Madden 21
Credit: EA
The next-gen version of Madden 21 released a day early for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S fans who already owned the game on current-gen consoles.
I’ve been playing the game since early on December 3, and one thing is pretty clear to me; it’s that this experience doesn’t warrant a full review because it’s not a brand new game.
I believe I’d be doing EA and fans a disservice by placing a score on what I consider more of a remastering than a new game.
That said, here’s the good, the bad and the bottom line.
The Good
Slight Visual Upgrade
If you’re looking for the kind of visual upgrade that gamers saw with NBA 2K21 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t find that here. That said, there are some cutscenes between plays that will draw some admiration.
Haptic Feedback is Awesome
The best upgrade inthe next-gen version is in the PlayStation 5 controller. The haptic feedback comes through nicely on tackles and some of the ball-carrying situations. I adds a bit to the immersion and delivers an on-the-field quality.
Play-Calling Menu is an Adjustment, But a Long-Term Win
The new play-calling menu has more options than before, like finding plays for specific targets, and even making a favorites list. The UI is very different than what most Madden fans are used to, so there is some adjustment necessary.
Still, I see it as a change that will be positive in the long run.
The Underwhelming
I usually call this the bad section, but instead, I’m going with “the underwhelming.”
It’s not necessarily bad–at least not in every instance–and as I mentioned, this is more of a remaster than a full new release.
Players Feel More Weighted, But it Needs Balancing
Some users may like this, and I might ultimately join that group. However, at this point, the players mostly feel slow and sluggish with the exception of the most dynamic athletes like Tyreek Hill, Lamar Jackson and Christian McCaffrey.
I’m all for there being a differentiator in this vein, but at the moment, the defense seems to be at a major disadvantage in space against most any skill position player. In my experiences, this has led to a lot more big plays down the field caused by missed tackles.
The players definitely move more realistically than before, which was the major connection with Next-Gen Stats, but defensive players need a little bit of a buff to allow them to compete. I think this is fixable, or admittedly, it might be something I get used to over the next few weeks.
However, at this point, current-gen Madden is actually more fun to play. That’s probably a bit of death blow, but after further review, it’s how I’m feeling.
Weather Effects Aren’t a Thing
I was initially told weather would have no impact on gameplay.
Later, I was told the slipping and dropped passes from current-gen would still be in the game. I haven’t seen either as of yet, and quite honestly, I’m not sure they were ever quite as impacting as they should have been on PS4 or Xbox One.
While it is nice to see the footprints in the snow on parts of the field, this aspect of the presentation is the epitome of underwhelming.
No New Modes
I’ll keep this pretty short and plain: there are no new next-gen exclusive modes.
Lower-Quality Visuals in Some Instances
EA wanted to make sidelines more visibly appealing, and they accomplished their goal in some areas. However, there are some instances where the next-gen version becomes a visual downgrade. In some cutscenes, it appears the heads of linemen have simply been placed on the body of a wide receiver or defensive back.
The body types don’t match and this creates a very unfavorable looking model on the screen–especially considering this is a next-gen upgrade.
Next-Gen Stats is a Useless Gimmick at This Point
One of the biggest drivers for Madden 21 on next-gen was the use of Next-Gen Stats. A great usage of this tech would have been as an engine behind a new ratings system.
However, instead it’s more of a useless statistical overlay that really means nothing in the grand scheme of things. A number pops up on the screen during some pretty nice looking replays, but none of the speeds actually feel faster than the others, and it feels as though it’s all arbitrarily issued just for the sake of the graphic.
Hopefully EA builds this out into something with more meat on the bones in future versions of the game.
The Bottom Line
Madden 21 on next-gen was free to anyone who bought the game on PS4 or Xbox One X. Because of that, it’s hard to complain about it taking just a small bunny hop forward from the current-gen version.
That said, it’s impossible not to compare this to what 2K did with NBA 2K21. The difference is night and day. NBA 2K21 on next-gen still has some bugs to work out to reach its potential, but at least they tried to deliver a different experience.
At some point in the next couple of weeks, NBA 2K21 will have its act together, and it will have still delivered a true next-gen experience about eight months before Madden.
