RELATED: Madden NFL 22: Top Offensive Linemen, RankedBut nothing is perfect and making changes also means making mistakes. There are still flaws within the game that can ruin the experience for somebody coming back to the series with higher expectations. There will always be minor issues, but these are the most serious issues that should be solved with a high priority.
10 Server Crashes
Servers going down was a problem during early release and now, this more players joining, they’re even worse, going from once every hour to once every few minutes. The crashes have become so frequent and widespread that EA had to acknowledge the issue. Server failures are a problem for many titles, but for Madden NFL 22, it’s twice as bad.
Single-player modes also require a connection, so these crashes ruin games for everyone. Players who just tossed the perfect touch pass in the middle of a game will see the game end before watching the receiver pull the ball in.
9 Slow Tackle Animations
In fairness to the folks over at EA, when players demanded sharper and tighter offensive movements, they provided it this year. The running feels crisp and clean and running backs are now much harder to stop. There’s even a new animation reaching out for first-down yardage.
The issue here is that while the offense got some nice upgrades, the defense did not. The best cornerbacks in the game had a tough time chasing down runners before, now they’re completely hosed. The game was already tilted toward offense, if something isn’t done soon, this is going to get even worse.
8 AI Mobility
The AI-controller units have always been slower than player-controlled units, but it damages this year’s entry more than those in the past. With the new addition of linebacker to Face of the Franchise, slow teammates end up with all of the stats.
Quick players will get double blocked and then blocked again by the running back. This usually frees up some other player to go and get the block while the player’s character is dealing with a triple team. There is little to no hope of being a top linebacker in the NFL while the AI’s sluggish movements.
7 Broken Plays
The playbook needs a bad cleanup. Some of the plays in these books are simply non-functional, leaving linemen open to get free hits on the quarterback. The best defensive linemen in football create enough problems on their own, they don’t need busted coverage to help them along.
RELATED: Madden NFL 22: Top Tight Ends, RankedSeriously, if there isn’t a playbook in the NFL that asks running backs to go backward and out of bounds on a route, then there shouldn’t be one in Madden NFL 22. The selection of plays is appreciated, but it’s time to do some weeding.
6 Running Effectiveness
For years now, some of the best players in the world and Madden Bowl champions have completely abandoned the passing game. One year, the champ won using a punter as a quarterback because he always handed the ball off.
For a league increasingly designed to accommodate the best passers around, it’s beyond silly that passing still remains so inferior to running in the game. Nothing has changed in that regard this year and it’s going to mess up tournaments just like the last few years.
5 Matchmaking
The act of putting teams with all 99 OVR players against teams with bronzes and silvers needs to stop. Period. It takes all the fun out of getting one of the best running backs available only to run into a team that has every position filled by players who are the best of all time.
This punishes gamers who play well by forcing their underdog team to go against whales that have spent literally tens of thousands of dollars on MUT cards and packs. This isn’t fun and, if enough players leave, it won’t be profitable either.
4 Pass Rush Controls
Getting through blockers takes a lot of quick thinking and skill. Players need to be able to respond to the moves of the offensive lineman and decide, in a fraction of a second, the best way to get around. So it’s rather insulting to succeed in the movement and yet remain blocked.
The controls are broken and it has actually taken a step back this year with more focus on linebackers and less on the defensive line. Even in the rare event that the animation actually triggers, it takes forever. Some X-Factor abilities reduce this time, but it has still gotten preposterously long, even for these superstars.
3 Unskippable Cutscenes
Don’t get it twisted, it’s very much appreciated that the story was more straightforward and less convoluted this year. And it’s also nice that most of the cutscenes can be skipped for players that are going through the game multiple times.
RELATED: Madden NFL 22: Top Wide Receivers, RankedBut at various points during Franchise and Face of the Franchise, there are cutscenes with dialogue that is typed, not spoken, and players have to watch the entire silent play unfold. Please let these scenes be skipped, too.
2 Locked Out Skills
Each class type gets a set of skills to invest in. In The Yard, every player needs to throw, catch, run, tackle, cover, and blitz. So it makes sense that even running backs would want to work on their passing skills.
Yet unlike years before, avatar skills are limited to a select group of upgrades. Why, in the year when it’s the most important to be well-rounded, are players being prevented from selecting these categorical upgrades?
1 Zone Defense In The Yard
Want To Lose In The Yard? Simply select a zone defense! Players in a six-on-six have too much ground to cover playing this way and even the computer knows to immediately overwhelm one zone and torch the outnumbered defender.
This either needs to be fixed so that zone players have a chance or completely scrapped and replaced with a comprehensive way for players to choose who to line up against.
NEXT: Madden NFL 22: Top Quarterbacks, Ranked
