Madden 22: Early Previews for 'United We Rise' Mode, More Anticipated Features

Miss the days when you had more control over what position your player could line up at in a football career mode? Well, Madden NFL 22 has more options in Face of the Franchise mode than in recent editions of the game.

The storyline-driven career mode has returned in this year's game, which is set to be released Friday, and there are now four options for your player's position: quarterback, running back, wide receiver and linebacker. It marks the first time that your player can be on the defensive side of the ball since Face of the Franchise was implemented into the series.

That's not the only change to Face of the Franchise this year, which was given the title of "United We Rise" in Madden 22. There are some similarities to last year's game, but there also appear to be some noticeable improvements, as shared in EA Sports' gridiron notes. Some have already gotten to experience them, as those who preordered the MVP or Dynasty Editions got access to the full game starting Tuesday.

Not only can you choose from four positions, but each has several classes to pick from. That will help determine the type of player you'll have. Each of the classes has three superstar abilities and one X-Factor ability, but those get unlocked as you level up in the class.

You'll also be able to equip superstar and X-Factor abilities from other classes if they're unlocked, so there's a ton of flexibility regarding the type of player you can create. While leveling up in classes, you'll also receive skill points to boost ratings, gear to use in The Yard game mode and more.

There's a lot more to do in Face of the Franchise this year, and it's all featured on the redesigned hub. Madden got a visual overhaul this year, and that new look has been incorporated to all of the game modes. From there, the season engine will lead you to challenges, gameplay moments, side activities, pressure moments and more.

One of the most popular parts of Face of the Franchise each year comes when you get to play in College Football Playoff games. Considering there hasn't been an NCAA Football game in eight years, this is the only time you get to see college logos and uniforms in the virtual world these days.

The colleges that your player can choose from are: Clemson, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and USC.

While Face of the Franchise has some exciting upgrades this year, it's not the only game mode in Madden 22 that has a few highly anticipated features. There's also been some long-awaited improvements to franchise mode, which should please those who play it a ton.

Franchise has brought back staff management, so you can now hire offensive and defensive coordinators to serve under your head coach. Not only that, but there's also a new talent tree system featuring skill points in which you can continue to upgrade your staff.

There's also a new season engine in franchise with cinematics, goals and rewards, as well as a new hub and an improved weekly game plan system. Franchise will have an overhaul to the scouting system, but that won't be in the game at launch and isn't expected to be added until September, per EA Sports.

Many of the new features will be included in all versions of the game, but there are some in-game improvements that are exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. These include the new Dynamic Gameday experience that features a new momentum meter, the implementation of NFL Next Gen Stats and home-field advantage abilities, one exclusive to each NFL team.