I’ve been spending a lot of time in Madden NFL 22, preparing for my review to go live tomorrow. Once it posts, I’ll be able to evaluate and critique it less, which means being able to enjoy it at my own leisure. Yet, while reviewing the latest edition of the annually released title, I couldn’t help but be a bit bummed out by the fact that once I’m able to play the game more casually, I’ll be doing so by myself.
You see, besides it being my job, I’m really the only one in my group of friends who plays video games recreationally on a regular basis. That extends to the Madden franchise itself as well. Whereas I used to have 10-15 friends who would always be down to play an online game of Madden, that number has dwindled significantly as I’ve gotten older.
Related: Interscope Collaborates With EA To Launch First-Ever Madden NFL AlbumIf you have followed along with any of my other articles posted here, you'll probably know that I play games online with my teenage nephews. Unfortunately, neither of them play Madden.
I do have two other close friends who play every release of Madden – shout out to James and Kyle – and we have a lot of fun in our yearly online Franchise club, drafting up our own teams, trash talking, and batting it out over the course of a couple of seasons before we inevitably lose interest or get too busy with life… until the next Madden release.
Then, I’m left to my own devices, running a solo, offline Franchise, dabbling in Madden Ultimate Team, or (most likely) taking part in solo games in Madden’s most addicting game mode, Superstar K.O.
As an only child, I’m used to entertaining myself. Madden would, however, be a lot more fun if more of my friends still played, rather than me being matched up with an online stranger who has their terrible headset mic turned all the way up while they eat Pringles and think that they are God’s gift to gaming, much less Madden.
Related: Video Games Launching This Week: Humankind, Madden, And The ValeI guess that’s life though, right? Even as it’s my job to play and talk about games, I play far less video games than I used to now that I’m a dad to a two-year-old. My friends are in the same boat, and I’m pretty confident that none of us would trade our spots in life for anything.
But how awesome would it be to have an online Franchise where every NFL team was player controlled by one of your 32 closest friends? Dare to dream, I suppose. This isn’t any sort of plea to be invited to some other random squad’s online Franchise club, though I probably wouldn’t say no to an invitation from an avid reader of TheGamer.
In the meantime, watch out, James and Kyle. It’s ChipotleSam’s time to shine in Madden NFL 22.
Next: Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Interview: How James Gunn's Movies Shaped The Game
