It’s mid-August, and that means the fall sports video game release schedule is kicking into high gear. What else does that mean?

It means Madden’s annual release is upon us, and it’s time for my review.

I’ve been playing this series since it was on PC, writing about and covering it for more than a decade, and I’ve been playing the latest version the past 72 hours+.

Here is the good, the bad and the bottom line with Madden 23.

The Good

The Player Models Have Received a Visual Upgrade

Players in Madden 23 look better than they ever have, and that’s including faces and body types. The visual upgrade was a surprise as few sports games are doing much to move the needle in the way of graphics these days.

Perhaps the next generation of consoles will push the envelope a bit more on that end. As it is, Madden 23 is a gorgeous-looking football game from a player model and overall sports-setting standpoint.

Franchise Mode is Vastly Improved

We’ve finally reached a point of not just respectability with Madden’s Franchise Mode, but there are some legit elements here that should influence other sports video game series. The player tags and motivations that guide free agency and help to regulate the trade logic are strong.

Out of the gate, I went looking for a wide receiver for my Chicago Bears. I decided to go after the Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf. I offered the usual crappy package that would normally get it done in Madden and Seattle repeatedly shut me down. I was never so happy to be rejected.

Ultimately, I got my WR1, but it cost me a first-rounder, second-rounder and second-year offensive tackle Teven Jenkins. It felt right.

There are definitely some things still missing in Madden 23’s franchise mode, but the feature has taken a monumental leap forward.

The Passing Game is Improved on Both Sides of the Ball

It’s not often when we can say a problem area in a sports video game series is completely fixed, but it feels like we can say that about Madden’s zone coverage gameplay.

Thanks to A.I. upgrades on defense, this aspect of the game has seen a major improvement. Defenses now intelligently play their assigned areas and the elimination of the exploits has improved the passing game experience on both sides of the ball.

Placing a pass in the right area, which is aided by the inclusion of Skill-Based passing, is more rewarding. If you need to see a tutorial on how to choose the best options for SBP, check out this tutorial from Good Game Bro. I used it as an additional onboarding tool when I started playing the game.

Player Movement is Slightly More Realistic

There are aspects of player movement that feel good. We’ll talk about the rest in the “bad” section. I love the way quarterbacks feel this year. It is much tougher to make running throws and tosses across your body. This had added balance to the game, making this aspect more enjoyable.

Face of the Franchise Has Taken a Positive Step

EA has taken steps to differentiate the Face of the Franchise experience from every other part of the game. FOTF is more of a true career mode now, and that’s the right decision to make for the long-term health of the feature.

It is pretty barebones this year, but it’s in a good place for a restart with the true player-lock restriction added to the mode.

MUT Champions Spices Up Ultimate Team

MUT isn’t adding a huge feature this year, but it didn’t need one to make an improvement. The mode was in a stage where it more needed tunes and tweaks instead of overhauls or major additions.

The biggest change is the formation and evolution of MUT Champions. This feature builds on Weekend Leagues by making this competitive feature available every day of the week. Users are still capped at 25 games per week, but the mode is said to still offer the biggest rewards in MUT.

This is going to be a major win for the MUT community.

The Bad

Too Many Immersion Breaking Physics Situations & Non-Addictive Gameplay

Madden 23 uses what feels like a hybrid approach to collisions. There is one part pure animation and another that is seemingly based on physics. Unfortunately, the two don’t always play well together. There are too many instances in gameplay where the contact made during a play results in something that makes you ask, “now how did that happen from that?”

That inconsistency breaks immersion. With that major aspect of the game still trying to develop, there is a ton of pressure on the other parts of gameplay to take up the slack.

While I didn’t find myself hating the gameplay, I was underwhelmed.

There is no single action or mechanic in the gameplay (running the ball, passing, hitting on defense, breaking a tackle, playing the ball in the air, etc.) that delivers the same satisfaction you might get from delivering a hard check in NHL, nailing a long shot in FIFA, greening a three in NBA 2K, and certainly not making perfect-perfect contact in MLB The Show.

All of those instances deliver a sense of satisfaction from executing, and the actions are among the most basic and requisite mechanics in each sport. I can’t think of a single football-centric action in Madden that I would happily do over and over again if it were the crux of a mini-game.

Those other examples could easily hold me as the main ingredient to a simple sports gaming recipe. For Madden, the addictive piece of the experience should be the collisions, but too often, the contact doesn’t transfer the feeling you need, but probably have a hard time describing.

EA needs to find a way to make contact, the most important aspect of football gameplay, more fun to experience in Madden.

Still Lacking Some Key Elements in Franchise

While a ton of work was done to improve the franchise mode experience under the hood, the outside is still missing a coat of paint in a few areas. The presentation is still lacking. Big games don’t feel big enough, and the same can be said for major events like the NFL Draft and Super Bowl.

I loved John Madden, and I truly appreciated the tribute game that you play as your first contest when you boot up the title. However, the level of detail and presentation that went into that game should be transferred over to the postseason experience with an exponent next to it.

Franchise mode is also missing some key customization options and cool features. NBA 2K23 is set to put all other franchise modes to shame with the Eras feature (providing it works as advertised). That virtual love letter to NBA history only adds on to a franchise suite that offered nearly unparalleled customization options.

Meanwhile, Madden doesn’t offer expansion, a complete rebranding of teams and the league, and fewer player customizations options; never mind something as nostalgic as a feature like Eras that allows gamers to use their console or PC as a football time machine.

Did franchise mode improve? For sure, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

The Bottom Line

The overall Madden 23 experience is solid, but there is an element missing that is keeping it from ascending past this level it has been on for years.

I spent much of the past 48 hours trying to figure out why I’m not drawn to play game after game in any of the modes available. I thought: the game is visually appealing and it plays a decent enough game of virtual football, what’s the core issue?

I believe the problem is that the gameplay, at its core, just isn’t addictive. Can I have fun with Madden? Yes, and I probably will have some solid moments with the game this year, but not enough to make it elite.

• Platform: EA provided a PS5 code for review
• Developer: EA
• Publisher: EA
• Released: August 19
• Price: $59.99 for the standard edition, $79.99 for digital, $99.99 for All-Madden edition
• Review Score: 7 out of 10