which were committed against the Bengals. One time I tried to move slightly out of pocket to throw a wide lob, but I got sacked almost immediately, and the screen showed that the incredibly annoying "Who Dey" buff had been activated.