Madden NFL 22 Review: 4 Ups & 5 Downs

Downs...

5. Face Of The Franchise

Face Of The Franchise is the main story mode, but think of this year's version as a glorified tutorial that's designed to show you the ropes more than dazzle with player choice. It's a largely on-rails experience, but therein lies the problem: EA's need to craft a cheesy sports movie story strips FOTF of meaningful key decisions.

Any decisions made are inconsequential and only really determine where XP lands. That'd be fine if the whole thing wasn't presented as some deep, immersive banner feature. It's not all bad, in fairness - being able to play on the defensive side of the ball is a nice step. It's just...well, the mode feels rather hollow, and it pretty much turns into standard Franchise once your hopeful gets drafted.

Exactly none of the main characters are all that likeable either, which is a problem. Your player comes across as the flimsy 'outgoing jock with a heart deep down', and his backup cast (agent Jordan Wright and brand manager Zo) are equally as grating.

Also, there's a weird moment when you play a Yard-style pickup game with real NFL stars under the guise of some elite training camp.