Madden 21 is superior then Madden 23

[Grey_Osprey]

For me it's what 21 doesn't have that makes it better for me.

HFA/Momentum
Horribly tedious and poorly thought out Scouting update (hello scroll function!)
Depth Charts resetting (at least I haven't encountered it)

21 has:
the same one-sided Scenario Engine
the same lackluster Owners/GM mode
the same eye-sore relocation uni's/team names
the same non-existent historical stats
the same lack of refs

Outside of skill base passing and maybe graphical improvements, 23 is all FOMO, in my humble opinion. But, opinions vary, so if you're enjoying the "most polished Madden ever", please continue to do so.

[icicle22]

I was a big fan of the feel of 21 and do consider going back to play it but the one thing that bugged the crap out of me was when the AI QB just throws the ball into the sideline as soon as you begin to break containment. I mean, I could use a move with Myles Garrett and just start to beat my man, but still be 5 yds from the QB and he'd chuck it away. Frustrated the heck out of me because it was hard to get sacks at all. Seemed like this was the new AI QB bug to replace the previous gen "drop' back until sacked" bug.

Is it still an issue? I can't remember if it ever go patched. Thanks.

[JoshC1977]

Quote: Originally Posted by icicle22

I was a big fan of the feel of 21 and do consider going back to play it but the one thing that bugged the crap out of me was when the AI QB just throws the ball into the sideline as soon as you begin to break containment. I mean, I could use a move with Myles Garrett and just start to beat my man, but still be 5 yds from the QB and he'd chuck it away. Frustrated the heck out of me because it was hard to get sacks at all. Seemed like this was the new AI QB bug to replace the previous gen "drop' back until sacked" bug. Is it still an issue? I can't remember if it ever go patched. Thanks.

It never got patched but it is a super easy fix; just turn the "throw away" trait to off for the QBs. They will still throw the ball away, but it won't be at that crazy rate.

[RogueHominid]

This is one you could approach in a number of ways, and everyone has different priorities, to be sure.

21 is commendable for me in the following ways:

* Player movement feels weightier
* CPU roster management is generally good & the draft is not too easy
* Features like momentum, HFA, & game plans/adjustments are absent, and I
think they're not as well implemented in 23 as they should be, so not having
them makes the game feel like it's more about ratings
* Progressive fatigue is not in the game, which makes auto subs and rotations a
bit easier to predict and work with, IMO
* The game is fully stable, with none mid-cycle adjustments that affect game plan
and can put you back to square one slider- or approach-wise

21 could be improved in the area of CPU QB AI (per Josh's point).

23 is:

* Graphically pretty amazing
* Good w/r/t CPU competitiveness and play calling
* A bit more immersive w/ the generational draft talent and the movement that's
been introduced by the tags system
* Still subject to the in-cycle phenomenon of patches that fix one thing and mess
another thing up

If they could make 23 stable (i.e., no major adjustments mid-stream to how basic things like coverage and QBA work), I'd say 23 is hands-down the better game because its graphics and competitiveness for offline players is so good, and because the tags system is interesting.

I just think the thing holding 23 back a bit for me is the number of bugs and partially-implemented features.

That said, if there's a way for me to keep on trucking with 23, I'll do that. But if things get patched in a bad way or the game play gets tuned for tournament season in a way I don't love, I'd have no compunction going back to 21.

[JoshC1977]

Quote: Originally Posted by RogueHominid

This is one you could approach in a number of ways, and everyone has different priorities, to be sure. 21 is commendable for me in the following ways: * Player movement feels weightier * CPU roster management is generally good & the draft is not too easy * Features like momentum, HFA, & game plans/adjustments are absent, and I think they're not as well implemented in 23 as they should be, so not having them makes the game feel like it's more about ratings * Progressive fatigue is not in the game, which makes auto subs and rotations a bit easier to predict and work with, IMO * The game is fully stable, with none mid-cycle adjustments that affect game plan and can put you back to square one slider- or approach-wise 21 could be improved in the area of CPU QB AI (per Josh's point). 23 is: * Graphically pretty amazing * Good w/r/t CPU competitiveness and play calling * A bit more immersive w/ the generational draft talent and the movement that's been introduced by the tags system * Still subject to the in-cycle phenomenon of patches that fix one thing and mess another thing up If they could make 23 stable (i.e., no major adjustments mid-stream to how basic things like coverage and QBA work), I'd say 23 is hands-down the better game because its graphics and competitiveness for offline players is so good, and because the tags system is interesting. I just think the thing holding 23 back a bit for me is the number of bugs and partially-implemented features. That said, if there's a way for me to keep on trucking with 23, I'll do that. But if things get patched in a bad way or the game play gets tuned for tournament season in a way I don't love, I'd have no compunction going back to 21.

This is a really solid breakdown that mirrors my thinking. I'll say it a little differently: Give me M23 minus all of the "features" added in M22.

[Heisman]

M21 plays a solid game of football, but the presentation is awful. I can’t stand seeing highlights of a game that hasn’t happened yet. M22 greatly improved on this aspect and M23 was a step down from 22 imo.

Overall I’ll just stick with 23 with the improvements made to gameplay and free agency.

[Housh123]

Idk man, i personally like 23 from a standpoint of there really isn’t much you can cheese on this game. To my knowledge there aren’t any BS plays and that was a huge reason i quit playing Madden competitively. If a blitz is getting to you instantly it’s because your opponent is rushing more than you are blocking. In last games there was nanos that worked no matter how many you blocked. That’s not fun.


The cheesiest thing on this years game is the high passes getting caught so much but even that is good because in past games you could not FEEL the impact of having a Randy Moss or a Calvin Johnson. It’s cheesy but i do like y’all WRs being a threat


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[Caulfield]

I don't have 23 and I've only had 22 since August or September,
but I'mamthisclose to going back to 21.

I can't get the sliders in 22 dialed in like I had in 21 that matches my skill set.
in 22, whatever I do, All-pro is just a hair too difficult, and pro is waay too easy.
but I really don't want to have to go back to 21.

maybe if I can make do with 22 through December, I won't wait until Madden 24 drops to move on to 23 and instead buy it in January.
I should be able to get it fairly cheaply around about then.

anyways, for my own personal taste, I'd at least say 21 is better than 22