Madden NFL 21 Reviews
Madden NFL 21 has an excellent new game mode that's great for short spurts, but the series staples don't move the needle.
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, albeit novel, 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.
While the gameplay is in as good of a spot as it’s been for a while, Madden 21 is dragged down but neglected features, stagnant and/or underdeveloped concepts.
The first and more notable introduction to the game series is The Yard. When you were a kid, you probably had a nice summer evening or two where you and a group of friends would go outside and play a round of flag football. The rules are different and the way you play is almost more unique, but the heart and soul of the game is very much the same. That is what The Yard is trying to tackle here. You play 6 vs. 6 and depending on where you play, the rules can be pretty different. Like the backyard football I played as a kid, once the play starts, defenders have to call out Mississippis before they can rush the QB. Depending on how you customize your team makes a big difference as well. Honestly, this mode is the saving grace that Madden 2021 has going for it.
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.
Marked more by its technical problems than by the improvements made this year, Madden NFL 21 is a clear step back in the franchise. Its news seems empty or just corrections of bad changes made in the past, while its qualities are essentially things that were already present in the previous game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For Madden NFL 21, the only one that's going to be affected by any sort of Madden Curse is EA themselves. While it can initially get by with some fun gameplay, there's little here to justify playing this for an entire year until Madden NFL 22. For a game that's supposed to be the start of a new-generation of Madden, it lacks severely.
Madden 21 is the first time I have found it hard to recommend upgrading. It truly does feel like a roster update in a lot of areas.
Madden NFL 21 isn’t necessarily a bad game; it will improve over time with updates. Yet the product at launch is riddled with deficiencies and the incremental additions aren’t significant enough to warrant a purchase recommendation from me.
It's still good to have Madden back on PC, but a stagnant odor is creeping in.
Madden NFL 21 will not be the game in the series to win a GOTY again for this long-lived sports franchise. Will there be more luck with the new generation versions?
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Madden NFL 21 is completely satisfactory for anyone who wants to learn everything about this sport.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Madden NFL says goodbye to a generation with more questions than answers and with an uncertain perspective on what may happen in the years to come.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Madden NFL 21 isn’t a bad game. It’s good, in fact. It just feels wholly unnecessary.
Madden 21 takes a few shots down field but ultimately plays it safe - and in some ways, too safe.
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.
Madden NFL 21 is a game that is generally fine.
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.
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.