Madden NFL 22 will be the newest addition to the popular EA series when it releases later this year. The football-simulation juggernaut will be back once again, and a game filled with tweaks and improvements is to be expected. With the NFL Draft recently taking place, football is just around the corner. Madden 21 released in August of 2020 with some negative feedback from critics and Madden fans, but every new release is a chance to take some steps in the right direction.
Electronic Arts has the sole rights from the NFL to produce simulation-style football video games. This means games like Madden 22 will release with no licensed competition. There are other football video games available, but nothing of recent to compete. Madden, like most high-production sports franchises, releases a new game every year. These releases have lead to a large volume of games which have all had their ups and downs. Critics often attack the series for lack of changes and improvements from year to year, so how can Madden 22 better?
The addition of cross-platform play is starting to become the standard for new game releases. This has even entered the sports-gaming world with cross-play available in MLB The Show 21. Being able to play with friends across all platforms would be a welcome addition into Madden 22. The addition of cross-play could be helped with better multiplayer functionality. EA makes great online-multiplayer games like Apex Legends and Battlefield, but those games are much easier to group up and play with friends than Madden 21. Streamlining the multiplayer process would improve the series, especially if it were cross-play.
Madden 22 Needs Cross-play & A Better Single-Player Mode
The Madden franchise can’t seem to pin down what works best in a single-player mode. For a few years, the Longshot mode was their answer for fans interested in a story-driven experience. This has been replaced in the past two years with Face of the Franchise, which has amounted some criticism from fans. The trend seems to be a change in modes every two years, so a new solo trek is to be expected. It is hard to determine what makes a good single-player mode as some Madden fans may want more story, while others just want gameplay. Madden 22 needs to work out the kinks and deliver a balanced and fun way to play career mode, or separate the modes further to allow players who just want to play as a team’s season do so with no story elements.
Madden 21 was not the leap forward in improvements fans expect every year, and this has become a trend recently for the football-simulation series. Critics often argue that the older Madden series entries were much better games than those which have released in the past few years. As technology advances, newer releases are expected to feel more and more polished. While it may be impossible to please some old-school fans, Madden NFL 22 needs to make some key improvements if they want to change the trajectory of the series, and EA should step up its game with both cross-play multiplayer and better single-player options for players.
