Madden 20 Review: Gameplay Videos, Features and Impressions

One of the first things Madden 20 tasks players with doing upon initial boot-up is experiencing the return of the Pro Bowl to the series.  

Given the waning popularity of the NFL's all-star game and its ever-changing format and locale, it was a bold decision on the part of EA Sports. 

But Madden wouldn't be Madden without some bold decisions driving the franchise in new directions. Madden 20 goes this route by letting players implement themselves into the draft process via Face of the Franchise: QB1 and also overhauls the ratings system to make room for a new superstar system that has a profound effect on the outcome of every set of downs, let alone games and seasons. 

With Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes draped on the cover, Madden 20 isn't going as far as attempting no-look passes, but it does alter the experience enough to feel fresh and like the best on-field feel of any release in the series over the past few years. 

Gameplay

One of the first things players will notice when hopping into Madden this year is simple—superstar players matter. 

In the past, this simply wasn't always the case. But the introduction of the Superstar X-Factor feature, combined with a parsing down of the ratings across the board, means that one of this year's most oft-talked-about features is a big change for the better. 

Playing against an elite pass-rusher like Cincinnati Bengals star Geno Atkins is notable because his trait is faster block shedding if he gets a win at the point of engagement. Houston Texans star wideout DeAndre Hopkins wins his aggressive catches in single coverage. Shades of these traits have popped up in the past, but the fact only 50 players have them means a discernible difference in game outcomes on a play-to-play basis. 

While it is overshadowed by the superstars finally making a meaningful impact, general gameplay is also improved through sheer smoothness, particularly in the running game. Offensive lines seem to pick up blocks and assignments better, leading to an effectiveness on the ground that doesn't feel overwhelming.

Pass rush seems to be another area that received some polish. It's more fluid to jump the snap than before and get to winning engagements, though thanks to the ratings overhaul, the higher-rated players have a much bigger advantage than usual. 

These feature additions, especially the X-factors, make it so that a random 79 overall defensive tackle isn't blowing up the league's best running backs anymore or putting unpredictable, constant pressure on the quarterback. There has always been a bit of an RNG feel to which players were making plays and how. This feels like it has been addressed in a strong manner. 

The passing game didn't go ignored, though, despite it already being in a great spot. Pump fakes feel more intuitive than ever and can be used as a change-your-mind decision at the last minute, yet they still affect defenders. And real-life releases have been implemented into the game and take some time getting used to, as they aren't reflected by a number rating. Some quarterbacks simply release the ball via mechanics faster than others, so it's nice to have the real-world feature to account for in every game. 

Gameplay has plenty of quality-of-life updates too, including perhaps the biggest of all—an overhaul to the no-huddle look. In the past, the no-huddle felt like a slog, with players having to hold a button and pray everyone gets up to the line, all while picking a play. It was tedious and seemed to go against the purpose of it to begin with. Not so anymore—players hold the button and the players are at the line and the ball can be snapped. That's it. 

Generally speaking, there aren't as many back-of-box gameplay items like last year's edition, where Real Player Motion was a massive talking point. This year it's all about general smoothness upgrades and the actual differing of superstars from other players, which is arguably just as important, if not more so. 

This is the best Madden has felt on the field, which is what will give the game its longevity more than anything else. 

Graphics and Presentation

Madden 20 didn't need to overly do much to up its game from the most recent release. 

The game looks stunning in most cases, with the reflections on helmets, on-field shadows and simply the detail of the field again sticking out as positives. A lighter palette and scoreboard overhaul seem to complement each other well. 

Player proportions were addressed a year ago and still make sense, with the exception of a few outliers. Player speed received some love too. The lanky, speedy wideout gets to the line faster, and the traits are reflected in his initial cuts. It sounds almost silly, but it is a small part of a clear fluidity pass that makes things better match the real-life counterpart. 

A year ago, better camera angle cuts and a focus on stadium features and sideline antics were big upgrades. Those are back and help the immersion, though the overall lack of a broadcast feel is notable. Omissions aren't far and wide, but the removal of on-field officials sticks out too. They didn't always look the best, but going for a simulation feel and taking them out feels strange. 

Sound design is crisp as always, with immersion a big positive of the release if using a headset in the Astro A50 vein. The crowd noises play a role, though on-field player chatter—which includes, thankfully, new audible dialogue—and the crunching hits on every down give the experience depth. 

Visually, crowds remain a sour point. From a distance, they look like they're reacting as fans at an actual stadium would. But the closer the camera gets to the onlookers, the more duplicates and texture issues players will notice. It's not a major ordeal if players mainly care for gameplay, but it can give things a hit in the immersion department. 

To say Madden 20 is "as expected" in this department isn't a bad thing given the wealth of love these areas have received over the years.

Face of the Franchise: QB1, Ultimate Team and More

Madden 20 asks a lot of its players to buy into a step back from the production values of the past two years featured in the story-heavy Longshot and Longshot: Homecoming modes. 

The tales of those fictional characters played by high-profile actors are out in exchange for Face of the Franchise: QB1, which is billed as letting players insert themselves into the role of a draft-hopeful quarterback who goes through the draft process before scrapping for playing time as a pro. 

And this mode starts out great: Players pick through a somewhat-lacking character creator and hop into the finale of a collegiate career propped up by strong storytelling through cutscenes and dialogue options that have an impact on the player's career. Performance in the College Football Playoff seems to have an impact on draft positioning too, as does combine performance. 

But once drafted, the cutscenes and everything leading to the draft process goes away and mostly becomes a create-a-player franchise mode of past years. There are storyline simulators to keep things somewhat interesting, but it's jarring to go from the draft process heavily featuring storylines and cutscenes to simply playing through a typical experience. 

Which isn't to say QB1 isn't a fun experience. It is addicting to create a player, hop in and see the different outcomes by choosing different real-life college teams and going through the CFP to see where the player gets drafted. But the tandem of Longshot's past production values and how things drop off after the draft have it feeling like a mode that needs a few more years to realize its potential, which it hopefully gets the time of day to do. 

Elsewhere, Ultimate Team is once again one of the bigger considerations. The mentioned superstar systems and gameplay upgrades make it in to keep the experience uniform across all game modes, and it has a worthwhile ripple effect on the experience. 

Off the field itself, some welcome changes make the experience more streamlined and player-friendly. The new star system to challenges is a big deal: picking the difficulty of a challenge and being rewarded as such—or exceeding the difficulty and receiving the next tier of rewards—is a nice wrinkle. 

At this point, these are the quality-of-life changes across the board Ultimate Team needed to see. Another, for example, is being permitted to endlessly tackle challenges instead of completing one, kicking to a menu and picking another. Now, players can go all out without the jarring menu jumps breaking up the play session. 

The experience upgrades in Ultimate Team also come in the form of mission structures. It's now easier than ever to target specific things a player wants to obtain deck-wise, which is useful in the form of respecting a player's time. It's representative of the mode in its entirety this year—players know great additions will keep flowing throughout the game's lifecycle in the form of cards, events and the weekly competitions and otherwise, so streamlining the process from a usage standpoint is a big plus. 

Painting in broader strokes, the Superstar X-Factor ripple is one aspect of the gameplay evolving the on-field feel. While it's disappointing Madden still doesn't specify some of the greater nuances on the depth chart (3-technique defensive lineman, pass-rushing outside linebacker, etc.), player archetypes help in this area in Ultimate Team, at least. 

Also disappointing is the lack of attention to franchise mode outside the QB 1 hierarchy. The mode is still enjoyable for what it is, but a staple of the series taking a backseat continues to be notable in the annual series. The mentioned storyline simulators help and EA Sports figures to add more soon, but clicking through these blocks of text isn't a massive upgrade for the mode. 

Accessibility controls from last year's game are still in and a welcome feature. Players can pick one of three different styles of game, ranging from arcade, simulation and competitive. They feel distinct and help the game's all-encompassing approach, as arcade is a nice pick-up-and play option on the couch. Enthusiasts won't need to look further than the simulation mode, while the competitive players can dive into a play experience that puts an even bigger emphasis on precision and timing.

Conclusion

As it always does, the latest annual installment of Madden found itself confronted with asking players to come back again. 

It accomplishes this in stellar fashion with the meaningful on-field changes, from a simple smoothness pass, to the more complex via the ecosystem changes spurred on by the lowering of ratings and the special traits exclusive to superstars. 

Granted, Madden 20 might have a hard time convincing solo players lured in by Longshot modes of the past to re-up with QB1, but even that is a fun diversion with plenty of upside—the latter part being much like the game's cover star. 

In that sense, it's fitting Mahomes graces the cover given the fluidity upgrades and superstar traits he alone flashes. The accessibility features from the past few years and the on-field upgrades make Madden 20 a winner, one-upping the prior release in the process.