Madden NFL 23 Review: 3 Ups & 7 Downs

Downs...

7. The Presentation

Madden 23 Penalty
EA Sports

Presentation should be one of Madden's biggest strengths.

Tune into any real-world NFL broadcast and you'll be treated to swooping camera shots, spectacular overhead views, bustling activity on the sidelines and some of the most passionate sporting fans on the planet. Very little of that is actually replicated in-game, which is a real shame.

Commentary from Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis is seriously tired. You'll hear the same lines and phrases you did years ago, and some of them fail to match up with what just happened post-snap. Their creaking banter, as well as crowds who look like they'd rather be anywhere else, don't help Madden 23 at all.

The series of canned animations that happen with coaches, coordinators and teammates also struggles to elevate the atmosphere. Honestly, EA may as well have put cardboard cutouts on the sidelines/in the stands, and hit mute on the Gaudin/Davis combo.

Oh for a Madden-esque "BOOM!".

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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.