Madden NFL 21 review
Disastrous release and stagnation in the series
However, the devil is in the details, and while gameplay requires special attention from player, a step forward has not taken place because the stagnation in the main modes makes you wonder what the developers have been doing over the past year.
Sports games tend to always have angry gamers who were disappointed with the previous version, but EA has had this problem twice now, and it’s not the first time games in the FIFA series have come under similar criticism. Although even if you close your eyes to the crushing blow to the project from the fans, the fact that the game literally failed at the start says only one thing – the game Madden NFL 21 has serious problems in the gameplay and other details.
Fans are calling developers for fixes and innovations, but what they find is complete stagnation, and in the meantime, developers suggest calling these kinds of projects new games and release updates for them along the way. And the worst thing is that the authors are trying to justify the price of Madden NFL 21.
The most notable changes
Still, there are positives, because despite user reviews, there have been improvements in Madden NFL 21. The gameplay has moved a lot forward this year, and while it’s fairly easy to find fault with it, the new Madden is nice and responsive with some great new features, like the sequel getting some nice animations.
On top of that, the coaching settings have been overhauled, adding options like “zone fall” for your pre-snap defense, and improved micromanagement. Madden NFL 21’s marketing push this year is spearheaded by “The Yard” mode, a new backyard soccer mode that features 6v6 soccer, quirky in-game animations, a host of kits and accessories you can buy via microtransactions, as well as for currency earned during the game.
New mode “The Yard”
Overall, The Yard mode is the biggest success of this year’s release, offering high-scoring and fun soccer matches where you play both sides. To begin, you are asked to create your avatar and arrange it into any combination of kits you want or can afford before deciding which prototype you want to play as. And there are plenty of options to ensure you’re always in action, even if you have to play as a linebacker or defender.
You can play both online and with other players, opening up various fields and tasks that allow you to wonder about the durability and depth of The Yard mode. So if you expect a lot of content from the project, then this mode will be one of the best innovations in this installment of Madden in many years, so fans should be delighted with it.
Graphics and in-game menus
The graphics haven’t changed much, but some might say that it wasn’t really necessary, especially since this game is the last part in the current generation series, but fans will be unhappy because they will notice how outdated Madden NFL 21 looks. while the commentary and broadcast seem authentic, the cut scenes and replays are almost identical to those in past games in the series, so it all looks as boring as possible.
The menu has been streamlined in appearance, but the lag seen in Ultimate Team mode is not only useless, it’s extremely inconvenient. Once upon a time in past installments, such depth of development was commendable, but now it seems so complicated when you need to perform the simplest processes and actions. Add to this the terrifying quality of the graphics, and you don’t even want to play. And anyone interested in grinding in Ultimate Team will find that it’s even more boring and tedious. Yes, and with the musical accompaniment in Madden NFL 21, everything is as bad as possible, so you should be surprised if literally after an hour of the game you want to turn off the tiresome rap.
Outcome
The bottom line is that Madden NFL 21 looks like it’s an outdated series that’s stuck in its own Groundhog Day. The game is able to justify itself only thanks to the new mode “The Yard”. The gameplay is able to entertain casual fans of this kind of football a little, but the mediocre quality of this project seeps into almost every mode and gameplay element, which means only one thing – another step back for the franchise. And, unfortunately, this whole project drags on itself just one mode, which is a great addition with a lot of fun, improved gameplay and reworked skills.
Otherwise, Madden NFL 21 is a backlog in the menu and terrible card design. Tons of bugs. The Ultimate Team mode is outdated, the Face of the Franchise is getting boring, the franchise mode is once again ignored, and the presentation itself needs a major update. Therefore, if suddenly you want to play American football, then it’s better not to spoil your impression by buying Madden NFL 21 and watch the project on Steam until the developers can fix all their mistakes.
