Madden NFL 21

For NFL diehards, there remains hundreds of gaming hours at your disposal in Madden 21. These same diehards – much like players of EA’s NHL and Sony’s The Show – will be left with the impression they’ve played this game before, however.

With all its small improvements and a lot of content to make, Madden 21 offers a slightly better package than in previous years. However, it does not finish kicking the board or revolutionizing its mechanics; we're still waiting for a football game to blow us away.

In short, it's a drive where the saga has lost ground.

Madden NFL 21 is a game that is generally fine. It’s not extraordinarily exciting, sure. There are some minor additions that work well, like the Skill Stick, and major ones that could have promise after the growing pain patches are out, like The Yard. A lot of elements feel the same as they did last year, like Franchise and MUT, and Face of the Franchise shows there’s still a struggle to have a really good story mode. It’s okay, but people who have and are still enjoying Madden 20 might not feel a need to upgrade.

Madden NFL 21 is the clearest example yet of how unwieldy the series has become, so your en-joyment will vary depending on which modes best suit your play style. For me, that comes from seeing my virtual 49ers hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, so anything else on top of that is just a bonus.

Last year’s Madden release was one of the best in recent memory, so - at least in my eyes - Madden 21 had a lot to live up to. For the most part, it did so. Madden traditionalists will enjoy familiar game modes (which are all par for the course in their own right) with improved control mechanics, while The Yard adds an exciting element for those looking for something new. The Yard still has room to improve, but, personally, I’m excited to see where the game mode goes and how its long-term placement in the game (and competitive esports scene) plays out.

Madden NFL 21 makes a good attempt at adding variety into a tried and true formula. However, Face of The Franchise has awkward and dry storytelling and cannot match up to the excellence that Longshot offered the franchise. The Yard has some ambitious ideas and offers up a nice change of pace, but it needs some control tweaks to feel like the mode it's trying to be. The fundamentals are getting better and better, with gameplay getting long-awaited touches of realism.

I enjoy going online and taking on other players, but for me playing Sunday’s games during the week leading up to them, and replaying games to change their disappointing real-world outcomes, has always been a big part of the enjoyment of the game. Running the same handful of plays over and over again just takes a lot of the fun out of that. Madden NFL 21 feels like it's more interested in running out the clock than it is in going for the extra yard.

Just as it has been over the last few years Madden NFL 21 represents an incremental improvement whose only real contribution to the formula is the arcadish mode The Yard. Having said that, the package could be genuinely appealing for someone who hasn’t touched a football game in ages, if it wasn’t for many design elements that appear neglected and turn the game into an experience with an outdated feel to it. A makeover for this franchise is way overdue.

Madden NFL 21 is a strange beast. It is the same fun football experience that millions of players have come to love, yet I still expected a little more from it. While it features refined gameplay and fun game modes, its lackluster story mode and plethora of graphical glitches don’t reflect what a game releasing this year should look like. The online modes will keep you playing through various simulation and customizable options, but most of this is just more of the same in comparison to what has already been delivered. If you’re a seasoned Madden fan looking for your yearly fix of football goodness, I doubt Madden NFL 21 will disappoint you, but that doesn’t mean it’s a flawless experience.

The result is a game spread too thin, with a bulging selection of modes to play but none of which entirely nail their raison d'etre. In itself this feels an unwinnable decision for EA to make; bringing in new modes to innovate takes time away from developing other areas that the fans want bringing up to date. Something has to give. And perhaps this year that something has just been too much.

Madden NFL 21 is as enjoyable as it has ever been on the field, but a litany of off-field issues make this one of the weaker efforts in recent years.

Madden NFL 21 is a mix of missed opportunities. While it’s the best-looking version we’ve seen to date, EA Tiburon seems to have swayed the game in a different direction with new modes that keep you busy rather than engaged. The Yard is a mode that nobody asked for, and even if worth a shot, ended up shortsighted in its execution. Face of the Franchise continues to improve, but the fact an entire game has to be played on both sides of the ball just to extend the life of the mode is aggravating. Load times and transitions seem to be slow and it makes going through the fluff of MUT annoying. While the marketing has changed as the game lacks that true NFL feel, I do think the introductions are cool. The team also removed stats before starting a game. There are still legacy issues and bugs including Cam Newton being introduced as the Panthers quarterback even though it’s stated he’s on the Patriots. The gameplay is faster and the running game is more overpowered and that goes along with Superstar X-Factor 2.0. It’s hard to say where the franchise stands now in what it’s trying to accomplish with Madden NFL 21, but hopefully a new generation will bring a new experience.

Madden NFL 21 is stagnant, and while football fans will find things to enjoy, it’s not like there’s an alternative option available. The Yard is a genuinely promising addition, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it evolves over the course of this season – and future games. But an embarrassing story and an untouched Franchise mode mean that it’s the only real reason to upgrade. And while Madden Ultimate Team continues to be a time sink, the stale state of the on-field simulation means that this year’s game fails to find its intended receiver.

With far more technical issues than normal and large chunks of recycled content, Madden NFL 21 feels more like an update than a brand-new game.

It'll take years for Madden to truly become a standout sports game again, as the mediocrity has gone on for too long for massive change to happen overnight, but Madden 21 is a promising step in the right direction.

Madden 20 is fine and serviceable but other than The Yard (and that’s a stretch), there’s almost nothing that is worth getting excited over this year. Here’s hoping the new home consoles do something to move Madden forward at some point in the near future.

The series' most stylish entry ever thanks to The Yard and player customization, but these new features come without the substance required to contend for football glory.

Despite the fact that Madden NFL 21 features arguably the best core gameplay the series has ever seen and the introduction of a fun new mode in The Yard, the continued neglect shown to classic Franchise mode, lack of innovation across the board, and technical issues leave this gridiron mismatch coming up short.

Madden NFL 21 feels very much like the byproduct of a game being developed in a vacuum, devoid of any true competition. Why bother reinventing the wheel when you are the only person manufacturing them? This lack of inspiration feels like a breeding ground for many of the franchise’s biggest complaints, most of which have been festering for far too long. It’s a good thing that the next generation is on the horizon, because without that new tech boost to hang their hat on, there’s nothing substantial enough to recommend this fumble over last year’s outing.

Buy this game if you wanna pay $60+ for what should be a free roster update. To not be totally negative and end on a positive note, playing this game is safer than, say, going to a live NFL game this year. So at least there’s that? Oh and both the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the game will have free upgrades for the next gen so you can enjoy all the same bugs and glitches in better definition. That’s a touchdown on your own end if I ever saw one.