Top three best “Madden23” updates, plus beta test coming soon

May 26, 2022, 6:33 AM

Denver Sports Analyst

I don’t have a lot of time to play video games anymore. However, I do have time to play “Madden.” I’ve been a fan since my days playing on the Sega Genesis decades ago (yes, I’m an old gamer).

We are soon going to get a trailer for “Madden23” and I can’t wait. There are some sites leaking footage of animation from the new game, and football fans (and gamers) are getting hyped up once again.

The Denver Broncos are featured in some of this leaked footage, and it’s fun to see what they look like this year in “Madden23.” I get to watch Russell Wilson in person at Broncos practice but seeing him in the new Madden animations got me excited (as I do every year) for the upcoming game.

Whaddya think of the #Madden23 animations #BroncosCountry? @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/UyYIbMoLek

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) May 26, 2022

Here are my top-three favorite “Madden 23” updates and some news about when the beta will be released.

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Hit Everything

The tackling in “Madden” has always been an issue for me. There has been an “animation” style which gets kind of boring when you play as much Madden as I do. Sometimes you make a tackle that is almost impossible from a physiological standpoint, and it takes some of the fun out of the game. You must suspend reality a bit when playing any video game – even sports video games – so these types of anatomical anomalies are often laughable instead of being a great tackle.

“Madden23” is set to feature a new system called “hit everything” where the hit stick is utilized to put some extra “oomph” in the tackle. Using the hit stick triggers physics driven animations that reward you as a tackler and how much impact you had on the play. I can’t wait to be rewarded with a big hit on an opponent – especially when I’m playing “Madden Ultimate Team” online.

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Skill-Based Passing

This could be my favorite update of all the 10 (and my top three). “Madden23” is bringing back – and improving on – skill-based passing. This means that passes will no longer be random button mashing where you hope the game picked up on the right animation. Instead, gamers will have more control over the placement, power and accuracy of their passes.

This sounds complex, but if you’ve played other sports games like FIFA from EA Sports, then you’ll be familiar with a similar system. Video games are much more intense than they used to be, and I can see how some casual gamers will not like this change. I remember the old “QB Vision Cone” from Madden06 that was a flop. This sounds much more in depth, and it will put the skilled players even further ahead from the “weekend warriors” who fire up their consoles only sparingly.

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Slow Down Effect

With a higher degree of difficulty when it comes to precision passing, “Madden” is letting you slow down the play at the time of the pass. I’m not sure how I’ll like this feature just yet. It sounds intriguing, but the execution is going to be what determines whether I like it or not. The “slow down effect” can be adjusted, and perhaps I’ll find a happy medium – or not use the feature at all.

Examples of the slowdown effect are:

• 25 = game slows down to 25% of normal Madden speed
• 50 = game slows to 50% of normal Madden speed
• 75 = game slows to 75% of normal Madden speed
• 100 = No slowdown effect. Game runs at normal Madden speed

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Beta Coming Soon

There are rumblings online about “Madden23” beta coming soon. There should be applications for a beta code going around soon. There will be some lucky gamers who get to play “Madden23” before the rest of us. It’s been a few years since I’ve entered this “lottery” to get a code and won, but it’s something I hope for every year – and it’s a weird flex to your gamer buddies.

Last year, “Madden22” beta was set for early June and this year should be no different. After the trailer, the beta for “Madden23” should come near the end of the first week of June. I’ll be excited to watch the footage that is released online even if I don’t get a beta code!