Madden NFL 20

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Push Square
    Aug 9, 2019
    70
    The greatest show on turf gets a bit more personality with Madden NFL 20’s new X-Factor abilities. While this headline addition only applies to the sport’s biggest superstars, it injects new life into the on-field action. The new QB1 campaign may have potential in the future, but in its current guise it’s a step back from the Longshot story explored in previous entries, while the fan-favourite Franchise mode continues to see neglect. Ultimate Team is unquestionably the series’ underlying bread-and-butter, and with tons of new challenges to complete, it’s sure to become your new obsession as American football’s 100th season gets underway – just be wary of investing too much money into the mode.
  2. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Aug 5, 2019
    70
    Bluntly put, I found Madden NFL 20 to be a fairly vanilla entry in the franchise.
  3. Screen Rant
    Aug 2, 2019
    70
    While no great strides have been made to blow the minds of returning players, Madden 20 brings enough refinement to the table that it earns its place there, and will surely be an enjoyable experience for even the casual football fan. Just don't let cover athlete Patrick Mahomes get in the zone; he has an arm like a cannon.
  5. Metro GameCentral
    Jul 31, 2019
    70
    The casual fan will find plenty to enjoy but diehards will see Madden 20 as just another facelift to a franchise that knows how to succeed but struggles to innovate.
  6. PlayStation Universe
    Jul 31, 2019
    70
    Madden NFL 20 manages to iron out some nagging issues, making gameplay better than it has ever been. Ultimate Team sees deep refinement, but online play needs some work. Madden NFL 20 feels like a game made for existing Madden fans.
  7. Twinfinite
    Jul 29, 2019
    70
    Just like skipping out on watching the Pro Bowl, you're not missing out on all that much.
  8. Game Revolution
    Jul 29, 2019
    60
    The new Face of the Franchise mode is totally underwhelming and fails to tell a meaningful story and the X-Factor abilities are helpful for newcomers but don’t really change how a solid player would play the game any. These changes are all a positive for long-term but it lacks any selling point and has launched in a frustrating state that undermines the solid football mechanics that EA has refined over the past several decades.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Polygon
    Aug 5, 2019
    Madden’s genius isn’t really in representing the latest antics, like Odell Beckham’s one-handed grab (previous cover star!) or Mahomes’ back-foot improvisations. It’s in the lure it sets, where you think you may have discovered something that the game’s latest wizard, like L.A.’s Sean McVay, missed and then trying it and realizing, shit, I really am not that smart.

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best PS4 Game of 2019
23
#23 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
6
#6 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
1.4

Overwhelming dislike- based on 633 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 633
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 633
  3. Negative: 552 out of 633
  1. CaseyMoe
    Jul 31, 2019
    4
    10 years ago I was dreaming of how amazing Madden would be 10 years from then with all the advances in technology, increased disc space and a10 years ago I was dreaming of how amazing Madden would be 10 years from then with all the advances in technology, increased disc space and a decade worth of development to build on all the different game modes and innovate with new ideas.

    10 years later I am dreaming of how amazing the game would be if it was just more like it was 10 years ago... there is LESS depth and innovation now.... much less. (and tons more profit, how does that work?)

    I paid $15 for the Origins PC download so I could try it out for myself without the full investment and have already cancelled my subscription. There once again has been no heart or soul put into the creation of this game. With the exception of a few minor, and I do mean MINOR additions and changes, this a repeat of the last 4 or 5 titles.

    They've stripped the fun out of anything that is not related to MUT... do we need to ask ourselves why or are we smart enough to figure out they are doing everything they can to funnel players into the cash shop?    … Full Review »
  2. Kris511c
    Aug 9, 2019
    0
    Grats EA... you hit the pinical of garbage... every year you sell the same game over and over yet you pay reviewers to give good scores...Grats EA... you hit the pinical of garbage... every year you sell the same game over and over yet you pay reviewers to give good scores... **** you, just... **** you.… Full Review »
  3. GrimStomper
    Aug 2, 2019
    3
    EA does the bare minimum to get people to think they've tried and improve the game.

    The menus look different and the animations look cool    EA does the bare minimum to get people to think they've tried and improve the game.

    The menus look different and the animations look cool for the menus. But all it does is trick you into thinking that the game is improved drastically.

    It's not to say that the game hasn't improved. It did. But when EA makes tiny updates to the game and releases it as a $60 dollar game every year. It shows that they don't care about the player base. They only care when the fans get angry and add little things to get them to calm down, and the cycle keeps repeating.

    Madden NFL 20 gets a "story mode" and it's about as bare bones as it gets. Madden NFL 06, a game that was created back in 2005 and it was the first year they had "NFL Superstars" mode had more content than "Face of the Franchise". You can only play as a QB when in Madden NFL 06 you could be a **** kicker or punter if you wanted to; and the big kick in the balls is after the cutscenes and fluff stuff is done you get booted to franchise and back to the boring "career mode" that Madden has had for the past couple games.

    Franchise continues to get only marginal changes. UI is changed to again think they actually made drastic changes to the mode. The one big thing they hyped up about is the **** Pro Bowl. A game that no one cares and the players don't care.

    Of course Ultimate Team is the main focus for EA because that's their cash cow. They put all the updates into it. I don't care about Ultimate Team, neither do a lot of people; but morons keep buying the stupid packs that will become irrelevant once the next Madden game happens. It's about the equivalent of burning money.

    Gameplay is still...playable. Being an animation driven football game still sucks compared to a physics driven football game, but at least I can find some sort of fun with just the gameplay.

    The gameplay is the only reason why the score is as high as a 3. Without the gameplay being playable this game would've been a 0 or a 1.

    Maybe one day we might get a proper NFL game not made by greedy companies that don't care about the product they put out.    … Full Review »
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