Madden NFL 21

 Xbox One
User Score
0.5

Overwhelming dislike- based on 1047 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 1047
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 1047
  3. Negative: 1,006 out of 1047
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  1. vROBOCOPv
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    Atrociously buggy rehash of last year's game. Enough is enough. Just speak with your wallet and stop supporting this practice.
  2. TombradyTrash
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been playing madden for decades. Honestly I wasn't too suprised with EA's poor performance in the Madden series yet again. While EA has moved more towards a younger age 13 and under target audience with new modes like the yard, EA has continued to dissapoint those wanting a fottball simulation game. EA has yet again disregarded NFL defenses as able to hold an offense to less than a tuchdown 2 out of every 3 drives. Offenses are exfremely overpowered yet again, and tackling bugs in the game only make the lroblem worse. The bugs in the game are numerous, and EA has once again released an unfinished prototype of a game. The game Madden 21 is not a good buy, stay away… Expand
  3. TheActualJay
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    Time to kick EA while it's down. No, I haven't played the game. However my review is still valid as I have played EA titles in the past so F it.

    Call it a... Surprise Delayed Review
  4. maxschuster
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    Horrible game. These critics on this site are not real, they haven't played, this game sucks. Nothing good about it. Bunch of glitches.
  5. onewaysushi
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    absolute garbage, how is this even legal ? 100% waste of money.. its crazy how EA is allowed to represent the NFL with this trash
  6. rwsnider
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    The number of ridiculous bugs and overall IDGAF mentality towards franchise =the worst installment of Madden EVER
  7. WubsFromMySubs
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    $60 for what is essentially a title update with no meaningful core gameplay upgrades. Clearly a cash grab before the next generation of consoles release. Do not buy this game. #NFLdropEA
  8. JustinW11
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    Just an absolute disappointment of a game. EA honestly should’ve released this with the beta tag still attached. The NFL has one of the most passionate fan bases and unfortunately they’re represented in the gaming industry by a company solely driven by profit margins. Numerous glitches, stripped features, and a general lack of client satisfaction has left me frustrated and disappointed
  9. zzvcc
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    seriously, how is it legal to release a game that is unfinished and charge people $60 for it? How is it legal to make promises about a product containing something that actually doesn't have what they claim it will have? How is gambling real money on MUT cards that you can resell for ingame currency not illegal when the game is rated E for everyone, aka a child who does not know any betterseriously, how is it legal to release a game that is unfinished and charge people $60 for it? How is it legal to make promises about a product containing something that actually doesn't have what they claim it will have? How is gambling real money on MUT cards that you can resell for ingame currency not illegal when the game is rated E for everyone, aka a child who does not know any better will unknowingly be gambling money that EA is happy to take. That I know is absolutely against any US laws, MUT needs to be rated M for mature BECAUSE GAMBLING IS ILLEGAL IF YOU ARE UNDER 18. But thats ridiculous, how about just remove the gamemode all together before the people who are defending it turn against it? Devs from EA, if youre reading this, get out before **** gets bad. Customers are doing everything they can to rip this company down and show the media for what they really are.… Expand
  10. Insaneshayne
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    Ea doesn’t care about the players anymore, they just want their annual $60 for the same glitchy, poorly made game.
  11. BrianOco
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    Just embarrassing. Refusal to listen to the community and monopoly on a franchise gets you here.
  12. Bigdarts
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    EA yall are actually evil. Rot in **** hell for what you guys have been finessing people. Its ridiculous some of yall that work there need a few screws in your jaws.
  13. ASuck3rPunch
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    My experience is limited to MUT Draft in which I'm 19-17 win/loss. This game mode used to be my favorite in Madden 16 Draft Champions when it was a free-to-play mode. Since then EA makes you pay MUT coins to play Draft in a 6 round single elimination series in which you'll lose in-game currency if you lose your first game (very frustrating). Further, if you run out of coins, you wouldMy experience is limited to MUT Draft in which I'm 19-17 win/loss. This game mode used to be my favorite in Madden 16 Draft Champions when it was a free-to-play mode. Since then EA makes you pay MUT coins to play Draft in a 6 round single elimination series in which you'll lose in-game currency if you lose your first game (very frustrating). Further, if you run out of coins, you would either have to play mindless solo challenges in MUT for hours on end or pay REAL money just to play the mode. Think about this for a second... EA gives you a game mode within a $60 game that is PAY-TO-PLAY!? Why is no one talking about this?

    Madden 21 has regressed in almost everything from Madden 20 in gameplay experience. Playbooks are essentially the same just with shuffled plays for each team's book. Defense is both trash at tackling and overpowered at intercepting the ball. Juke moves cause tacklers to stutter and not even reach for the ball carrier sometimes. Top tier WRs can't break away from crappy CBs just because of the speed rating (man coverage stats don't seem to matter here). 50/50 balls no more. Either your WR drops it or the CB will intercept it (more often than not). Defensive line is straight up crap at breaking through the O line. Blitzes are beyond ineffective. They don't do anything except waste extra players who could be better used in coverage. This attributes to QB rollouts too often and sometimes up to 10 seconds of QB handling with no pressure after the snap. This is both unrealistic to the NFL and also a serious downgrade from prior releases of Madden. I could go on..    … Expand
  14. drewdizzle94
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    This game sucks. Blatant copy and paste from last year. I can't believe that they would put this out as if it was a new game compared to last year's game. Ridiculous.
  15. bloodeaglewr
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    same game. New roster. Glitches upon glitches. Wish the franchise mode would of been updated at the least. Transition tags. Incentive contracts. Conditional draft picks. You know like what they do in the NFL.
  16. MDFLgaming
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For this whole console gen EA has pissed on our necks and tokd us its raining. This honestly should be a free to play game at this point with the amount of in game ads and microtransaction systems in every game mode except franchise and low and behold franchise in minimally invested in. This game is a heart breaker for true NFL fans… Expand
  17. Saturn865
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    BUYERS BEWARE, Madden 21 is littered with issues, unfixed bugs and glitches that have lingered for the past decade and little to no change to any of the core elements! But hey at least we got The Yard and FOTF that they shovel down our throats with micro transactions being the main focus! Insanity is the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a new result so thisBUYERS BEWARE, Madden 21 is littered with issues, unfixed bugs and glitches that have lingered for the past decade and little to no change to any of the core elements! But hey at least we got The Yard and FOTF that they shovel down our throats with micro transactions being the main focus! Insanity is the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a new result so this year I’ll stick with Madden 20 with a roster update as I will essentially be playing the same game! The laziness and the disrespect to fans concerns is reaching a boiling point for me! They promise updates and patch’s down the pipeline but they’ve had a full year to hear our input and concerns but continue to ignore and push greedy game modes! EA you should listen to your fans or you’re soon to not have any! #NFLDROPEA… Expand
  18. TankerFury1812
    Sep 5, 2020
    3
    I first experienced Madden the Christmas of 95 and boy was I ecstatic! Controlling my New York Giants and taking them to the Super Bowl. 25 years later...That feeling of joy has yet to be reciprocated. We’ve all seen the YouTube reviews and trending hash tags but everyone’s experience is different. For someone who experienced a completely immersive and offline experience in olderI first experienced Madden the Christmas of 95 and boy was I ecstatic! Controlling my New York Giants and taking them to the Super Bowl. 25 years later...That feeling of joy has yet to be reciprocated. We’ve all seen the YouTube reviews and trending hash tags but everyone’s experience is different. For someone who experienced a completely immersive and offline experience in older platforms, I honestly expected more out of today’s generation of major companies like EA. Features that, I think, make a complete NFL Franchise experience, still haven’t been added (back). Game play mechanics masked by added coaching adjustments. Unrealistic, arcade like scenarios and animations that frustrate the everyday Franchise player. Features and options being added to game modes a majority of ya really don’t care about....except the fact they’ve been added, to game modes...that we don’t care about. The money you’d expect me to spend buying shorts for my created character in The Yard, I’m buying in real life. I’ve made the mistakes of buying packs on MUT after being burnt out grinding challenges and playing 99 OVR Teams in a pay to win environment. I buy the game because I enjoy the game of football. Because I enjoy getting together with the same 32 guys that try to ignore the fact that this game has been crumbling over the years but there’s no other way to experience simulation style football. EA execs are suffocating any chance for exceptional games to hit the market to allow the right experience model to hit the shelf. Madden 21 was EA’s standard money grab. Whether you’re a deep league player like myself or a first time Madden player, I would wait until November to purchase this game. That’s when we expect EA to release “new” features to Francine that should not have been removed in the first place. #FIXEA… Expand
  19. metalmaniac18
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    This is the worst Madden in a long time. Due to having no competition in the simulation football series, EA has choose not to innovate and even improve there games. Tell me how you sign exclusive rights to make "simulation football" yet you don't improve franchise mode. Instead you put all your time in an arcade mode called "The Yard" that relies on microtransactions. No more from me EA!This is the worst Madden in a long time. Due to having no competition in the simulation football series, EA has choose not to innovate and even improve there games. Tell me how you sign exclusive rights to make "simulation football" yet you don't improve franchise mode. Instead you put all your time in an arcade mode called "The Yard" that relies on microtransactions. No more from me EA! #EndMaddenMonopoly… Expand
  20. JackKaufmann
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    Game is terrible. Company does not care. Company gives their game away for free because its trash. At least EA knows madden 21's worth. $0
  21. brendensannar
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the absolute worst pile of garbage I have ever played. Don’t waste your money or time.… Expand
  22. HippyCam
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    What an embarrassment. No one asked for the new game mode The Yard. What we did ask for and what we have asked for, for years now, has yet to be improved. Save your money. #NFLdropEA
  23. yodster
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    They said that madden 21 was going to be an improvement over madden 20 but it is even worse. The gameplay is awful and the CPU has 100% completion. Simulation in franchise is broken and doesn't work. I'm doubting EA has any real programmers anymore these algorithms are broken. Don't waste your money. The game should have an even lower score but EA hires people to write reviews. #NFL drop EA
  24. OzzJackdaniels
    Sep 4, 2020
    2
    The good- Gameplay has improved. It still has the same legacy issues as previous maddens. The yard looks like a fun mode. Of course micro transactions are involved. I haven’t been able to see if I can grind yet because the mode is riddled with bugs.

    The Bad - Franchise is the same as the past 5 maddens. If you are new to madden you might enjoy it. I’ve been playing madden since 96. The    The good- Gameplay has improved. It still has the same legacy issues as previous maddens. The yard looks like a fun mode. Of course micro transactions are involved. I haven’t been able to see if I can grind yet because the mode is riddled with bugs.

    The Bad - Franchise is the same as the past 5 maddens. If you are new to madden you might enjoy it. I’ve been playing madden since 96. The mode lacks any innovation. Half a season in and veteran madden players will get bored. Superstar KO and Face of the franchise are a waste of resources.

    The ugly. The main mode in madden is Ultimate team. The mode itself is fun. Team building,coming up with a scheme and team to play H2H can be enjoyable. The insane amount of microtransactions are horrible. If you want to build a team and compete get ready to spend. $100 a week will keep your team competitive. Maybe. It’s almost like EA ignored all others modes to drive traffic to ultimate team so the player base can spend away. And I would be wary of what streamers and “pros” have to say. They are more concerned with the money made from streaming and coin selling to form an honest opinion about this game.

    If you have never played madden before you might like madden 21.
    If you are looking for franchise mode with depth go buy NFL2k5 because it’s not happening this year. Again.
    And if you plan on playing MUT it’s going to cost you the same price as a next gen console to keep up. Or you can go no money spent and play for 40 hours a week. And after that you will have to buy an ebook from some hack that learned how to manipulate the CPU. EA will double down on the microtransactions by lowering odds on packs and making it impossible to build a team for free.

    Only the sight gameplay improvements make this game worth buying. And I mean worth getting on sale for a quarter of the price.    … Expand
  25. Gunner8000
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    Basically a $60 update. Broken gameplay, nothing new or enticing. Better playing NFL 2K5 for a quality football game.
  26. ThaRibber
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    #FIXFRANCHISEMODE #FIXFRANCHISEMODE #FIXFRANCHISEMODE #FIXFRANCHISEMODE #FIXFRANCHISEMODE #FIXFRANCHISEMODE
  27. mueller141
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    madden 19 with updated rosters. Terrible animations, horrible gameplay. EA needs to give up with stronghold on the NFL license.

    The one game mode "new" this year is actually a rehashed mode from an old madden game. Spoiler: this game is terrible.
  28. johnstocker37
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    save urself $60 and boycott this **** game. it’s a disgrace to the nfl #nfldropea
  29. LawlPwned
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    I never, ever make accounts for review sites. I'm the type of person where I don't leave comments, I don't participate online but I made a Metacritic account solely to smack this game on the mouth. I downloaded the trial through EA Play and I don't know what I expected. This franchise has been the same series for 5 whole years. I'm tired. I'm not doing this anymore. This game gets a zero.I never, ever make accounts for review sites. I'm the type of person where I don't leave comments, I don't participate online but I made a Metacritic account solely to smack this game on the mouth. I downloaded the trial through EA Play and I don't know what I expected. This franchise has been the same series for 5 whole years. I'm tired. I'm not doing this anymore. This game gets a zero. I want more than this piss poor copy and paste effort of a game.

    It's the equivalent of a a rundown barn with animal fecal matter everywhere, chipped paint, broken windows, cobwebs everywhere and their idea of sprucing up the place is painting the front door.

    Don't buy this game. Please don't do it. This isn't worth your money. If you really want to waste it, just send it to me, donate it to charity or I don't know man, go buy yourself a nice lunch. You deserve better.    … Expand
  30. Bas_Anios
    Sep 4, 2020
    1
    Only giving Madden 21 a "1" rating simply for the decent game play graphics when you're not dealing with a bug or other glitches. The game play is the same as the past several years and once again Franchise mode is completely neglected for another microtransaction mode.
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Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Best Xbox One Game of 2020
4
#4 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. GamingBolt
    Nov 1, 2020
    70
    Madden NFL 21 is as fun and realistic as every Madden game, especially in its new “The Yard” mode and its increased focus on superstars, but its stagnation in gameplay innovation and established modes makes it sometimes difficult to distinguish its improvements over previous games.
    Read full review
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Sep 14, 2020
    60
    Madden 21 has the components to be a solid, if utterly by-the-numbers entry in the franchise. However, a raft of bugs and glitches serve to undo the game’s atmosphere at every turn.
    Read full review
  3. GameCritics
    Sep 10, 2020
    75
    Given the sheer depth of the title, this Madden NFL 21 review could theoretically go on for another 1,000 words but there’s a good chance most readers already know whether or not they plan to invest in another season of tried and true NFL gameplay. Make no mistake, Madden NFL 21 is the best rendition of football this generation, and is A solid experience for anyone who takes the plunge — it just comes down to whether or not the new features warrant another purchase for regular fans.
    Read full review
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