"Madden 22" is More of the Same

I bought "Madden 22" when it came out two weeks ago. I have played the game once. It took forever to download, I have kids, I have a wife, I have stuff to do and video games usually get the boot first. It has been a bit underwhelming to say the least.

Since buying the game I have read other people talking about some glitches, I have seen some wild videos on the internet of some crazy passes, I have heard and read the criticisms. I am here today to tell you all that this version of "Madden" is no different than any version before. All the stuff is the same. The graphics are the same. The gameplay is the same. Nothing has really changed. That is the biggest bummer for me.

I am not much of a video game person. I stated as much on the pod a week ago. But when I do like a game, I usually tend to buy the new versions of it. I have/had all the "NBA Jam" iterations. I buy "NBA 2k" every year. I used to buy "NBA Street" when that was still a thing. And, of course, I always purchased "NCAA Football", and will when the new version finally comes out. So I was going to get "Madden 22". But the lack of change, the lack of any major changes has me regretting buying it. I miss "NCAA Football", so "Madden" has been my bridge. I bought "Madden 19" right when the pandemic started, and have bought the past two that have come with the pandemic still raging. But none of it has changed. Sure they may have changed some of the schools in the Face of the Franchise thing, and you can do a little bit more as a GM in Dynasty mode, but there are no major changes. Everything is business as usual. That sucks.

What made all the other games I mentioned before fun was the changes. I vividly remember when you could get players with enormous heads in "NBA Jam". That was an amazing update to the game. It may have been small, and some may even say stupid, but I was there for it. It was a neat little change to a near perfect basketball game. When Dynasty mode was added to "NCAA Football", that changed the whole game. I could have a 100 year career with Michigan. It ruled. I also liked the whole aspect of recruiting and vying for players and creating players, it was all fun. "NBA Street" made constant changes to the game, but it all was about making it more fun. I played that game a bunch and it never seemed the same. It was like going to see a band that never plays the same set. It was cool. Even a non sports game I liked, "Crash Bandicoot", made changes and made multiple different games with Crash being the lone constant. A bunch of other big time games have made changes over the years. "Mario Odyssey" is a completely different game than what it was when it first came out. Fighting games like "Tekken", "Mortal Kombat" and "Street Fighter" have made massive changes. My son plays "Fortnite", and that game seems to have new stuff every month. I get the whole point of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it", but there should be something new, something fun to try out. It is a video game, I do not want the same boring stuff over and over and over again. It gets too similar. I also don't like that it cost 60 bucks to play the same version of "Madden 21".

Truth is I would have just stuck with that version had I known what was to come. I'm just bummed at the lack of creativity. I wish it were a little more fun. I wish they made an effort to add or tweak things. That is my biggest problem with "Madden 22".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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