Is Madden 23 Worth Buying on PS5? Yes, The Best Madden Yet Despite Some Familiar Flaws

As an annual NFL gaming staple, a new Madden release always brings excitement followed by the question – is it worth buying this year? For Madden 23 on PS5, the answer is a resounding yes…with a few caveats. Let‘s dig into the upgrades that make Madden 23 a must-have for gridiron gamers, along with the lingering issues holding it back from true greatness.

Gameplay Finally Reaches Next Gen Potential

The first thing you‘ll notice booting up Madden 23 is how much smoother and reactive player movement feels. After some stagnant years, the gameplay finally lives up to the promise of new consoles. Animations look realistic with fluid transitions between moves. You can feel the weight shift as ball carriers plant their feet and cut upfield. Defenders mirror wideouts step-for-step in coverage. EA‘s new FieldSENSE engine transforms body physics and responsiveness for PS5.

But don‘t just take my word for it. Early reviews praise these gameplay leaps:

"The animation system is now so advanced that it‘s easier to believe the world within Madden 23 is real." – IGN

"Running the ball is an absolute joy." – GameSpot

Specific improvements include:

• Skill Based Cut-Ups for quicker feet and lateral agility
• 360 Cut moves to change direction on a dime
• Enhanced run blocking that steers runners downfield
• More impactful hit physics and tackles

The result is football action that looks and feels like the real NFL broadcasts we watch on Sundays. Playing Madden 23 cements it as the best virtual gridiron experience ever thanks to these responsive, intelligent gameplay upgrades.

DualSense Support Completes Immersion

Beyond smoother visuals, Madden 23 leverages the PS5‘s DualSense controller to fully immerse you into games. Feel quarterback throws through subtle resistance in the triggers. Sense the recoil of helmet crunching hits via haptic feedback. Hear approaching defenders through the speaker.

These ambient physical effects synced to gameplay highlights blend you into the football atmosphere. Along with near instant loading to skip between modes, it showcases the PS5 hardware perks missing on past-gen. Playing Madden 23 makes it hard to go back to muted DualShock 4 rumbles.

Franchise Mode Finally Gets Some Love

Madden‘s long neglected Franchise mode sees some improvements that fans have requested for years. Now you can fully manage your coaching staff by hiring coordinators, scouts and trainers. Each has key ratings that feed into your team‘s overall success. Do you splurge on an elite offensive coordinator like Eric Bieniemy to supercharge scoring? Or invest in a top scout to unlock hidden gem prospects on draft day?

Expanded staff control merges the front office team-building of Football Manager with Madden‘s on-field action. It creates a more authentic GM simulation and another strategic layer to construct franchises that suits your philosophy. Along with other tweaks like player personalities, sponsorships and a revamped Scouting system, this revived Franchise mode depth helps justify purchasing Madden 23 year after year.

Presentation Still Best-In-Class For Sports Games

Let‘s not overlook the television broadcast quality presentation that sets Maddon apart from sterile competitors like NBA 2K23. From slick menus to seamless pre-game/halftime cutscenes, you feel immersed in an NFL Sunday. Commentary refers to specific players and context to stay fresh season after season. Between the visuals and addictive Ultimate Team mode, production value remains unmatched.

On PS5, Madden 23 looks stunning with pinpoint accurate player faces and equipment details that leap off the screen. Animations like Derwin James‘ fist pumps or George Kittle‘s first down celebrations add a human touch missing from robotic NPCs in some games. Aside from occasional wonky collision detection, Madden provides graphics that look virtually photorealistic during fast paced gameplay.

So for anyone who wants their football games to mimic the drama and energy of actual NFL telecasts, Madden continually delivers.

The Verdict: Must-Buy For NFL Diehards, Despite Some Deja Vu

Stepping back, Madden NFL 23 continues a longstanding franchise tradition – highly polished iterative improvement over revolutionary changes that overhaul the series. But the sum of these smart gameplay evolutions, long-requested Franchise tweaks and excellent presentation is an NFL gaming package no fan should miss out on.

Could bolder innovations happen in the future like an NCAA football revival? Of course. For now, EA delivers the most realistic, content-rich NFL video game ever with Madden 23 on PS5. The excellent on-field action enhanced by DualSense along with deeper Franchise mode and The Yard‘s casual fun make it well worth the $70 entry fee, minor flaws aside.

While the graphical leap expected from new console generations remains elusive, I strongly recommend NFL enthusiasts pick up Madden 23 to experience modern football gaming refinement at its finest. Veteran players will welcome the tangible gameplay improvements, and newcomers get the best place to start learning the virtual gridiron. Madden 23 retains football gaming‘s championship belt on PlayStation 5.