Ronnie 2K Responds to Warriors Star Klay Thompson's NBA 2K23 Ratings Criticism
Sep 13, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 20: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the NBA Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to win the 2022 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Ronnie 2K has responded to Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson's concerns about his three-point shooting rating in NBA 2K23.
Klay is livid about his 3-point shooting rating in NBA 2K23 š¬
Ronnie 2K made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Joey Linn of Inside the Warriors:
"I think it's a badge of honor for those guys. Something they definitely talk about in the locker room. Even though Klay said that he hadn't played NBA2K since the Dreamcast, the fact that he cares about his rating so much, I know that that's not true. I can see his gamer tag, he plays it just plenty. But I also think him in specific, he was really upset about an 88 three-point rating.
"But you know what the funny thing is? That was still tied for the second-highest rating. I think that's part of the issue of having a teammate that's leaps and bounds ahead of everybody, like how do you deal with that? Steph since 2015 has made way more than 10% more three-pointers than anyone else in the league. So at some point, shouldn't the rating be 10% higher than everybody else in the league? How do we deal with that? I think he's just kinda broke that scale."
Thompson's three-point rate dipped to 38.5 percent in 2021-22 for the regular season and playoffs. He caught fire at times during the playoffs en route to an NBA title, though, making seven or more three-pointers on three different occasions. He is a 41.7 percent lifetime shooter from beyond the arc.
The five-time All-Star wasn't the only player who expressed his concerns with a 2K rating, as Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant believed he should be a 99 instead of a 96.
Only Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has a higher rating (97).
This year's version of NBA 2K was released Friday. Players will have a chance to improve their ratings shortly with the regular season starting Oct. 18.
NBA 2K23 Introduces New WNBA Features for 'The W' on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
Aug 23, 2022
PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 22: Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury talks with Sue Bird #10 of the Seattle Storm during the game on July 22, 2022 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
2K Sports is continuing to widen the WNBA's footprint in NBA 2K23, announcing Tuesday the updates it made to The W for the upcoming New Gen versions of the game.
The All-Star Game and Commissioner's Cup will both be featured in The W's MyPLAYER mode.
ā¹ļøāāļø The W is expanding in #NBA2K23 on New Gen
We're adding Community goals, exclusive Game Changer rewards, League expansion, and more
To the delight of WNBA fans everywhere, gamers will also have the opportunity to expand the league by two franchises. With the benefit of full customization, you can either build a new team or bring a defunct franchise back from the dead. Maybe you'd want to build another Houston Comets dynasty.
Also as part of MyPLAYER mode, NBA 2K23 is adding Contact Challenges, where players are instructed by WNBA players, coaches and legends to complete specified objectives in order to earn player boosts.
WNBA content will be weaved into other aspects of NBA 2K23 as well. Users can collect jersey, logo and coach cards in MyTEAM, rewards that can be obtained only through The W.
60 WNBA jerseys will be added to #NBA2K23 throughout Seasons
NBA 2K23 is scheduled to be released Sept. 9. The Seattle Storm's Sue Bird and Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi share cover honors for the "WNBA Edition" of the game.
Little League World Series 2022 Video Game Review: Gameplay Impressions and Features
Aug 22, 2022
Little League World Series 2022 the video game from developer IguanaBee and publisher GameMill Entertainment arrives with an opportunity to do much more than just represent youth baseball.
With its arrival comes a chance to occupy an underdeveloped arcade baseball niche in the video game landscape.
The first LLWS game in more than a decade, this year's release offers a smooth mix of modern gameplay trappings and customization with huge pick-up-and-play potential.
Gameplay
LLWS 2022 is a blast whether in Quick Play or the LLWS tournament bracket itself.
The name of the game is basic accessibility for all levels of player, so the button prompts are simple and easy to grasp right away. Pitching is a matter of picking the type of pitch, ball placement and a timing-based prompt on a slow meter.
Same story in the batter's box, where aiming where the swing goes over the plate and properly timing it equals success. This is certainly not a simulation-heavy approach like MLB The Show, and it doesn't aim to be.
Case in point, some of the outrageous slowed-time chances to make big plays. In the outfield, players will sometimes get to enter something akin to bullet-time in other games, where hitting the proper button prompts at the right time will lead to highlight-reel grabs that rob a batter of a big hit.
Given the arcade trappings, there are some tradeoffs made. Things can get repetitive quick when anything beyond a single is rare, and fielders seem to always have perfect accuracy, which removes some of the spontaneity and randomness that makes real sports and simulation games just a little more interesting.
With the way the camera tracks the ball off the bat, as a defender, it isn't always easy to see where the ball is actually going, nor does spamming the right button often lead to an immediate throw to a base. But given the lighthearted nature of the whole package, it's hard to fret over the missteps too much.
Keeping in line with modern games and inspired by arcade offerings of the past, LLWS 2022 also features Super Abilities players can employ.
Slow Time, for example, does exactly what it sounds like, and Bat Tank just soups up the abilities of a character immensely. Dash, when timed right, provides a boost in key situations. For simplicity's sake, only one super ability is tied to each team, so it can be a little disappointing to hope a player's team has Dash at a timely moment only to remember it's a Bat Tank team. As such, players fill the super gauge by performing plays with any of their characters on a team.
LLWS 2022 was never going to be the most responsive, true-to-life simulation on the market, and it doesn't strive for it. The arcade action is exactly what would-be players should expect, and that makes it accessible to all ages and fun for adults in a local multiplayer setting, which is what it should be given the target audience.
Graphics and Presentation
Some arcade games get everything right but the presentation, which can crush the vibe and derail the release.
LLWS 2022 doesn't have that problem.
The iconic Williamsport Howard J. Lamade Stadium gets a fun representation here as do a few other places. Backgrounds aren't stunning or realistic but instead match the cartoonish vibe well. Everywhere is colorful and at least interesting, with notable props like giant floating balloons fitting in well. There are more locales than expected and each boasts a unique feel, plus players can choose whether a game takes place during day or night to change the aesthetic.
Where LLWS really shines though is in some of the sheer hilarity that can unfold on the field. Player walk-up animations vary and entertaināa personal favorite is a kung-fu-styled one where a kid balances on one leg atop a vertical bat, striking a pose. Character faces also emote hilariously during those bullet-time attempts on the ball, reflecting an epic fail or stunning success.
Another fun point is the commentary, which goes from seriously calling the action to funny side notes between innings like the announcers asking in a very monotone voice for somebody to go shut off their car alarm.
It's colorful and lighthearted all the way around and not unlike what one might expect if they walked up to an arcade baseball machine years ago. Modern things like lighting and shadow work actually look pretty good and there are some interesting sweeps of the camera that other baseball games might want to check out, but the presentation is exactly what it should be for the vibe of the package.
Features and More
As one might expect, LLWS 2022 isn't an overly dense experience on the features front.
The game offers local multiplayer up to four players and a mere handful of game modes. With the aim largely centered on local multiplayer, the approach makes a ton of sense.
The Grove is the biggest exception. It's a locker-room-styled section where players can track challenges (and there are many) that unlock stickers, view player stats and customize teams and characters. There is also a spot to view trophies, cards and even a radio to flick through the game's arcade soundtrack.
Customization is rather extensive. Players can tweak appearance, equipment, stances and even intro animations and walk-up songs. Editing teams doesn't provide a ton of different colors, but one can quickly change the whole look of a team's theme.
There is also a tutorial in The Grove. It's not overly interactive and features reading while flipping through pages, but it's informative enough to answer any outlying questions new players might have.
As far as options, the game doesn't offer much beyond the most basic. During multiplayer, the options run through the expected paces of letting players select rules, stadiums and teams, including the ability to turn off things like super abilities and quick-time events.
Performance-wise, load times are impressively snappy, though appear to come at the cost of some serious background pop-in upon loading. That's a give-and-take that's more than acceptable given the charm of the game.
Conclusion
It's not demeaning to say LLWS is exactly what would-be players think it isāa fun arcade game aimed at a younger audience that isn't trying to compete with the bigger baseball games on the market.
And in that vein, it's a resounding success. It's hard to throw criticism at say, the fact every batter seems to result in a hit when it's an arcade game with an offensive slant in order to provide the most entertainment possible, not a strict simulation.
Laced with pick-up-and-play goodies for those curious, LLWS 2022 has an encouragingly solid foundation to expand upon should future iterations release.
Madden 23 Review: Gameplay Videos, Features and Impressions
Aug 20, 2022
It feels like now or never for one of video gaming's biggest properties as EA Sports rolls out Madden NFL 23.
The legendary, late John Madden is on the cover. The last release, while showing promise in some areas, wasn't exactly well-received (Metacritic rating of 68). The league's website is writing about the game winning approval. It's now the third entry in the series on next-generation consoles.
To its credit, it's a no-stone-unturned approach in Madden 23, where significant upgrades to tackling, passing and defense lead the charge alongside big additions to Franchise and other modes.
By now, most players have heard this type of hype in the past and know to let the final product do the talkingāand Madden 23 does quite a bit of it.
Gameplay
Let's not pull any punches right out of the gate. Madden's new FieldSENSE feature makes it the best-feeling game in the series by a rather notable margin.
There are a lot of little things baked into the new system, but the hit stick getting an upgrade is one of the biggest. It permits players to throw hits mid-air and better emulates the real-life game by throwing weight into a pile to assist in bringing down a ball-carrier.
Battles on the boundary feel refreshed, too, with clear work done to give players more options when it comes to cutting. Players can now use specific button prompts to release off the snap with hops or footfire cuts, while control of defensive backs now includes which direction they press. All defenders now have an interesting ability to evade blocks with the sticks or even try to blow them up.
Of course, it wouldn't make sense for Madden to not keep fine-tuning the passing attack in today's NFL. Players have more specific control over ball placement than ever as they can now enable a target reticle that displays where a pass will go, plus the addition of power and accuracy matters.
That's a great thing especially this year tooābecause the upgrades to defenses have made things suffocatingly difficult at times. Madden 23 promises better A.I. adaption of pass coverages which is true and realistic for the most part (It seems the series will never fully escape spotty interception-attempt logic or humanity-defying displays of athleticism on some picks.). This will eventually make the player base adapt and improve as a whole, though its effectiveness upon the game's launch might cause some negative reactions.
These major new additions don't overshadow some typical Madden problems that pop up from time to time. There are still instances of offensive linemen just deciding not to block and weird angles taken by A.I. defenders.
Overall, veteran players have a pretty big adjustment period to tackle here, especially if they choose to enable the new passing mechanics. That's heavily encouraged given how well they improve the experience. Paired with the other upgrades, this year's gameplay is the first to really feel next generational and more like the real thing than a robotic video game with pre-canned animations.
Graphics and Presentation
First of all, the opening sequence to Madden this year is a tribute to the late, great John Madden, a stunningly great affair blending real and graphical moments for a highlight onlookers won't soon forget.
There has clearly been a push to add even more fresh camera angles and broadcast approaches to pre and postgame activities a year removed from implementing Gameday Atmosphere that made each stadium experience unique.
Besides more variety in the broadcast experience, solid commentary and a soundtrack that seems to offer up less annoyance than the last few games, Madden continues to keep taking impressive visual steps. There are new sets of body types on the field, hair looks fantastic, towels sway naturally, and little details like untucked shirts do the same. Even story-based cutscenes look less robotic along the lines of visuals and mo-cap seemingly reserved only for sports video games.
One of the underrated things that falls into both gameplay and presentation departments is the presence of new player-lock camera angles in modes like Face of the Franchise. These new angles, paired with the gameplay, improve the solo experience when locking into a single participant on a field.
One could argue Madden didn't need to do much in this area. The stadiums are already faithfully recreated and things looked solid last year. But varying up the experience and pushing the boundaries of what works within the game's engines only improves the immersion this year.
Kudos goes to the user experience when it comes to menus this year too. There are notably fewer of them across all modes, which means less time spent trying to remember what is where and why.
Face of the Franchise, Ultimate Team and More
Face of the Franchise: The League is Madden's latest attempt at a single-player experience. A year ago the same mode allowed players to undergo the draft process, though the actual journey was a little corny at times, and the experience beyond it felt like little more than a slightly altered franchise mode.
This year the mode throws out the draft process and permits players, acting as a free agent a handful of years into his career, to immediately ink a one-year deal with a squad. Chad Ochocinco is there to help guide players along in a mode very much focused more on on-field progression than the prior cinematic experiences. There are still cutscenes, but this is more menu management and RPG-styled progression with some interesting side activities to do such as charity work and extra workouts.
Truth be told...this is actually really refreshing for the Madden series. The game can only take players through the draft processābe it a player's created character or fictional guys played by actorsāso many times before we just throw up our hands and skip the mode entirely. This gives players the other half of the pro experience, realistically gunning for improvement, awards, big contracts and perhaps a 99 rating. Past story modes made it easy to drop it completely after a rookie season or a bit more, whereas this might leave players yearning to see an entire career through to its end.
This is also just a savvy narrative decision. With a draft-based story mode, it wasn't uncommon to find out players were resetting their progress or gaming the system to get drafted to the team they desired. While playing a character who has his pick of teams for the right price, players can go where they want and it makes sense narratively.
After fan-backed campaigns for Madden to improve the franchise mode, this year's game makes strides in several oft-requested areas that make the experience as a whole deeper and more enjoyable.
Player motivations, one of the biggest talking points surrounding the upgrades to franchise mode this year, won't stun players who are experienced in sports games. Some free agents want to sign with contenders, others want to play in a big market, etc. It's still nice to see this properly implemented, though, adding to the RPG-ish feel players desire from the mode. This is actually deeper than expected, too, with some players heavily weighting head coach record or even whether there's a mentor at the same position on the roster.
The introduction of Player Tags is an interesting extension of realistic player motivations. A high-profile rookie could have a Day 1 Starter tag that reshuffles the whole depth chart. An obvious Franchise QB tag will influence those free agents who want to play with one. This also, although quietly, should help A.I. teams in the mode avoid doing things like say, bidding on free agency's highest-rated quarterback when they already have a perfectly capable franchise guy on the roster. At times though, motivations and tags seem to have the opposite effect, with names that should never hit the open market doing just that, undoubtedly prompting a post-launch patch.
Free agency gets another layer of intrigue now that it spans three stages. And in a welcome change, teams can only offer on five players, which means one team with the most cap space can no longer just swoop in and gobble up all of the best players on the market.
Like with modern positional classifications, Franchise mode was also missing modern cap activities that fans track. Some of that is new this year, such as the ability to roll over cap to the next season.
Madden 23 also promises better trade, free agent and draft logic. While some viral social media posts will inevitably poke holes in this idea by showing an egregious example or two, as a whole, things feel more realistic than ever in these areas compared to prior games.
As a whole, Franchise does swing in the other direction a bit by simplifying menus, which was much-needed. In the past, the barrage of information on each screen was hard to track as was general navigation.
For years, Madden has strived for accessibility and simplicity to Ultimate Team, which is nearly impossibleāthe depth of the mode and number of game modes within the mode that could honestly be its own separate release make that difficult.
Madden's latest attempt comes in the form of a Field Pass idea. On paper, it's a season pass like in other live-service games. This is split into three: one tailored toward the season, another for the competitive side of the mode and yet another for a specific running program. The latter two help progress the first. Sounds complicated, but it really boils down to just clicking through extra reward tiers, and should players want to get more specific in chasing rewards, they're free to do so.
MUT Champions, formerly Weekend League, is the other big mixup. Players can now take part in the competitive mode all week, with 25 playable matches possible before a weekly reset.
Maybe the biggest welcome change was the raising of each player's overall rating in the starting base sets upon beginning the mode. It's a little thing, but not having to drudge through terrible gameplay because a starter pack contained players hovering in the 60 overall range is nice. So too is the lessening of Power Ups to get competitive.
Outside of the major modes, Madden again offers some new, smaller things (like the really fun Madden Legacy Game), online games and arcade-based offerings like The Yard (the flashy mode that was a major focus but already relegated to a sub-menu). The laundry list of ways to play again encompasses any many types of players possible, again complemented nicely by different levels of difficulty, styles of game and sliders baked into the menu systems.
Conclusion
"Hit Everything" is one of the taglines of Madden 23, and it does that to varying degrees of success. "Back to Basics" might have made more senseāand that's not a bad thing.
The actual hitting on the field feels much better and realistic in a meaningful way, and the new passing mechanics and newfound skill displayed by A.I. teammates and opponents raise the skill gap. But the upgrades to game modes are incremental at best as the series once again stretches itself a bit thin trying to please everyone at all times. But at the same time, that feels a lot better than the entire game's developmental time feeling like it went to an arcade mode most didn't seem to want in the first place.
It feels a little similar to a defensive back giving up a TD but still getting strong overall grades in coverage. This is the best edition of Madden to date and a no-brainer for newcomers. Veteran players will find enough tweaked on the field and in beloved game modes to upgrade, too. In that sense, Madden 23 is a resounding success and one that makes it exciting to think about how the next edition might improve upon it.
Chargers' Derwin James Jr. Calls on His Family to Protest His Madden NFL 23 Rating
Aug 19, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 26: Derwin James #33 of the Los Angeles Chargers looks on against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. apparently isn't happy with his rating in Madden NFL 23, and he has enlisted his family to plead his case.
James posted a video Friday in which he calls on his mother and grandmother to reach out to the game's rating adjusters, and he included the contact number:
Had to call on the fam to go after @EAMaddenNFL for disrespecting me!!
James has an overall rating of 93, which is second among strong safeties behind New Orleans Saints star Tyrann Mathieu. While James is unhappy with his rating, he's surely comforted by the reported four-year, $76.4 million contract extension he received earlier this week. The deal has an average annual value of $19.1 million and makes him the highest-paid safety in NFL history.
Madden NFL 23 was released Friday.
Madden 23: Expert Review Scores and Fan Reaction
Aug 19, 2022
The NFL logo is seen on the field at M&T Bank Stadium prior to an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Tennessee Titans, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Madden 23 is hereāfor 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 "doesnāt 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:
Is it me or does Madden 23 face of the franchise kinda feel like the old superstar mode ??
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:
Madden 23 has improved on every aspect of franchise mode
My personal opinion is that Madden 23 franchise mode is still leaves a lot to be desired.
Initial thoughts: A lot of reshuffling of the deck. But pretty much the same stuff that was in 22. #Madden23
— John Altamura (Author | AKA CGF_Sports) (@CGF_Sports) August 16, 2022
Man, Madden 23 is a disappointment. No updated uniforms or helmet, no rookie face scan and very little changes to franchise mode š¤¦š½āāļø why why I keep doing this to myself. #Madden23
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.
The 2022 NFL season may not be here yet, but Madden season has arrived. This week, another edition of the popular football video game series is dropping, as...
Madden 23: Top Reviews and Reaction from Around the Web
Aug 17, 2022
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DeSean Jackson (1) wears custom cleats honoring John Madden during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
People have had differing opinions regarding Madden NFL video games in recent years. Some enjoy the series as much as they always have, while others don't believe EA Sports improves/adds enough on an annual basis.
Well, it's time for gamers to react to another addition to the franchise. Madden 23 is officially released on Friday, but some have already played the game via a 10-hour EA Play trial or the three-day early access that came with preordering the All Madden edition of the game.
There aren't many reviews out yet, but impressions and reactions are starting to trickle their way online. And it seems opinions of the game are mixed so far.
One of the more in-depth early reviews came from Izsak Barnette of Goomba Stomp Magazine. He had positive things to say about the Madden 23 gameplay, which was a primary focus for the series this year with the introduction of the FieldSENSE mechanic to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions.
"Madden 23 is the best that the classic American football series has felt in a long time," Barnette wrote. "Improved passing, better animations, realistic tackling, and more dynamic on-ball defense make this one of the more impressive Madden games that weāve had in a while, at least gameplay-wise."
Barnette acknowledged in his early impressions that he hasn't dived into game modes such as Face of the Franchise, Franchise and Madden Ultimate Team. But there was plenty of praise for the on-field experience in his review.
If you're wondering exactly how Madden 23 compares to Madden 22 in terms of visuals, Eric Rayweather released a side-by-side comparison of the games on YouTube:
Madden 23 appears to have done a better job of capitalizing on the improved technology that comes with the new generation of consoles. And it could be the foundation for the series to keep building upon in future years.
The gameplay also received some early praise on social media:
Madden 23ās gameplay feels like the best Madden in YEARS
Of course, there are always going to be people at both ends of the spectrum. Some are going to enjoy Madden 23 a good bit and be playing it throughout the season, while others may be disappointed they bought it.
As more people get their hands on the game this week, more reviews and reactions are going to appear. So it will be interesting to see how the game is received when it reaches a larger audience.
For now, these early impressions at least give undecided buyers a glimpse into this year's game. But for those who aren't sure whether they should purchase Madden 23, it may be better to wait for more reviews to surface, as there aren't a ton of opinions out there yet.
Back in the day, one of the most exciting parts of a new Madden football video game being released was loading it up for the first time and diving into the...
Madden 23: Latest Details on Early Access and MUT Mode Ahead of Official Release Date
Aug 16, 2022
Wilson footballs sit on the sidelines during the first half of a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
The latest edition of the Madden NFL video game series has arrived. Well, for some people that is.
There were two ways that gamers could access Madden 23 on Monday. EA Play members got a 10-hour trial for early access that could begin at 10 a.m. ET. Then, people who bought the All Madden edition of the game could download it starting at midnight ET.
If you didn't fit into either of those categories, then you'll have to wait until Friday to play Madden 23. But that's not too far away, and there's plenty of information regarding the game to check out in the meantime.
This year's version of Madden is the third to be released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. There are some notable upgrades and additions that should improve upon the past editions, including some that take better advantage of the new-generation technology.
While there are quite a few modes that have been improved, we're going to take a closer look at one that many people are sure to dive into quickly upon the game's release: Madden Ultimate Team.
People who have played MUT in recent years are quite familiar with the premise of the mode. You're trying to build the best possible lineup of cards by completing challenges, buying packs and bidding for them on the auction house.
It should come as no surprise that EA Sports has changed some things regarding MUT for Madden 23, considering it's one of the series' most popular components. And these upgrades could make for a better experience.
Gridiron Notes brings you an in-depth breakdown of all new features coming to #Madden23 Ultimate Team:
Among the notable additions is the concept of a Field Pass. This is a way for MUT players to "always know what you need to do next." According to EA Sports, gamers will "be able to see all the levels, rewards, and plenty of objectives to complete to make progress on every Field Pass."
New Field Passes will come out during each season. This seems like a great way for MUT players to stay on course and go through every possible avenue to improve their roster.
If you were a fan of the Weekend League in Madden Ultimate Team last year, you may be surprised when you don't see that listed in this year's game. That's because it now has a new name: MUT Champions.
As the name change implies, games no longer have to be played on the weekend and can be completed on any day of the week. Players can partake in up to 25 games per week, and you can earn entry tokens by making progress in the Competitive Field Pass.
In addition to these changes, MUT now features easier-to-navigate sets, higher overalls for starter teams and simplified strategy items. All of the details regarding these modifications can be found at EA.com.
For gamers looking to assemble one of the best MUT rosters out there, there's no time to waste. Those people with early access are already hard at work grinding through challenges and testing their luck by buying packs.
Of course, the MUT landscape changes greatly over the lifespan of the game. That's because new promotions will be released, as better and better cards will continue to be dropped into the game.
But everybody has to start from scratch in Madden Ultimate Team. So if you want to be successful in the long run, you'll need to put in either the time or dollars to do so.
