Madden 23: Expert Review Scores and Fan Reaction

Madden 23 is here—for everybody. While some people have been playing the game since Tuesday (via either an EA Play 10-hour trial or three days of early access for preordering the All Madden edition), the standard version was fully released Friday.

It hasn't taken long for reviews and first impressions to show up online throughout the week. Everybody who's played Madden 23 has had opinions (some good, some bad) about what they've experienced on the virtual gridiron.

One of the major critiques of the series is that there hasn't been enough change/improvement each year. Madden 23 is the third to be released on the newest generation of consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X), so it was important for users to begin seeing notable upgrades courtesy of the enhanced technology at EA Sports' disposal.

So far, it seems that has at least been the case to some.

Brian Mazique of Forbes shared his early impressions of Madden 23, and while he noted the game "doesn’t take a monumental leap in visual fidelity," he did have praise for the gameplay. That was a big focus heading into this year's edition, with the introduction of the new FieldSENSE mechanics for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

"There are several moments that have been improved enough for me to notice, and to think to myself: 'Wow, that looks cool,'" Mazique wrote.

Another positive that Mazique has noticed? A "massively improved" franchise mode, largely due to better logic in various components. And that includes the trade tool:

However, Madden 23 didn't get off to a great start with Metacritic reviews. Of the first eight submitted by users, four were negative. But that doesn't mean everybody was disappointed.

Several positive reviews of the game gave scores in the 8-9 range while praising gameplay, graphics, animations and other on-field aspects. That doesn't come as a big surprise, considering it seemed to be an area that would be improved on the new consoles.

Another big change to this year's game is the updated Face of the Franchise mode. Unlike recent years, you're not an incoming rookie, but rather a player who just completed his fourth season and is hitting free agency for the first time.

The reaction to Face of the Franchise on social media seems to have been generally positive, as the mode received a needed refresh:

Many Madden fans spend a large percentage of their time playing the game in franchise mode. It's long been one of the most popular areas of the series, and the community had been pushing for upgrades and improvements in recent years.

Mazique wasn't the only one who thought franchise mode had taken a step forward in Madden 23, but there were mixed reactions on social media:

Per usual, it seems some people are enjoying the new Madden, although the game is leaving more to be desired for others.

In general, however, the gameplay has been getting positive feedback, even if some of the other modes haven't gotten as many upgrades as fans had been calling for.