It’s like watching your favorite sports team when they’re in a slump.
This downward trend has been going for some time now, and I’ve grown irritated seeing modes largely untouched and similar technical errors carrying over year to year. FIFA 22 and MLB: The Show 21 earned the highest averages, around 78, but it’s telling that none of these franchises could even crack the 80 mark. NBA 2K has largely been the franchise to beat, but NBA 2K22 only holds a 76, some of the lowest marks the series has seen in years. Madden NFL 22 earned an abysmal 60, NHL 22, which promised to change its metagame, disappointed with a 74.
Metacritic scores are anything but impressive for the biggest sports around. To put it bluntly, the genre is struggling, and even the new console generation hasn’t been the answer to rejuvenating it. If you buy the yearly iteration of your favorite sports video game, chances are you haven’t had much to cheer about the last few years.
