Macrorealism Mired In Microtransactions HIGH The on-court gameplay reaches new heights of realism LOW Microtransactions and cash grabs sink to new depths of capitalism WTF I sprained seven knuckles trying to recreate moves like Kobe. For the last few years, I’ve ended every NBA 2K review the same way — […]
HIGH Animations and AI combine to deliver unique, unpredictable gameplay.
LOW The selection of modes hasn’t changed much in a decade.
WTF Why do the menus have lag and load time?
HIGH The courses, player animations, and commentary are all stunning.
LOW The analog swing stick mechanic is laggy and imprecise.
WTF The create-a-player suite would have to strive just to achieve “basic.”
HIGH Wrestling controls haven’t felt this tight since Nintendo 64.
LOW Matches with more than four wrestlers can get chaotic.
WTF Wrestling will never lose collision detection glitches near the ropes, will it?
HIGH The refined three-click-and-stick swing controls are wonderful.
LOW The graphics are fairly flat, even on new hardware.
WTF Are we the only residents of “Golf Island?”
HIGH Defensive controls are an unexpected highlight.
LOW Offensive controls are alarmingly familiar.
WTF The coaches in Career Mode are impossible to impress.
HIGH The visuals finally feel worthy of new console horsepower…
LOW …until the replays are seen up close.
WTF SNES hockey strategy shouldn’t work in 2022.
HIGH The on-court gameplay is nearly flawless
LOW The grinding is nearly endless
WTF Fake social media stardom is just exhausting
HIGH FieldSense passing is a precision QB’s dream.
LOW Learning the advanced controls is beyond difficult.
WTF The graphical glitches are simply unforgivable in 2022.
The friendly folks at EA Sports were kind enough to invite GameCritics to a closed beta of the hotly anticipated Madden NFL 23. Obviously, I jumped at the chance to spend a few hours with it, as this latest Madden is expected to represent actual forward progress into the current generation of consoles, and not just a cross-generation juke step.