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. ChaseCherry
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    This game is a waste of 60 dollars and there’s no reason a triple A company has any reason to be putting out this garbage on a yearly basis and try to pass it off as a different game. Atrocious.
  2. kjensen88
    Aug 29, 2020
    0
    This is quite possibly the worst triple A sports title since the 16-bit era. EA should be absolutely ashamed at the product they created. This is nothing more than a low budget asset flip and it is abhorrent that the NFL allows exclusive sim licensing to EA.
  3. marlies905
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    My Madden 21 review can be summed up in four words: same s**t, different year.

    Madden 21 is just another re-iteration of the exact same poor product that EA has been releasing for the last 10 years. EA's complacency due to its anti-consumer stranglehold on the NFL simulation football license is just as apparent this year as it has been for the past decade. Franchise Mode: FM has once    My Madden 21 review can be summed up in four words: same s**t, different year.

    Madden 21 is just another re-iteration of the exact same poor product that EA has been releasing for the last 10 years. EA's complacency due to its anti-consumer stranglehold on the NFL simulation football license is just as apparent this year as it has been for the past decade.

    Franchise Mode: FM has once again gone completely untouched and still does not come close to resembling what the mode used to be in 2005. There is absolutely no depth and no replayability in Franchise mode or Face of the Franchise (the new attempt at Career Mode/Superstar Mode). Face of the Franchise is plagued with horrible cringeworthy writing and an extremely short storyline with meaningless "choices". The core Franchise community has been completely neglected once again in favor of focusing and investing in the pay-to-win arcade modes, mainly MUT. 5000 characters are not enough to explain everything that needs to be improved/fixed in Franchise Mode. I advised everyone to check out 3 channels on Youtube who have made extremely detailed videos outlining everything wrong with Madden Franchise Mode: ShutdownSafety21 (Ryan Moody), SOFTDRINKTV, and ThatFranchiseGuy. Keep the hashtag #FixMaddenFranchise trending on twitter, the community needs to keep our voices heard until EA restores Franchise mode to its former glory. The community deserves better.

    Gameplay: The gameplay is still the same handful of canned animations from the last 5 years that make every game extremely boring and predictable. Animations still fail to blend properly most of the time which causes awful-looking interactions between players, and most animations have visual cues that make it extremely easy to predict outcomes of a play. Referees are still missing which is still a major complaint that EA has yet to address. Overall, it is clear that the Frostbite engine is not capable of replicating real-life football, and EA really needs to rebuild this game on a physics-based engine. The addition of X-factors only serves to make the gameplay less like actual NFL simulation. This shift to dumbed-down arcade-style gameplay is clearly intended to appeal to younger players who are more inclined to spend money on microtransactions. The Madden devs and executive teams have lost any and all intentions of replicating real-life football.

    Presentation: Visual game-day presentation is the exact same bland repetitive animations from the last 5 years. This includes team entrances, sideline clips, and SB win celebrations. The pre-game, post-game, and half-time shows/reports are extremely inadequate in giving you stats/storylines about the game and the season in general. The commentary library consists of the same boring and predictable lines that we have been hearing for the past 5 years. The commentary team is devoid of any personality or passion and often say lines that are irrelevant to what is happening on the field. Madden desperately needs a complete presentation overhaul to get on par with NBA2K's presentation and commentary.

    In conclusion, Madden 21 gets a 0 because of what it should have been. Ever since the transition onto the next generation (Xbox 360/PS3), EA has had 11 YEARS to rebuild this game and they have gotten nowhere. 11 years of empty promises and microtransactions make it clear that with a lack of any competitor in the NFL simulation video game market, EA is able to remain complacent and neglect anything that isn't MUT. Despite what IGN has claimed for the last 5 years, EA has yet again failed to make any real "steps in the right direction".    … Expand
  4. JordyFighter14
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    The game is horrible. The game in general is full of glitches and bugs like your coach changing colors, field lines disappearing, and the field, players and other things turn all white and are hard to see. Mut is still mostly the same, Franchise is only a roster update and no additions were made to it besides tweaks that would come in a midseason patch, FOTF has bad acting, and The Yard isThe game is horrible. The game in general is full of glitches and bugs like your coach changing colors, field lines disappearing, and the field, players and other things turn all white and are hard to see. Mut is still mostly the same, Franchise is only a roster update and no additions were made to it besides tweaks that would come in a midseason patch, FOTF has bad acting, and The Yard is glitchy and is at least partially microtransactions.… Expand
  5. Northboy5
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I’ve played madden since 2005 and this is ridiculous we have been fed the same stuff since 2013 and I’m sick of it this is a billion dollar company and you can’t even fix the little stuff and you can even add in things that where on the ps3 this is a joke and the main reason I’m refusing to buy this game is because I love madden but I won’t be force fed madden 20 just with a roster update and some new X factors that are probably already broken in all honesty I will buy NCAA 14 or madden 07 before I buy that… Expand
  6. Uberman2FT
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    It’s the same game as the previous years except they added a super glitchy game mode called the yard that’s filled with micro transactions which has more customization that you can do in franchise mode which has been the same for years. Better off buying the previous games even if you like the same dull madden game with no change.
  7. gresham
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    You’d have more fun if you plugged your controller into a trash can. Madden continues to dish out the same recycled garbage every year. They add flashy new game modes and features that nobody asked for and don’t even work correctly all while ignoring their broken gameplay and barebones franchise that they continue to strip more and more each year. If you put glitter on a turd, it’s still aYou’d have more fun if you plugged your controller into a trash can. Madden continues to dish out the same recycled garbage every year. They add flashy new game modes and features that nobody asked for and don’t even work correctly all while ignoring their broken gameplay and barebones franchise that they continue to strip more and more each year. If you put glitter on a turd, it’s still a turd, which is exactly what madden is. A big pile of steaming crap.… Expand
  8. LastNameMoore
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    same exact simulation game with added arcade mode. The new arcade mode was only added because 2k was allowed to make an arcade nfl game. The game is just awful. Same legacy glitchesfrom forever ago.
  9. Tukay662
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Same game again. Running feels better and the yard is cool but that get old fast. Everything else is literally the same..… Expand
  10. DaCavsHere
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Same game even worse than last if you can believe it i guess nice graphics when there not glitches out.
  11. JFEENSTRA
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Don’t buy this game. It’s an unpolished, unfinished and more buggy rendition of last years release. The only new thing is the yard which is an arcade style 6v6 backyard football mode with cosmetics you can buy for real money or with credits you can earn through playing the game. Instead buy a USED version of madden 20 and update the rosters, it’s the same experience.
  12. PoppaWheelie
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Total copy and paste of Madden 20. Franchise hasn’t been touched and the game is still too animation dependent. But hey, as long as EA keeps monopolizing the game, why improve it? #fixmaddenfranchise
  13. Jorrgyson
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Basically a CTRL V + CTRL C of madden 20. This is ridiculous how EA “promises” everyone change but can’t actually do it.
  14. Cstallones
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    I am try to understand how a billion dollar company can’t do any better this product. When you ruin the game starting @ madden 13 and keep making it worst every year and than slowly bringing things back into the game to make it seem like progress it just shows the lack of respect they for there customers. Again your a billion dollar company, figure the sh** out...
    When 2k finally starts    I am try to understand how a billion dollar company can’t do any better this product. When you ruin the game starting @ madden 13 and keep making it worst every year and than slowly bringing things back into the game to make it seem like progress it just shows the lack of respect they for there customers. Again your a billion dollar company, figure the sh** out...
    When 2k finally starts dropping there simulation game I’m done with EA for good. Just a bunch of clowns who think there customers are to stupid to read between the lines, and realize that there only in it for the money & dnt care one bit about there customers. I hope y’all go out of business when 2k comes back I really do......    … Expand
  15. Steelers4life52
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Same game as previous years, along with no innovation to franchise mode in multiple years. This game is just a rehash of Madden 20, not worth a single penny. EA seemingly focused on MUT and Face of the Franchise, yet the story makes no sense in terms of writing and the story is predetermined no matter how good/bad you play during your high school and college career. So many promises areSame game as previous years, along with no innovation to franchise mode in multiple years. This game is just a rehash of Madden 20, not worth a single penny. EA seemingly focused on MUT and Face of the Franchise, yet the story makes no sense in terms of writing and the story is predetermined no matter how good/bad you play during your high school and college career. So many promises are made year after year for improvement, but each release there's always the same lingering bugs/glitches that have been around for multiple Maddens. In summary, EA is more focused on making money rather than putting out a good product, and only get away with it due to their exclusive NFL license for simulation football games. Will not be buying Madden in the future, I'd rather switch to 2k's upcoming NFL arcade game… Expand
  16. ryanpug101
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    the same broken buggy game with nothing changed or added for the last 9 years do not buy
  17. Armollion
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Another year, another disappointment, another failure. The sole simulation game for NFL football can't even get the simplest things like which college my own player went to out of the ten possible choices. Glitches everywhere, whether it be on the field like the pure white field in the yard or text issues like completely mixing together different players names somehow or just having yourAnother year, another disappointment, another failure. The sole simulation game for NFL football can't even get the simplest things like which college my own player went to out of the ten possible choices. Glitches everywhere, whether it be on the field like the pure white field in the yard or text issues like completely mixing together different players names somehow or just having your teammates wearing a completely different teams jersey in the locker room. The game play is purely animation based, basically a rock paper scissors of the game engine deciding what it wants to happen.… Expand
  18. Hrbeastmode
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    I have played Madden and NCAA for years, this game is near unplayable with face of the franchise the faces glitch the screen freezes it looks like video broadcast in a horror game at points, there are still random glitches I had a player fall down for no apparent reason when he had nothing but 60 yards Green in front of them people are phasing through each other glitches that have been inI have played Madden and NCAA for years, this game is near unplayable with face of the franchise the faces glitch the screen freezes it looks like video broadcast in a horror game at points, there are still random glitches I had a player fall down for no apparent reason when he had nothing but 60 yards Green in front of them people are phasing through each other glitches that have been in the game for years are still there and they haven't updated the Superbowl winning animation in four years… Expand
  19. deeohmmm
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    TL;DR: Madden 21 is a buggy mess that should have been delayed and adds no significant upgrades over Madden 20. This is the worst effort Tiburon has put into this game in its entire history and it is time for us as a community to demand a better game.

    I’ve owned every Madden since 2001. I want Madden to be a great game every year. I’ve played in tournaments and online franchises for    TL;DR: Madden 21 is a buggy mess that should have been delayed and adds no significant upgrades over Madden 20. This is the worst effort Tiburon has put into this game in its entire history and it is time for us as a community to demand a better game.

    I’ve owned every Madden since 2001. I want Madden to be a great game every year. I’ve played in tournaments and online franchises for years. I literally grew up on Madden and it shaped me in some ways. To see what the series has become over the years has left me feeling hopeless because I have truly loved playing football games for decades now, but Madden is the only NFL “simulation” in the market and it has slowly stripped everything of substance from its game and dumbed the gameplay down to a level that is beyond simply catering to average players. There isn’t a good reason for man coverage to continue to be pointless except when doing unrealistic “cross-manning”. There isn’t a good reason for zone coverages to be stagnant, where a player in a zone will ignore the only receiver on their side of the field because the receiver didn’t enter the zone’s imaginary bubble. Blocking is terrible, but at the same time, the defensive line is useless unless you put abilities on them. Why haven’t check and release blocks been updated since their introduction into the game over a decade ago? You can put a TE on a check and release and they will just stand and look at the edge rusher get picked up by a tackle without chipping and then runs their route (anyone who knows football knows how stupid this is). Why is it that years after the origin of “nano blitzes” that they are still the only viable defense? ...Oh I already answered that: coverage is useless in this game so you can only hope to send 6-7 every play for a pressure or sack. Want to drop 8 players into coverage? You’ll get picked apart because the AI hasn’t been updated in years. We haven’t even gotten into the run game where these principles completely flip. Want to blitz 7 against a run? Well, your entire defense can’t pursue properly and if the RB gets past the first level of the defense, there is no second level because the AI is programmed to just run straight at the RB at best or to move around aimlessly at worst. Oh your opponent is dropping 8 versus the run, should be a big hole to run through right? Yes there is a huge hole!... that your opponent shoots through untouched and tackles you for a loss. So to be clear: loading the box vs a run is a mistake that could cost the defense a touchdown and running a 5 man box vs a heavy running set can get a tackle for loss. Is that how football works? Of course not. I haven’t even gotten into any of the topics regarding franchise’s lack of updates, how adding The Yard doesn’t warrant a $60 purchase when Madden added Superstar KO FOR FREE, how MUT has yet to change any of their monetization practices to be more consumer friendly, how EA spent more money on hiring NFL players to be influencers than helping create Madden influencers in its competitive community (how about you make the prize pools 10% of your profits instead of less than 1%?), how nonsensical Face of the Franchise is with the depth of a puddle... I’ll let other reviewers take that baton. Madden NFL 21 is not worth 1 cent in my opinion. It is an update to Madden 20 which itself is practically free-to-play if you pay $30 for EA Play or for $5 from your local GameStop. Madden NFL 21 should have been delayed or not even shipped for current gen, but EA Sports is determined to milk its player base for every last cent until the community collectively stops them.    … Expand
  20. kjamal
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Horrible in every way. Save your $60 this year. Franchise is worse than last year and FOTF was written by a literal child.
  21. WellDamn
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Nothing changed from last year besides a few minor controller tweaks. They actually took away stuff from Franchise. Boycott madden
  22. p0zer85
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Madden has been getting worse for years. Totally unacceptable. Make a good game and the money will follow. Stop trying to milk money from the cash cows while frustrating and infuriating the majority of your customer base.
  23. A1k
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Absolutely Horrible it’s the same game as last year. DO NOT BUY THIS WASTE OF 60+ DOLLARS!
  24. Jmorris195
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Billion dollar company that has the monopoly on “simulation” gameplay.
    Can’t even get football right
  25. Saiyaman
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Aweful. not waisting $60 on madden NFL copy paist 21. Played the early access from EA play Franchise is exactly the same with no changes, gameplay is the same, face of the franchise is a joke, the yard is cool but doesnt save the game. #fedupwithEA #fixmaddenfranchise
  26. RoseMayBoone
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    This game has the least effort put in I have ever seen. It becomes clear as soon as you boot it up. It literally has some of the same exact bugs from last year. There is no excuse for a game being this bad
  27. thewrench01
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    The game sucks. 0, just like my rating, changes made to Franchise. Actually, I should give it a negative integer because they removed a relocation team. The Face Of The Franchise gamemode is just garbage. They had the entire franchise dev team on it and it still seems like a kick to the groin to all Madden fans. The story sucks, the characters suck, the logic is abysmal, there is noThe game sucks. 0, just like my rating, changes made to Franchise. Actually, I should give it a negative integer because they removed a relocation team. The Face Of The Franchise gamemode is just garbage. They had the entire franchise dev team on it and it still seems like a kick to the groin to all Madden fans. The story sucks, the characters suck, the logic is abysmal, there is no challenge, and the acting is **** Glitches galore, no branching story paths (if you lose ALL of your high school games, there are no consequences), and no originality. the logos for your high school team are all just recycled and renamed, and there is no limit to what you can name your high school. They don't use many settings for the cutscenes, and you are still limited in which colleges you can choose, doesn't matter though, cause the terrible write in character is forced to go with you. Why? Terrible writing. The guy had a heart problem and yet he still gets scholarships from the same 10 D-1 colleges as the main character? Then, on top of all of that, and wining (carrying your team to) a national championship, the coach comes and tells you that the guy who had to be carted to an ER got the starting job over you. SURE. That's not even mentioning that the abilities you choose are meaningless, the combine's 40-yard dash is actually a slow quick-time event of three button presses, and the franchise part of it all is scripted and bugged to all hell.

    Now let's talk about the legal issues this game will have. The Yard is just a terribly made, animation-based, backyard football gamemode. No one asked for it, literally no one. The game has microtransactions and allows you to buy different cosmetics that, guess what, aren't accessible elsewhere! That cool mouthpiece you just bought? You can't even put those on ANY player in ANY other gamemode. EA makes designs that are exclusive to gamemodes that earn them money, and NOTHING ELSE. Franchise is riddled with bugs that have been in the game for literal years, guys in their 30's are winning rookie of the year, fields are becoming blanked out, and the game is still not even realistic. Superstar abilities have ruined any form of simulation this "NFL Simulation" game has.

    If anyone takes the time to read this, buy a former Madden game, and realize that EA does not give two craps about what you think.

    We got #FixMaddenFranchise to be one of the top trends on Twitter in the midst of a global pandemic and economic crisis. If that's how outraged your fans are, that they are more pissed off about how terrible your game is than a pandemic and their livelihoods going to waste, and you still **** them over, then I will be glad to see your license revoked within the next ten years, and out of making football games entirely EA.

    **** YOU EA SPORTS    … Expand
  28. Lordbowzr
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    Absolutely awful and horrendous just like every other madden of recent. I cannot even begin to start to list of what’s wrong with this game, but this is hands down the worst sports franchise alive right now. I just do not understand how Madden NFL 06 is better than this, it’s been 15 years.
  29. Chase14weeks
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    I feel like Ea literally said lets see what is the very least we can do this year and watch these idiots still buy the game.
  30. Alexdaman213XBX
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    This game has NO reason to be defended. After years of the same franchise mode, we made the hashtag '#FIXMADDENFRANCHISEMODE' trending worldwide on twitter in the United States, DURING a PANDEMIC, EA said that they will fix franchise mode and guess what new features are in franchise mode? No new features,. The gameplay is the exact same gameplay since Madden 18, but with the brand newThis game has NO reason to be defended. After years of the same franchise mode, we made the hashtag '#FIXMADDENFRANCHISEMODE' trending worldwide on twitter in the United States, DURING a PANDEMIC, EA said that they will fix franchise mode and guess what new features are in franchise mode? No new features,. The gameplay is the exact same gameplay since Madden 18, but with the brand new exciting... User controlled celebrations. The mode that has been EA's only care for the past 8 years. which is MUT (Madden Ultimate Team) is a game mode made for you to gamble and pay till your team is able to be at least playable. This year's New game mode named 'The Yard' is just another way for EA to take money out of your wallet, it is Arcady (Which I like) but, is just a thing to put on the back of the game case to make you buy this game. Superstar KO mode is the same exact same from Madden 20, it's a good game mode but not that good enough to make you pay $60 for, remember that EA put most of their resources into putting celebrities in this game mode, The star of the show which is Face of the Franchise. Face of the Franchise is an awful or even the WORSE career mode I've ever played. incoming spoilers are coming, but I don't really care. you start off in a high school as a back-up QB. there is a lot of reused parts from past Madden games to make you think it's a brand new game, all the logos, colors, are the same from the available relocation teams from Madden 25. The Starting QB reveals you at Halftime that he has a heart disorder only to you, you have the options to snitch and tell your teammates that he has a heart disorder or tell to sit down for the game if you tell him to sit down you will play by yourself for the rest of the game, if you tell the teammates, he will play as a Wide Receiver to make him look good. I choose him to sit down the game so I played by myself. When I got to the field, I was receiving frame rate issues on my Xbox One X, I know that this was early access, but there is no excuse for me to receive lag on the most powerful console ever. I won the game 22 to 69 because it was really easy. I win the high school championship game, which I forgot how it played out but I got into the hundreds because it was that easy. I now had to choose a College football team so I choose LSU because I like the logo and colors, for some reason he chooses my team also as if we had a bond between each other. The head coach rotates you and the other guy on starting QB. I play a college play off game and I get set on a Unpainted field where I don't know where the hashmarks are. This is unacceptable from EA to have a unfinished stadium. I play the college football finals and my 'Friend' at the end of Halftime knees down, knowing that his heart disorder got the best of him so I am forced to finish the game. He replies to me with 'Let's finish what we started' as if I was his friend. I win the game and trophy. I bring the trophy to him. I am back at my apartment (Which is awkward considering the media guy lives with us), and the coach comes in to tell me that I have two choices; I play Wide Receiver or Running Back because our 'Friend' is going to start OR leave for the draft. I wanted to play QB, But this is stupid how NOW I have the choice to switch positions. I leave for the NFL on what is known on one of the WORSE Careers modes EVER. In review Madden 21 is a terrible game. If you're wondering as a parent to give this to your child, or get this for yourself just remember this, you are willing to possible spend more than the $60 you payed for for Ultimate team or The Yard. This is my Review on Madden 21 on the Xbox One X.… Expand
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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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