Madden NFL 22 Review: 4 Ups & 5 Downs

Downs...

5. Face Of The Franchise

Madden 22
EA Sports

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.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.