The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘Madden NFL 20’ runs through the football motions
The quality of the “Madden NFL” franchise ebbs and flows. The stellar titles have broken new ground with gameplay innovations or visual upgrades while other releases have been content to stand pat and refine a formula that EA Sports has worked on for decades.
“Madden NFL 20” falls in the latter category. The newest game in the series is more evolutionary than revolutionary as developers at EA Tiburon build on an established foundation of three phases: Madden Ultimate Team, Face of the Franchise: QB1, and the franchise mode.
This time around, Madden Ultimate Team takes center stage and makes it easier to navigate one of the more complicated but deeply rewarding facets of the series. It stands out when starting the game and taking novices through the process of grinding and building a custom roster by picking up cards.
The process has a fantasy football element as players construct teams that couldn’t exist in real life. By tackling missions and opening packs purchased through in-game coins and real world currency, they can craft a team in which John Elway throws touchdowns to Michael Thomas.
The revamped mode makes it easier and faster to construct squads and upgrade players they already have. Everything can be done in a few button presses, improving the quality of life when sorting through the roster.
It’s notable how Madden Ultimate Team has been pushed to the forefront while the Franchise mode — once the centerpiece of the game — has taken a back seat. Franchise mode remains mostly unchanged from previous years. Players still take on the role of a coach and guide their team through several seasons to the Lombardi Trophy. They’ll see young players progress into stars and older players regress as Father Time catches up to them.
It’s how players can experience the core elements of “Madden NFL 20.” They’ll discover a game that hasn’t changed much in terms of gameplay from last year’s version. It’s still more accessible than previous efforts and the contests move at a quick pace.
Meanwhile, EA Tiburon recommits to its groundbreaking story mode, but it moves away from Devin Wade and Colt Cruise from the “Longshot” story. This time around, players create their own avatar in “Face of the Franchise: QB1” and take the signal caller from college to the NFL.
It’s not as polished or extravagantly produced as the previous narrative, but it does a good enough job of casting players as a once highly touted prospect who is buried on the bench in college. An injury to the starter pushes him to the spotlight during the College Football Playoff National Championship and puts him back on the NFL radar.
Players will encounter moments where they’ll have to choose a response, and those impact the type of quarterback the avatar becomes. He can be a team-first player with a rocket arm or a charismatic field general that expertly hits intermediate routes. Regardless of the style and archetype, the performance on the field is what will speak volumes.
The quarterback will improve based on how well players throw during games. By default, the scope of the QB1 mode is limited to the signal caller. Players are mainly responsible for passing to the open man and reading defenses. They don’t control receivers or play defense. With that in mind, it’s a good jumping off point for newcomers because it teaches offensive concepts in a relatively pressure-free environment.
With multiple endings based on player performance, fans can see how the rookie season of QB1 ends and discover some satisfying conclusions.
Although “Madden NFL 20” remains the same on the surface, the gameplay does have a few minor tweaks. The most notable comes in the Superstar X-Factors that the top 50 players possess. Similar to what EA Tiburon created with Weapons in “Madden NFL 08,” these X-Factors are are distinct abilities that elite players can activate once they perform a set criteria. For example, Freight Train boosts the chance of Cam Newton to break tackles. It unlocks when the quarterback has three rushes of 10 yards or more. On the defensive side, Aaron Donald has the Fearmonger ability that lets him pressure a quarterback even when engaged in a block. It’s activated by getting two sacks.
The X-Factor feature makes superstars distinct and gives them more personality. It transforms the football players from a set of numbers to something more akin to their real-life counterparts with distinct talents that make them allpros. Players will see these key powers in star NFL players, drafted rookies and the quarterback they create in QB1.
It’s a thoughtful move that brings an element of transparency to this edition of the series, but that doesn’t do enough to move the needle. “Madden NFL 20” polishes what is already there, but it doesn’t stand out compared to some of the better entries of the series. That probably won’t matter to longtime fans, who will undoubtedly pick it up anyway. But if you bought “Madden NFL” in the past three years, you won’t see much here that’s new.