Madden NFL 22 is finally here in Early Access, even though there were some whispers that Electronic Arts was either going to skip this year's iteration or release it much later than normal because it took so long for EA to announce the latest Madden. It turns out that the game arrived on time, and around the time that it's normally out every year. The big question now is whether Electronic Arts honored what it claimed it was going to do. The company seemingly made it clear this was the game that was going to really improve the classic Franchise mode.
The Madden series has been decried by quite a few gamers as a yearly reskin, especially when it comes to the Franchise mode. It's not a stretch to say that Madden NFL 22 needed to offer something in that mode to help it stand out. This iteration is the first launching on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and it puts a spin on the Franchise mode that juices it up. Unfortunately, it's not a gigantic leap when it comes to quality. It got very close, but Madden NFL 22 just didn't quite get through those last few feet.
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While the nuts and bolts of the Madden NFL 22 Franchise mode is similar to previous years, there are some new features that were apparently meant to make players feel like they were impacting what happened on the field more. The number one change that EA made in order to offer something new in this year's version of the long-running series is weekly game planning.
The new feature in Madden NFL 22's Franchise mode is meant to allow players to take on the coach of a team's head coach. Before every pre-season, regular season, and playoff game, there will be an opportunity to try and diagnose how the opposing team is going to attack. The point of that feature is supposedly two-fold: A player's offense is going to be more effective against the opposing defense, and vice versa. It should be easier to stop the opposing offense because it's prepared for the game plan. The other positive is that the game plan will lay out specific goals the player is supposed to accomplish, such as allowing less than 200 yards through the air. Should the user manage accomplish that goal, they'll get bonus points to apply to their coaching staff and roster, accelerating how quickly the staff and team progress. If it works the way it's supposed to, it's a great idea.
The problem is, especially in-game, it's unclear whether the game plan is really changing any outcomes. There is a chance that the game plan is keeping a quarterback from completing the long ball, or the running back from getting that extra yard. It's just hard to guess as to whether or not it's really changing the game. When one of the top running backs in Madden NFL 22 goes for 150 yards against someone, some may wonder whether they would have gone for 175 or 200 if not for the game planning. Of course, that's also the case in real football, a team can have the offense's number all the way but if there isn't personnel to carry out the plan they're still going to get lit up. The problem here is that it's hard to tell what effect, if any, the game plan feature has on Madden NFL 22. For a game that needed to set itself apart, that's not great.
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Far more concerning than whether or not the weekly game plan works or not is that there still seems to be glaring errors when it comes to the coding of the game's AI. Some of the issues that have popped up in Franchise games could simply be a talent level. It should be accepted that one of the top wide receivers in Madden NFL 22 would beat their opposition every now and then. The problem is when a team's fourth-string receiver routinely beats the defense. It's when that fourth-string receiver is running so wide open that there isn't a defender within 20 yards of him, or even worse when it happens multiple times a game. This isn't about a defender being outrun, it's about a defender not seemingly being on the field despite a nickel or dime defense.
There are other little glitches and quirks that take some realism out of Madden NFL 22. Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the game is still an inability of the computer to tell when one team has done something like throw an interception. Every once in a while, the announcers will say the Bengals turned the ball over their previous possession when they did no such thing. Other times, the issue is that a pass play will be marked down as increasing a team's rushing yards.
The good news here is that none of the glitches and bugs in Madden NFL 22 make the game unplayable, these are no game-breaking issues. Though, a receiver running completely uncovered is annoying and does suck a bit of wind out of the game, and Electronic Arts doesn't have a ton of leeway in this area. If there are already issues that stick out at launch, it's hard not to wonder what kind of stuff will pop up once people have gotten to pour some real time into the game. Still, there's no doubt that Madden NFL 22 is better than Madden NFL 21 or even Madden 20, it just might not be enough to shed the label of a game that has been underperforming over the last few years when compared to expectations.
Madden NFL 22 releases on August 20 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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