Madden NFL 21 Review - Edit Should Have Been Delayed

Revue Madden NFL 21

All week I've wondered if I should give EA Sports a pass because of the pandemic. It's reasonable to assume that COVID has had a negative impact on Madden's development cycle. Surely now EA Sports has an annual pattern that they follow to perfection. So certainly COVID has pushed a huge wedge into those plans. And it shows. Madden NFL 21 is a disappointment. It's a glitch-filled rushed product that looks and plays way too similar to Madden NFL 20. My review scores for the franchise have been going in the wrong direction for a few years now and this year is no different.

Once again, the development team took the "if it ain't, don't fix it" approach by making small incremental changes to the series. It is not a surprise. I fully expected it. This year they have introduced subtle running and running mechanics. There are new animations, players contacted to get a first down or TD, there are player customizations, and there is a new mode called 'The Yard'. I was provided with a list of other features and changes, but it all looks like a showcase. Madden NFL 21 feels like an update, not a full-fledged Madden game.

I can not hear you

Madden staples like Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) and Franchise Mode return and are almost identical to Madden 20 modes. Typically we see a few notable features or new wrinkles added to the mix, but not this year. Even the Franchise Mode dashboard layout is exactly the same. For example, if you play with the Seahawks in your franchise, you'll see Coach Carroll walking around his office or on his computer on the main menu screen; the same way we did for Madden 20. This is just one of many examples of the chilling similarities. It seems that EA Sports has done absolutely nothing to improve or improve the mode, which is a huge disappointment. There's a long list of improvements the Madden community has wanted to see from Franchise Mode and this year it seems like all of those requests have fallen on deaf ears.

EA Sports insists that they have made many improvements and changes to the modes, but they are barely noticeable. What good are these changes if even your hardcore fanbase doesn't even notice them?

Similarly, MUT looks outdated and also has the same layout as last year. Including the crummy way the challenges are presented. I have a hard time finding something new. It's confusing. There's no doubt that MUT is still addictive and hard to put down, but I find myself wanting to get back to the level of my Madden 20 MUT team that I've already invested so much time in. Again, none of my progress in Madden 20 MUT can carry over to Madden 21. Not that I really expected EA Sports to throw us a frickin' bone...

Madden NFL 21 Review - Edit Should Have Been Delayed

The big new thing this year is a new mode called “The Yard”. Which looks like another greasy way for EA Sports to monetize another aspect of the game. This glitch-filled mode features arcade-style 6v6 gameplay, crazy colorful gear, and goofy games. Players control their own character, which you create when you first launch the game, as well as NFL Superstars who team up with you on the field. You can play solo or cooperatively with up to two friends. Fields are smaller, backdrops are quite smooth, and games are fast and fast.

To be honest, Madden NFL 21 has been updated with patches twice while this review is being written. Not to mention that a patch will be released next week. So many bugs I saw in The Yard (and there were a lot of them) should be fixed pretty quickly.

Cool Eye Brows Bruh

Sure, creating and customizing your character is cool and something the Madden community has wanted for ages, but those specific customization options aren't available in the franchise. Not to mention, the Gear Store looks like an insidious way for EA to cash in on even more microtransactions. EA Sports generates insane revenue when it comes to MUT pickups. Asking your clients to shell out even more money for their custom character screams “greedy guts” to me.

By playing The Yard, you will unlock new locations and other rewards. I can see how people can easily get sucked into this mode and I have no doubt it will improve as it gets fixed, but I found few ways to redeem the qualities in this mode. But sure, that's not why I play Madden. I'm not here to play a gimmicky arcade mode and I don't think the fans will be either.

Face of the Franchise returns, which is essentially Madden's story mode that lets you create yourself as the player who takes your career from high school to the NFL Hall of Fame. Just like Madden's previous story modes, it plays out the same way. You'll get a handful of cheesy cliché one-liners, colorful characters, and predictable storylines. He's been there and made that feeling. It's uninspired and frankly, it's boring. For some reason, games take forever to play. They're no challenge for series veterans and are an absolute borefest. In fact, I found myself choosing the chew clock option at the start of the second quarter just to speed up games.

Perhaps Face of the Franchise will appeal to more casual Madden players or newcomers, as I don't see how veterans of the series will care at all. Other than maybe seeing where this predictable story takes you. It's just grindy and a bit of work.

Madden NFL 21 Review - Edit Should Have Been Delayed

While it may seem like I'm taking a good spooler on the game this year, it's not all bleak. The gameplay, while remaining largely intact, is easy to understand and you don't skip a beat. Everything looks familiar. You'll be able to kick off this franchise league with your friends right off the bat and jumping online to play a random stranger is a seamless experience. And I haven't even touched on Superstar KO mode and online gameplay. Madden NFL 21 remains a robust package with a lot to offer.

New game, new blitzes

That said, some of the things that worked really well in Madden 20 don't work as well this time around. Some blitzes aren't as fast as they used to be. Corner routes aren't as dominant as they used to be, and running to the edge isn't exactly a walk in the park. Yet, in addition to getting used to what works well and what doesn't, Madden's pass-and-run mechanics remain safely intact. Likewise, on the defensive side of the ball, it's the same while sacking the QB and interceptions are a bit more difficult. Area coverage also doesn't seem quite as tight at the moment, but I imagine everything will be tweaked after launch.

Although it seems like the Madden franchise is moving in the wrong direction, the future remains bright for EA Sports' virtual grill game. A new generation of consoles is just around the corner, and the timing couldn't be better. I have to give EA credit here, because people who buy Madden NFL 21 for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can upgrade their copy to PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X at no additional cost. That said, it's as if EA Sports have done everything they can with this generation of consoles and are content to control the speed until they have the technical ability to do so much more. Madden NFL 21 isn't necessarily a bad game; it will improve over time with updates. Still, the product at launch is riddled with shortcomings and the incremental additions aren't significant enough to warrant a buy recommendation from me.

***Xbox One code was provided by the publisher***