A revision to player controls changes virtually everything you do on the field for the better.
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That said, there are still some animation and clipping issues that I saw pop up, like players arms descending through another player’s body, or players forcefully bouncing in the air after a simple tackle was made. And while I love the defensive line improvements in Madden 20, the secondary play offers some real head-scratching moments. At times during zone defense the safety would play too far back, wouldn’t follow his assignment, or simply act like he didn’t understand the play that was called. This kind of thing was all too common, and forced me to play man defense or a zone call that wasn’t correct for the offensive situation. So it’s true that the gameplay isn’t perfect, but the improvements in Madden 20 are tangible and trending the right direction.
Playing as an X-Factor player is the stuff dreams are made of.
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Commentators Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis are back in Madden 20 with mostly the same batch of voiceovers, but this year we get to hear them also call the NCAA playoffs as well as the NFL games. While that is definitely a nice addition, the commentary doesn’t sound much different than it did in Madden NFL 19. The pair still usually does a solid job of calling a game in regards to situational emotions and references to teams’ and players’ previous performances, which adds to the overall flow.
It’s a shame EA didn’t take this opportunity to add more diversity to their assortment of canned chatter, though – I’m already hearing repeated lines, and occasionally commentary that flat-out made no sense, like crediting a player with scoring his third touchdown of the day when it was clearly his first of the game.
Madden Ultimate Team mode isn’t my favorite way to play (I’m not big on mixed rosters or card-collecting games) but there are some significant changes this year that made it more fun for me. Gone are Solo Challenges; they’ve been replaced with Ultimate Challenges which come with the ability to play at a one, two, or three-star difficulty, and you guessed it, the higher the star number, the more difficult the challenge and the greater the reward(s). Some may consider these just a rehash of previous Solo Challenges with a fresh coat of paint, but I found myself enjoying the quickness of them. I wanted to hit the “next challenge” button as soon as I accomplished the task at hand.Also new to MUT this year is the ability to add the new X-Factor superstars to your team. To keep things from getting out of control you will only be able to add three to each side of the ball, but still, it’s great that MUT gets to benefit from Madden 20’s best new feature.
There are also new “missions” intended to guide you toward the best items. For instance, if you can collect 60 stars you’ll receive an NFL Epic Baker Mayfield, rated an 86 overall. Want to acquire the 86-rated Epic Deacon Jones? It will require you to collect 120 stars. Other specific missions will want you to gain a specified amount of yards against certain a defense, and if you do so, the rewards are 500 coins and a GridIron pack. There are multiple missions, and even more will be added throughout the year to help you build your fantasy team into a contender. The rewards can vary greatly depending on the difficulty, but for me, the missions are integrated nicely into MUT and the requirements are reasonable.Madden 19’s Devin and Colt are out, and QB1: Face of the Franchise is in. Madden 20’s new career mode puts you in the role of a high school star whose plans didn’t play out exactly as he had hoped… and I’ll leave it at that for fear of spoilers, but suffice it to say you have the chance to play in the NCAA college football playoffs, the NFL combine, and the opportunity to prove yourself worthy for any one of the NFL’s 32 franchises.It was amazing to play a form of NCAA football again.
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As a fan of Franchise mode who spends the majority of his time with each Madden iteration taking a favorite team (or a random one) through the gauntlet of a full season, draft, and off-season trying to make it to the top, it’s depressing to see my favorite mode continues to suffer from neglect. That doesn’t mean Franchise is bad in Madden 20, but it has grown somewhat stale over the years because of minimal updates, and there isn’t enough new content here to make this year’s version feel essential.
It’s depressing to see my favorite mode continues to suffer from neglect.
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On top of that, EA has also implemented a few new defensive schemes and a new scenario engine that add a bit of dynamic realism to Franchise mode. For instance, if a player is not getting enough touches during a game, they will make it known. If you, as the coach, decide to ignore his request, you will see a hit in his morale and performance. On the flip side, if you adhere to his request you will see a small performance increase in certain areas. I wish the effects were a bit more impactful, because in my experience, morale drops and gains ranged from only one to six points. I do like how the new system adds a little more depth to Franchise mode, and hope the effects can have a larger impact in the future.
Verdict
In addition to the usual incremental graphics upgrade and respectable new story campaign, Madden NFL 20 meaningfully improves on a lot of the issues that plagued the previous iteration(s). The running game is noticeably smoother and X-Factor traits make superstar players actually feel like a force to be reckoned with on the field, and while there are still problems that linger with animations, it’s safe to say that EA Tiburon is making large strides in the right direction. That said, I’m running out of patience for the Franchise mode to receive some revitalizing updates – it’s still fun after all these years but Madden 20’s Franchise doesn’t feel substantially different from Madden 19’s.