About a month ago I gave my thoughts on the Madden 23 beta. My main takeaway was that I liked most things about the new gameplay features but needed to see what changes EA would make with the popular single-player game modes like Connected Franchise and Face of the Franchise in Madden 23 before making any wild claims. I won’t be talking about Connected Franchise in this article because Kevin did so in his own beta impressions piece. However, I will be digging into Face of the Franchise. And like my time with the beta overall, I came away relatively impressed.
Here are my very, very early Madden 23 Face of the Franchise beta impressions.
Madden 23 Beta Face Of The Franchise Impressions
New Story With Fresh Perspective
The first thing you’ll notice when firing up Face of the Franchise this season is that you are no longer a young, promising rookie. Instead, this year’s story focuses on you, a fifth-year NFL veteran working hard to prove he belongs in the league. The thought process behind this is to streamline your player’s journey to the NFL, which is ultimately what most people care about most. My only gripe with this is that it would be nice to have the option to start as a rookie, but I understand that until EA gets this game mode down and the gameplay refined, there are other areas of the game for them to focus on right now.
After you decide on your position and basic information, a cutscene will appear between you and your agent. After some back and forth discussion, the two of you decide that taking a one-year deal with a team to prove your worth is your best option. From there, gamers will have the opportunity to decide on any of the 32 teams. However, each team’s interest will vary, affecting how much experience is earned and how big of a contract you might receive. EA also does an excellent job of showing you which team you are a “scheme” fit for and also which teams have a need for your skill position.
Madden will assign a letter grade to each team’s interest. I received more than my fair share of D’s and C’s, but my best fit was with the Kansas City Chiefs for a one-year deal worth $3.1M. The Chiefs were a perfect scheme fit, and with a B-, they were my most compatible team. EA also rewarded me with 1,600 points, to be used later to purchase certain traits and other perks.
From here, the journey was only getting started.
New Features Inject Life Into Face Of The Franchise
After you sign with your new team, you will find yourself inside the new facilities with your jersey hanging up at your locker. Here, EA allows you one last chance to change your jersey number or any other information you may want to change before beginning on your journey. For those who have used Madden’s creation suite in the past, most faces have been copied and pasted.
Next, you and your agent have a meeting to discuss your goals in 2022. This triggered two options: tell your agent you’re “ready to be a star” or ‘I’m ready to help my team in any way possible.” Of course, I was ready to become a star, so that’s how I responded to his question. What this ultimately did, I’m still not sure.
Something I think brings new life to Face of the Franchise is the weekly tasks players could set for their character. Here’s an example of the tasks I could set up for my created wide receiver throughout the week and how it impacted that week’s game.
Madden 23 Face of the Franchise weekly tasks list:
Monday
- Rest Day
Tuesday
- Prank war (post funny video of teammate being pranked) +100 cred
- Game Night (live stream a Madden tournament) + 3 awareness in next game
- Too slow (challenge a teammate to a race that’s been talking) +1 speed in next game
Wednesday
- Attack Cover 1 (on-field training)
Thursday
- Pump some Iron +2 strength
- Leg compression +1 agility
- Get your wind up +3 stamina
Friday
- Cryo Treatment +5 stamina
- Massage Therapy +5 stamina
- Magic Massage +5 stamina
Saturday – GameDay
Another thing I think Madden 23 is doing well with Face of the Franchise is the in-game goals and season objectives.
Many of EA’s objectives and milestones throughout a game seemed achievable. For example, the objective might be to record over 100 yards receiving in a single game. Another objective might be to score a touchdown on the current drive. Maybe another would be to pick up the first down. This aspect was done very well and added meaning to each drive. Best of all, you could decide which of these objectives were most achievable for your situation. The more complicated the challenge, the more Madden coins you would receive.
There were season goals, too. These goals take a season to work towards but will feel rewarding in the end. Some examples in the beta were to eclipse 10+ touchdowns or over 1,000 yards receiving. Each goal seemed more than achievable, and again, motivated me to make every rep count. These additions, coupled with the new FieldSense gameplay system, have me excited for the future of Madden.
Gameplay And Presentation Impressions
As someone fond of the new gameplay additions during my time with the beta, I’m excited about how they’ve translated to Face of the Franchise. The game has a new life now, and it’s more than an improved storyline and added attention to detail. This year’s game feels more natural and realistic than some of the games in the past. Tackling animations, offensive line play, the way the AI reacts in-game are all places where I feel a difference.
Those looking to play wide receiver or defensive back should have a better time now with this year’s new controls. Matchups between defensive backs and wide receivers feel more realistic with the new controls and battles downfield. I also can’t talk about Face of the Franchise without praising the new camera angle they used this year. The off-centered but player-specific camera angle made me feel more involved in the game. It is being done correctly like we’ve seen with NHL and FIFA in the past.
The new gameplay features, and believe it or not, the improved camera angle will be a difference maker in Face of the Franchise and other game modes like The Yard and Superstar KO.
Bottom Line
At this point, the question is how much of Face of the Franchise was available in the beta. After all, if there’s not much more to the cutscenes or the different weekly tasks to discover, this could get stale rather quickly. But considering the game’s primary objective is to reach the 99 club and ultimately hoist the Lombardi Trophy, I’m going to assume the beta was only the beginning of something potentially great.
There are a few things I’d like to see eventually added. For example, EA’s primary focus seems to be on the quarterback position. Often it felt like the game mode, and many of its cutscenes were catered to the QB position. This makes sense because I’m sure it’s what the majority of folks pick, but a position-specific storyline and cutscenes would be a game-changer.
Another thing that would help Madden achieve some of the same feats as SDS’ Road to the Show would involve giving players more options overall. I’ve enjoyed the different cutscenes and interactions, but I feel like there could be more. One example of this would be a wide receiver potentially unhappy with his targets during a game. Also, why not have a few scenes throughout a meaningful game to allow players to interact with the quarterback or head coach on the sidelines.
In the end, I would never suggest Face of the Franchise is on a Road to the Show level or MyCareer in NBA 2K, but I think it’s one step closer to eventually reaching that goal.
