Madden NFL 21 Reviews
A killer soundtrack and inclusive accessibility settings don't make up for the lack of innovation and gameplay fumbles of this just-another-Madden experience.
Madden NFL 21 is a mix of missed opportunities.
With beautiful and accurate presentation as well as great gameplay, the basics are done fantastically well. It is such a shame then to see the rest of the package convoluted with endless menus and unnecessary, incomplete feeling modes. Madden 21 is certainly heading the right direction, here's hoping the newest iteration 'pads' everything out.
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.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, Madden NFL 21 feels very much like the byproduct of a game being developed in a vacuum, devoid of any true competition.
A stale series stuck in its own Groundhog Day almost redeems itself with The Yard and will entertain casual football fans, but mediocrity seeps into almost every mode in another backwards step for the franchise.
Dedicated players are going to pick this game up no matter what, but it’s tough to justify a $60 purchase on a game that feels too similar to what we’ve gotten the past three-plus years.
Madden NFL 21 is a mess of lazy modes, bad gameplay, and a continued descent into a focus on over-monetized offerings. The Yard is a neat idea though!
At the end of the day, Madden NFL 21 is only worth a look if you want in on Ultimate Team or you were turned off by its attempts at being an NFL simulation and are looking for something even more arcadey.
Despite having a unique new game mode in response to the FIFA Tour, Madden NFL 21 has no content to justify its acquisition and the hefty price charged. For new players, who are starting now and do not care about the value, it may even be valid, but for those who came from the previous version the game is just an update.
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Madden NFL 21 then, is a lot like a best friend in the time of social distancing: someone I desperately want to see and spend time with, except doing so also recalls how much we’ve actually lost over the past five months.
All that being said, if you understand that and simultaneously understand that Madden 21 offers up a good game of football between the lines, then there is something here for you. If you're looking for Madden to be more than that this year, then just wait until next-gen to see if it's improved, or wait until the game has a big sale/hits EA Play.
In short, Madden is never as bad or as good as what forums or social media will have you believe, and they should never be used as the barometer. There have been some substantial improvements made with the generational leap, specifically on the gameplay front, and now it's up to EA to keep this train rolling.