Madden NFL 20

 PlayStation 4
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

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  1. Davy86
    Apr 26, 2020
    0
    Absolute rubbish from EA yet again, never ever ever buying Madden again, just gonna wait for 2K to release a real football game no matter how long that will take I'm willing to wait.
  2. nickyg810
    Apr 22, 2020
    2
    Madden 20 is frustrating. In some ways intentionally, in others incompetently. The game is a shadow of its former glory, but occasionally it is just good enough to raise my hopes for the future of sports video games. That being said, this is still a cynical, low effort, shakedown that EA has done for the last five or six years, and until they get better, we should not give them credit.Madden 20 is frustrating. In some ways intentionally, in others incompetently. The game is a shadow of its former glory, but occasionally it is just good enough to raise my hopes for the future of sports video games. That being said, this is still a cynical, low effort, shakedown that EA has done for the last five or six years, and until they get better, we should not give them credit.
    The gameplay of Madden 20 is close to being great. Momentum feels great in the game, and running in the open field is an amazing feeling, but this is perhaps a little too strong, as swerving back and forth can make the ball carrier nearly invulnerable to tackling. Defense also feels more fun than ever before, with playing in the secondary being much more manageable than in the past, and there are few feelings in gaming more satisfying than jumping a route and seeing "user lurk". However, this emphasis on the secondary can be pretty easily exploited with a quick circle + triangle combo when passes are thrown to get some pretty cheesy user picks. Also, the tackling is often not sticky enough for my liking, and I find myself letting the CPU finishing tackles more than I'd like to admit as a seasoned Madden vet.
    Offense is why we play the game, and it feels mostly good this time around. Quarterbacks feel unique enough that once you play with an elite passer it's hard to go back to a mediocre one (sadly for a Jets fan like myself). The running is rewarding to patient players, as sprinting in the backfield is penalized by the front 7 blowing through not yet established blocks. Breaking off a 20 yard scamper for finding the right gap on a zone concept is one of the more fun parts of this game. The hardest part of the game to balance is always rushing QBs, and this game does a few things to compensate. Fumbles run rampant for quarterbacks on the second level, and while frustrating, after a few games players can adjust to needing to slide and avoid direct hits from good tacklers. Containment is stronger in this game than most, and if there are any notable players on the D-line escaping the pocket is no easy feat. This mostly prevents getting cheesed by some 85 speed quarterback for 200 rushing yards, but the downside is that playing with a non-mobile qb puts you at the mercy of the CPU from getting sacked on half of your dropbacks.
    Now onto why the hate is pouring in, the game modes. Career mode is Face of the Franchise, which is fun, but really only warrants about a season of play before it feels like you've seen what there is to be seen. The college feature is a fun addition, but there are two key problems here. For starters, very few colleges are available to play for, with none being included from my darling, the Big Ten. The college mode is also unavailable outside of FOF, and this feels like a fun extra that could easily have been included without having to rely on weird user created workarounds.
    Connected Franchise is skin and bones compared to what was once a great mode in the maddens of previous generations. Very few options to customize the league exist, little personalization is available to make your adventure feel special. Instead it really just feels like a way to play through a season with your favorite team, maybe as a created player, and make a few trades. The mode has tons of potential, and frustratingly we know exactly what it should look like because we can simply pop in any Madden pre 2015 or so.
    Superstar KO is the new mode of this game, and it's a breath of fresh air. Before the game begins you get to pick out 3 superstars to lead your team, along with a coach who ultimately decides your playbooks and points of emphasis. Then a single elimination tournament is entered, with each win earning another superstar. The mode leads to some pretty decent rewards to be redeemed in MUT, and the strange college overtime like style works very well in the high octane offensive style of Madden 20.
    MUT is a shakedown for money above the $60 you likely spent on the game and I won't dignify it by calling it anything more.
    Honestly the best game mode in this is just the simple head to head online. Connection is usually good, and after a few games you'll likely be in the right skill bracket and play mostly close games. The fact that this extremely simple mode is not a good sign for Madden, but with 2k making a football game next year maybe we can see some competition. But probably not. **** you EA. Give us a better game, you clearly could make one. D-    … Expand
  3. Dancren92
    Apr 21, 2020
    0
    It's the same game every year. MUT must die. Everyone who continues to boost up and buy this game every year, I hate you.
  4. EA_blows_peen
    Apr 21, 2020
    1
    It seems like EA invests as little as possible every year into this game because they know they have a monopoly over nfl video games. Every year it seems like a copy and paste with slightly better graphics and maybe a new feature here and there that doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of the actual quality of the gameplay. Player movement still feels unnatural and slow, AI is stillIt seems like EA invests as little as possible every year into this game because they know they have a monopoly over nfl video games. Every year it seems like a copy and paste with slightly better graphics and maybe a new feature here and there that doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of the actual quality of the gameplay. Player movement still feels unnatural and slow, AI is still inexcusably terrible to the point where blockers let defenders through without even touching them, and online stability is problematic as it has been for years. EA does not listen to the community because they don’t need to. There is no competitor on the market that poses a threat to EA so they continue to put as little resources as possible to gain the most profit. At this point it’s so obvious and people still backing this game and EA just don’t know football. This game is terrible. I truly hope a new football game comes around because this game is almost unplayable. Do not buy.… Expand
  5. Theonlyrealone
    Apr 21, 2020
    0
    This game is absolute garbage. These games gets worse every year. From the animations to the passing it’s hot trash.
  6. NukeInbound11
    Apr 19, 2020
    1
    I'm a big franchise kind of guy, and seeing as EA hasn't even tried to fix it lets me know that Madden is gonna go downhill.
    The A.I. in the simulation has to be the dumbest there is. 15-14 and you're not gonna take the field goal on the 20? Not to mention the defense flops on purpose so offenses can make big moves downfield. lost multiple Superbowls and Conference Games. It's just an    I'm a big franchise kind of guy, and seeing as EA hasn't even tried to fix it lets me know that Madden is gonna go downhill.
    The A.I. in the simulation has to be the dumbest there is. 15-14 and you're not gonna take the field goal on the 20? Not to mention the defense flops on purpose so offenses can make big moves downfield. lost multiple Superbowls and Conference Games. It's just an annoying experience.    … Expand
  7. RockiesMT
    Apr 14, 2020
    0
    Terrible, they keep adding old game modes back and saying there new and the gameplay is horrible. Animations are terrible and all they care about is ultimate team.
  8. CarsonTK
    Apr 13, 2020
    1
    Madden 20? Where could I EVEN begin?

    The gameplay is basically the same as Madden NFL 19 other than make a few tweaks! Apparently, EA only cares about money and not making the game fun. MUT ruined everything. Concluded. Franchise mode has also been neglected since Madden 25. Same relocation teams, everything is the same! There is NOTHING different! In a nutshell, if sadness mixed    Madden 20? Where could I EVEN begin?

    The gameplay is basically the same as Madden NFL 19 other than make a few tweaks! Apparently, EA only cares about money and not making the game fun. MUT ruined everything. Concluded.

    Franchise mode has also been neglected since Madden 25. Same relocation teams, everything is the same! There is NOTHING different! In a nutshell, if sadness mixed with anger, and have thoughts of breaking something.... THAT IS YOUR GAME, EA!!!!

    Animations have been the same since Madden 15. Hell, even 25 was smoother! The announcers have also been the same since 17, and their voices repeat the same line over and over! Even they’re new game mode “QB1 Face Of The Franchise” is awful. Graphics and voice acting are both cheesy, you can’t pick a jersey number, and the entire story is just barebones. You play in 2 college games and get drafted into the NFL and the story ends. REALLY EA.

    Ultimate Team. That game mode is why EA sucks. They only care about profits and not gameplay. Why are MUT pack openers and EA in general so brain dead. Speaking of pack openers, half of the madden fan base are stupid kids who waste money on players who are “good”. That’s not even the worst part! A good player can cost up to $100 and your MUT stats reset to the next madden.

    However, I do like their new Superstar KO mode. It’s fun, but I still hate that you have to pay. This is legit proof that EA doesn’t care about nothing but money! REALLY EA? REALLY! Just don’t get this game. Just stick to the new NFL 2K games coming out next year!    … Expand
  9. Datcoolman
    Apr 11, 2020
    0
    Unbelievably unbalanced. The game just isn't worth your time. I've been playing the game since Madden 15 and it has gotten miserably bad. EA's scheme is logical. Give the big names the big abilities and everyone will be excited to use their favorite character. What that leads to is the devs not knowing how to implement these abilities, and a poor execution at fixing more major gameplay flaws.
  10. Heviken
    Apr 7, 2020
    0
    This game is terrible in every way. Instead of fixing ANY of the NUMEROUS bugs they add new celebrities to superstar KO. The gameplay is meaningless, what you do doesn't matter you can just make yourself more likely to get a completion, yards, touchdown, etc. At the end of the day it is all up to the monkeys at EA. "You sound salty", I hear you say. This goes for everyone I can't rememberThis game is terrible in every way. Instead of fixing ANY of the NUMEROUS bugs they add new celebrities to superstar KO. The gameplay is meaningless, what you do doesn't matter you can just make yourself more likely to get a completion, yards, touchdown, etc. At the end of the day it is all up to the monkeys at EA. "You sound salty", I hear you say. This goes for everyone I can't remember the last time me losing or winning wasn't based on who got better animations. I can't remember because this has always been the case. Ultimate team is supposed to let you build a team with any players you can imagine, but if you take winning seriously you'll need to have the more meta players and abilities such as enforcer, pass rush elite, edge threat elite, escape artist and post flag alite are NEEDED or else if you play someone who DOES have these abilities unless they are trying to lose you will lose 100% of the time.… Expand
  11. jtd9
    Apr 4, 2020
    1
    Madden 20, worst Madden yet. Logic is terrible, animations ruin the game, and CFM is the worst ever. All EA has to do is combine Superstar Mode from Madden 07, Franchise Mode from Madden 05, Gameplay similar to 2k08, Presentation similar to 2k5 and Madden 10, a physics engine and the graphics from today to make the best Madden ever. So simple but yet so hard for EA, They should be able toMadden 20, worst Madden yet. Logic is terrible, animations ruin the game, and CFM is the worst ever. All EA has to do is combine Superstar Mode from Madden 07, Franchise Mode from Madden 05, Gameplay similar to 2k08, Presentation similar to 2k5 and Madden 10, a physics engine and the graphics from today to make the best Madden ever. So simple but yet so hard for EA, They should be able to do this but they can't, they have had several years to improve but haven't, they never get it right. Worst $60 ever spent since Madden 19.… Expand
  12. Richardhands
    Apr 3, 2020
    1
    One of the worst Madden games made maybe the worst. Basically just a copy and paste from the horrible madden 19 game. Franchise mode is basic and hasn't been touched in years. It seems like all the budget goes to Ultimate team, which doesn't make much sense since the game mode is already polished enough.
  13. JohnnyFootball4
    Jan 17, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoiler alert this game is bad!!!! It’s a joke, the amount of people who have to resort to using AI exploits to ruin online competitive gaming to make themselves look good. The trash play calling and bad animations make me give this game a 1. It’s that bad I’m changing my rating... this game SUCKS !!!!!!!! It’s officially a 0 and gets nothing but BS plays for the AI.… Expand
  14. josda_
    Mar 29, 2020
    4
    In terms of what we know a pro football game can be, Madden NFL 20 is not a good game. The game-play relies too heavily on animation and is OK at best, the franchise mode is weak with little historical stat tracking and limited options on how to actually run a football team. There is nothing to do in the off-season other than bid on free agents and scout college players. Those would beIn terms of what we know a pro football game can be, Madden NFL 20 is not a good game. The game-play relies too heavily on animation and is OK at best, the franchise mode is weak with little historical stat tracking and limited options on how to actually run a football team. There is nothing to do in the off-season other than bid on free agents and scout college players. Those would be good things if they were fun to do, but they're not.

    To make a very long story short, Madden 20, like all of its predecessors on the current console generation, lacks depth. The game is shallow everywhere except for the Madden Ultimate Team mode, which is updated almost daily and receives numerous updates throughout the year. Unsurprisingly, this mode makes EA the most money by far.

    I did, however, give this game a "4", which means it has some redeeming qualities. The addition of X-Factor and Superstar players helps the game feel more alive and makes the good players feel good. I am not fond of the game-mode, but Ultimate Team is as good as its ever been. The franchise mode, which added a new scenario engine, is the best one we've had since Madden 12. Custom draft classes were implemented last year, and the Pro Bowl, which shouldn't have left in the first place, finally returned. Also, the new Superstar KO mode gives the Madden NFL series a little bit of that arcade-y feel that it's needed for a long time.

    Madden 20 is the "best" Madden game on current-gen consoles, game-play and depth wise, but we as frustrated players know that it can be so much more than a yearly cash-grab for EA.    … Expand
  15. Crzytea
    Mar 28, 2020
    0
    Bad, bad game. Games fee scripted. If you go near a SS who is a star underneath him you will fumble the ball even if you cover it up. Joey Bosa will always get 5 sacks a game even if you double team him. I’ve played madden since 2003 and this is the worst one yet. Do not pay money for this game. We cannot allowing EA to keep making **** games.
  16. Yuyhh
    Mar 25, 2020
    0
    Absolutely one of the worst title releases EVER. It's a **** copy of a game they haven't improved on since about 2013. The only redeeming quality are the graphics but, you know what they say about promising a turd....
  17. SanderI
    Mar 24, 2020
    0
    Madden has great potential, and probably great devs but they only spent time adding cool colors and cover athletes to appeal to kids. EA removed all good features after Madden 13 because they couldn't transfer all the coding to PS4, and yet 8 years later they haven't brought back a single feature and if they do it's for marketing like the pro bowl, like create a team for example isn't thatMadden has great potential, and probably great devs but they only spent time adding cool colors and cover athletes to appeal to kids. EA removed all good features after Madden 13 because they couldn't transfer all the coding to PS4, and yet 8 years later they haven't brought back a single feature and if they do it's for marketing like the pro bowl, like create a team for example isn't that hard to do, but they only want to appeal to FUT fetuses who pay all their mom's money on a useless gamemode… Expand
  18. DaddyLunchbox
    Mar 24, 2020
    0
    Straight ZERO, THIS GAME IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. I would rather play NCAA 14, APF 2K8, NFL 2K5, etc.
  19. Youngapollo
    Mar 23, 2020
    0
    Don’t buy this game or any madden. Wait for 2k to make their game. First things first Franchise still isn’t on par to anything a million dollar company should be making its bare bones and gets old fast. The graphics are aight but the animations are lacking tremendously. Online is pure meta plays and not fun. Super star X factor are cheap ways to make players feel better horrible game don’tDon’t buy this game or any madden. Wait for 2k to make their game. First things first Franchise still isn’t on par to anything a million dollar company should be making its bare bones and gets old fast. The graphics are aight but the animations are lacking tremendously. Online is pure meta plays and not fun. Super star X factor are cheap ways to make players feel better horrible game don’t buy… Expand
  20. Whotatguy
    Mar 22, 2020
    0
    Game is trash. There is scripting for the AI to win. They only care about money and not how the players are feeling. They don’t fix any bugs and they sit there laughing as we continue to buy the game. If u want change don’t but madden 20, buy the new 2k game from the nfl even if it isn’t simulation football. If that happen the nfl with cut it’s license with EA and then we could get a REALGame is trash. There is scripting for the AI to win. They only care about money and not how the players are feeling. They don’t fix any bugs and they sit there laughing as we continue to buy the game. If u want change don’t but madden 20, buy the new 2k game from the nfl even if it isn’t simulation football. If that happen the nfl with cut it’s license with EA and then we could get a REAL simulation foo all game with developers who care about us as fans.… Expand
  21. Urmom69
    Mar 22, 2020
    0
    Literally the worse game I have ever played in my life. Can not wait for 2k to but madden out of business
  22. Nigelchoad
    Mar 20, 2020
    0
    It’s actually horrible. No skill needed in this game at all. Only glitchy plays are needed to win. Completely unrealistic
  23. sworden11
    Mar 19, 2020
    0
    Madden NFL 08 on PS2 better......................................................................................................
  24. MatSosa
    Mar 17, 2020
    1
    This game is quite literally the worst game I’ve ever played in my entire life. Most of my losses aren’t against my opponent, they’re from EA themselves! Let me explain. The general rule of any game, Madden specifically, is this: If your IQ of football exceeds to that of your opponent, you’ll know from the beginning of the game and you should automatically be put in a position to winThis game is quite literally the worst game I’ve ever played in my entire life. Most of my losses aren’t against my opponent, they’re from EA themselves! Let me explain. The general rule of any game, Madden specifically, is this: If your IQ of football exceeds to that of your opponent, you’ll know from the beginning of the game and you should automatically be put in a position to win because of your knowledge. You’ll know which defensive coverages will beat certain offenses, which offensive adjustments will beat certain defenses, and so on; That type of knowledge + some actual skill at the game should give you the win, but what lies between you and victory isn’t your opponents clutch genes, it’s the silly animations that EA has implemented in their game and the literal low IQ of the players on the football field. I cannot express how many yards I’ve given up simply because my defensive back wouldn’t make an effort to extend his arms to reach for the football when it was thrown directly to him. Many of the times, they won’t even jump. There has also been countless times when blockers will not block for a runningback or quarterback and will allow the tackle. Animations are a huge part of why players on the field have no IQ. If the game has already set forth the animation that is supposed to take place, nothing can stop it from progressing. This has caused a glitch in the game where even when the ball has left his hand, the quarterback will get sacked no matter what if the animation for getting a sack has ensued, (the ball will just warp back to his hands and he’ll be sacked). In this football game, your player could have just been tackled, fumbled the ball, the ball would then somehow begin to roll on his back for 30 seconds, he along with the person who tackled him would be stuck in an animation to stand up while 10 other players scramble for the ball, making a dogpile on his back as no one is able to pick the ball up and eventually, the ball is juggled 40 yards down field and your offensive lineman would end up picking the ball up at the 1 yard line. In other times, the ball would be dropped on your player’s head and he’d be cluelessly running in a circle with the ball on his head until another player grabs it or it falls to the ground. This is the silliness of this game. Any effort to win that you could make in this game could go straight out the window at any given moment. What I’ve mentioned in this review doesn’t even scratch the surface of how bad this game is mechanically and logistically. The MUT mode is basically just a gamble-fest for kids and EA loves it. EA is a money-hoarding company who could care less about this franchise, the proof is in the ratings.… Expand
  25. BearChief08
    Mar 16, 2020
    0
    POS. I have been playing madden since Madden 97. At this point, EA makes a new game every three years and uses the same crap for every yearly iteration. They often scale back the quality of their various game modes to enhance microtransactions. This year, beyond breaking the game with early juke mechanics and defying laws-of-physics catching engines, they have decided to arbitrarily assignPOS. I have been playing madden since Madden 97. At this point, EA makes a new game every three years and uses the same crap for every yearly iteration. They often scale back the quality of their various game modes to enhance microtransactions. This year, beyond breaking the game with early juke mechanics and defying laws-of-physics catching engines, they have decided to arbitrarily assign memory slots for your "new" game mode experience. Face of the Franchise doesn't save under its own Face of the Franchise subcategory, often making continuing your experience an extraordinary feat of anxiety inducing searching with a completely unfriendly user interface. EA sucks. They are bad at this. STOP GIVING THEM AN NFL MONOPOLY IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY.… Expand
  26. Christiann4521
    Jan 25, 2020
    0
    Terrible game my son hates it and growing up playing good football games has ruined this terrible experience for me
  27. Chrislubemikey
    Mar 12, 2020
    0
    Same Crap different Year and I'm getting sick of it happy I didn't buy this game at all.
  28. asdfasdfadsf
    Mar 11, 2020
    10
    It is every bit as good as it was the first 20 times that they released it.
  29. momobay212
    Mar 11, 2020
    1
    Glitches everywhere, making the game borderline unplayable. Microtransactions out of the ass in Ultimate Team making the game borderline unplayable. Lack of depth outside of Ultimate Team and Online Play now, making the game boring. By far one of, if not the worst Maddens released on the PS4/XB1 generation of consoles. Thank God 2K is coming back.
  30. uncledrew24855
    Mar 11, 2020
    0
    Madden on the PlayStation 2 is way better. Ea takes away features and tries to resell them as new several years later. Can’t wait for NFL 2k!
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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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Aug 27, 2019
    80
    The unveiling of Superstar X-Factors had long-term fans of the series cowering, but happily they inject welcome freshness into a stalwart that had grown a tad stale. [Issue#166, p.86]
  2. Meristation
    Aug 16, 2019
    87
    Madden NFL 20 is still one of the best videogames if you want to simulate any sport but it's very clear that it needs more: more graphics, more gameplay changes, more news in its modes... X-Factor is a good new, but still insufficient to sense that gameplay is different that last year's edition.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Age
    Aug 14, 2019
    75
    Madden NFL 20 takes a step in the right direction and I really enjoyed the X-Factor additions to the series. While I still think some form of competition would force EA to make more drastic changes, I’m not optimistic with any developers taking a spin with the football genre (maybe the XFL?). If you haven’t caught the pigskin for a few seasons, Madden NFL 20 is the right route to run for this year. With the new consoles coming (most likely) next holiday, I’m looking forward to seeing what EA builds upon from Madden NFL 20 and brings over to next gen. For now I’ll enjoy taking the Broncos to the Super Bowl, while beating up the cover pretty boy, Mahomes (not bitter at all).
    Read full review
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