Madden 21 is a great game that old and new players would be excited to play. New modes and updated features like Superstar X-Factor and The Yard have put youth into a veteran series. The way the players acted and how the games sound makes it feel like a real NFL game and in 2020 that is needed. While it still has flaws, it may be one of the best Madden games yet.
Many people talk ill of the Madden franchise. They say that since there is no competition for a licensed NFL game, it’s just an updated roster for $60. Madden 21 is not this. It offers plenty of new and/or features that would entice new players and call back older fans of the franchise. I can say that with some authority as I am an old fan of Madden. When I was a kid, I remember playing Madden’s appearances on PlayStation 2 [or original Xbox, GameCube, whichever you had]. The iconic ’04 Madden, with Michael Vick on the cover, stood out for introducing the Playmaker Tool which allowed you to use the right analog stick and make adjustments on the fly.
The most special Madden to me is the 2006 game with Donovan McNabb on the cover. I am a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and seeing McNabb on the cover athlete was a dream come true. 2006 also introduced the revolutionary Quarterback Vision feature. Quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Brett Farve would have a vision that would span the whole playing field while Michael Vick only had a sliver. In these early years of Madden, they would introduce these new features that would make the game more exciting and feel like an improvement from the previous year. As the years went on, these features didn’t come as often and nothing felt as fresh as those early iterations. That is what makes Madden 21 special, it adds quite a few features that make the franchise exciting again.
The most exciting updated feature is the Superstar X-Factor. This was something added to Madden 20 that people were split on. In 21, it has been revamped and improved. The Superstar X-Factor is not something that all NFL players have in Madden 21. The players that have the Superstar X-Factor are the playmakers, the players with really high ratings. In the NBA2K series, when a player makes multiple shots they become “hot” and their shots are more likely to be successful again because they are on a “hot streak”. The Superstar X-Factor functions the same way. For example, Aaron Rodgers, who is the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, has this feature. He is one of the best players in the league and he deserves this feature. When Aaron Rodgers plays an NFL game, there is a chance he may go on a roll and throw multiple touchdowns passes with no incompletions. In Madden 21, Aaron Rodgers can do the same thing. After he completes multiple passes, his Superstar X-Factor will activate, giving him an advantage on certain throws.
Quarterbacks are not the only position to have this feature. What is cool is that the Superstar X-Factor that is assigned to the player is based on how they play. Lamar Jackson’s X-Factor is not the same as Drew Brees’s X-Factor. While playing, I started a Franchise mode with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ highest-rated player is Fletcher Cox who plays defensive tackle. His X-Factor is called Fearmonger. Fearmonger is activated after Cox gets two sacks on the quarterback. When Fearmonger is activated, Cox has an advantage against the offensive player who is trying to block him and he is more likely to get a hit on the quarterback. As someone who watches the Eagles and knows how Fletcher Cox plays, his X-Factor fits right into his playstyle.
One of the new modes added to this year’s Madden is The Yard. The Yard reminds me of NFL Street, EA’s over-the-top answer to NFL Blitz. 7 players versus 7 players and the same players who played offense also played defense. It was super fun, and you could do a lot of neat trick plays. The Yard is just like this. You have 7 on 7 with new and innovative rules. There is a blitz line that makes the game a little more fair by regulating when you are allowed to blitz. You are allowed to make two passes behind the line of scrimmage which allows for some creative plays. It has an online aspect that is neat too. You create a character and level them up through games in The Yard and then you can mold them like an NFL Star. This character can be the same as your character from Face of the Franchise or it can be separate. The Yard is a very fun new mode that brings back the feeling of the NFL Street games.
Franchise mode consumed most of my time with Madden 21 and I was genuinely impressed with its features as a management sim. It was essentially a stats-obsessed football RPG. Assuming the role of the head coach, you are leveling up along with your team’s roster. You set up your practices based on your upcoming match up and learn ways to exploit the next opponent’s weaknesses. After those practices, your players gain experience points and have the opportunity to level up. When players level up you can choose what features you want them to have. For example, when Miles Sanders, the running back, leveled up, I was able to choose if I wanted to either make him a power rusher to push through inside runs or make him a speed rusher where he could outrun his pursuers. There were these types of options for each position too. You also have the ability to level up a player who is considered a Superstar in Madden and make them a Superstar X-Factor.
Another highlight of Madden 21 was the audio presentation. It genuinely felt like an NFL experience or at least the NFL experience before 2020 destroyed sports. Obviously the first part of a football game is the kickoff. The kickoff sounds so good. It makes you feel like you are right there hearing that thud of a foot hitting the ball. The crowds were roaring and felt alive. The players’ voices sounded amazing as well. It really felt like Carson Wentz, the Eagles quarterback, was under center when I was playing. The hard work that was put into making the gameday atmosphere feel authentic is incredible. The piece that really hit me was when I heard the Eagles Fight Song. Madden 21 actually has the crowded sing the fight song after a touchdown! It honestly put a smile on my face. This wasn’t just an Eagles thing. It happens for teams like the Packers and the New York Jets.
In the same vein as the sounds, there were the mannerisms of the players that impressed me. The AI had the players acting like they do in real life. Whether it was after a throw, or after a tackle, the players’ faces and body language were exactly the same as how they act in a game. I was playing against the New Orleans Saints and I managed to get a sack on Drew Brees. After the sack, he got up and made a face like I have seen him make after a sack in a game! For a series many consider iterative and factory-made, fine details like these suggest Madden still has a heart and soul”.
I speak very highly of Madden 21 but it is not perfect. There were some of the same issues you have seen over the years. Most notably the odd behavior of the physics engine after a pass. If an incomplete pass hits someone, the ball will bounce off people and still somehow be in play. Sometimes that could lead to a silly interception. There were also instances of players walking through stadium walls. Announcers were saying some wrong names as well. A lot of little things that just need to be polished. Some of the higher-rated players, like Lamar Jackson, are kind of broken where you can essentially do anything you want. If you wanted to scramble and run for a touchdown with Jackson, you can easily do that.
