Madden NFL 23 was an attempt to bring the series back in time by putting John Madden back on the cover for the first time in more than 20 years.
The game opens with an NFL Legacy Game that comes as a history lesson. It has many past legends and goes back in time by being played at the Oakland Coliseum from the 1970s.
Madden NFL 23 focuses on the less-flashy simulation football, which is the style of football John Madden valued so much.
After having two disappointing years in a row, Madden 23 focuses on giving the best experience focusing, the bulk of resources on refining the action on the field. Madden 23 does not give a huge visual change from last year other than new touchdown graphics and a couple of other changes to the game.
Face of the Franchise is a game mode that is meant to give a single-player experience.
Last year, the same game mode gave the player the ability to go through the draft process. The experience after the draft was disappointing and felt like a slightly different franchise mode.
This year, players get to act as free agents in the NFL after being in the league for a few years. A past NFL player, Chad Ochocinco, helps players along as the mode focuses more about on-field progression with fewer cutscenes and more menu-managed and interesting side activities like working out and doing things for charity.
Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) is an online competitive game mode that allows people to play against others that play the mode.
You start with a low overall team and try to build the best team that you can. This mode has been in Madden since 2018.
The biggest change to this year’s MUT was the raising of each player’s overall rating in the starting base sets in beginning MUT.
There are more single-player challenges to help raise your overall rating faster.
It is not much, but not having to fight through having that 60 overall team forever can lead to more people playing and being more competitive, more quickly.
Madden offers other changes in the game outside of the major modes, like the fun Madden Legacy Game.
A new arcade game is called The Yard, a flashy mode that was focused on but is already on the menu of Madden.
New passing mechanics and more realistic hitting on the field has been added.