Madden NFL 21 Reviews
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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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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Madden NFL 21 is a mix of missed opportunities.
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.
Next-gen upgrades will hopefully sort the loading times a bit but the problem is that’s just a part of Madden 21’s issues. Unfortunately, there are so many small things that build up to make Madden 21 an experience that, at times, feels like a step backward.
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 21 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.
Madden NFL 21 has all the same problems as its PS4 predecessor, because it's basically the same game. The presentation has taken a half-step forward owing to the increase of hardware power, but it's many yards behind the standard now set by FIFA 21 and NBA 2K21. The increased loading times improve the flow of modes like Ultimate Team, and the gameplay is marginally more authentic thanks to the implementation Next Gen Stats, but an ageing Franchise mode and some tired animations mean this is hardly the improvement fans anticipated.
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.
The football is good and The Yard makes a welcome addition, but issues elsewhere are hard to ignore in EA's latest gridiron sim
Madden NFL 21 offers some fun new modes and significant fixes, but bugs and lack of care to many of the games core modes prevents it from elevating itself amongst the greats.
Although Madden NFL 21 sees some improvements to its gameplay, and the enjoyable The Yard Mode makes an impressive debut, there's far too much that has been ignored. It feels more like an update than a fully blown follow-up, and it sucks that Franchise Mode has been left in the dirt.
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.
Madden 21's gameplay takes some appreciable steps forward as the generation comes to a close, with The Yard providing some casual fun. The experience is marred by an abnormal number of bugs though, and the single-player modes remain a major sore point. Ultimately, it's able to pick up a few yards on the way to the next generation of consoles, but just a few.