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What makes an NFL superstar stand out? For the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback Cam Newton, it’s his ability to scramble out of the pocket, picking up essential yards for his team without needing to fling the pigskin or hand the ball off. Meanwhile, the New York Giants’ Rookie of the Year running back Saquon Barkley commands blistering speed and strength, enabling him to cut through defensive lines like they’re made of cream cheese.
It’s these unique attributes that Madden NFL 20 wants to emphasise, with its new X-Factor system separating the wheat from the chaff. It works like this: key players on both sides of the field can supercharge their game by completing specific on-field objectives. In the case of Kansas City Chiefs QB and cover star Patrick Mahomes, throwing a couple of 30-yard dimes will add 15-yards of range to his arm strength. It’ll only get taken away if he’s sacked, fumbles, or throws an interception.
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Countering such devastating offensive perks are players like Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, who after registering a couple of sacks will be able to decimate offensive lines like they’re not there. Give up 10 yards to the opposition, though, and these deadly defensive mavericks will rekindle their mortality – temporarily, at least. The net result is that you’ll fear players marked by an ‘X’ symbol when they’re on the opposite end of the field – and revel in controlling them when they’re on yours.
The perks-based system plays into the new campaign mode QB1, which replaces the teen drama-inspired thrills and spills of Madden NFL 18 and Madden NFL 19’s Longshot plot. While this proved a guilty pleasure for many, the production values were clearly extraordinarily high, and the return probably didn’t justify the outlay for the notoriously cost conscious publisher. This year’s experience is much more streamlined, then, and segues seamlessly into a watered down Franchise mode.
The mode is perhaps most similar to NBA 2K’s various Prologue storylines, which serve up a couple hours of soupy story before letting you develop your character in the big leagues. In this instance, you start out as your selected college’s backup quarterback, and kick-start a narrative which will see you eventually entered into the NFL draft. While there are some amusing cutscenes, it’s over all too quickly, and despite there being dialogue decisions, it’s unclear what outcome they have on the plot.
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Once you’ve made a team, though, you’ll just find yourself trying to earn a starting berth before going on to make the Hall of Fame. You’ll be assigned various objectives in each game, and completing these will increase your level, allowing you to upgrade your abilities and enhance the aforementioned X-Factor skills. The problem is that, outside of repetitive text message scenarios which are designed to add colour, the whole mode becomes very dry after a few hours and you’ll promptly abandon it.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot that’s new to find in Franchise mode, though contract negotiations have been overhauled and players seem to be a bit more demanding. If you’ve got a wide receiver who’s disappointed with the number of times he’s being targeted, for example, he’ll make his feelings known. You can opt to act on this, or risk the morale complications that come with an unhappy player. These improvements do add dynamism to the experience, but they’re minor.
It’s a similar story on the field as well. The return of the run-pass option means that there’s added depth to each team’s playbook, but the defensive AI can still act bizarrely, while clipping and glitches detract from the presentation at times. The running game – which was drastically improved in last year’s game – feels even tighter, while the overall pace of matches is faster, keeping you in the action for longer spells at a time.
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Which brings us to Ultimate Team, a mode which is quite literally designed to consume your social life. Building a custom roster using collectible cards is as addictive as ever, and EA Sports has attempted to up the replay value by removing the solo challenges of old and replacing them with Ultimate Challenges which come in smartphone-style star tiers. Effectively, upping the difficulty nets you greater rewards, and so there’s even more incentive to have the best players on your squad.
The dopamine drip-feed is undeniable, as missions and XP meters mean that you’re constantly unlocking something new. But unless you’re willing to invest hundreds of hours, filling out your team with upgraded X-Factor stars is going to require you to open your wallet, and with so many different currencies and card types, the mode can still feel headache inducing at the best of times. At least there are some quality of life improvements in the menus to expedite the process somewhat.
Conclusion
The greatest show on turf gets a bit more personality with Madden NFL 20’s new X-Factor abilities. While this headline addition only applies to the sport’s biggest superstars, it injects new life into the on-field action. The new QB1 campaign may have potential in the future, but in its current guise it’s a step back from the Longshot story explored in previous entries, while the fan-favourite Franchise mode continues to see neglect. Ultimate Team is unquestionably the series’ underlying bread-and-butter, and with tons of new challenges to complete, it’s sure to become your new obsession as American football’s 100th season gets underway – just be wary of investing too much money into the mode.
Comments 62
pittsburgh Steelers is the best NFL franchises.and will win the Superbowl 🏆 this year.word up son.
@playstation1995 Browns will win AFC North.
@get2sammyb nah pittsburgh will win it all and the AFC North playa.word up son
Ooooh I like the new Pros and Cons section of the reviews.
I skipped last year's Madden and think I'll probably give this a miss too.
I wanna play 19's Longshot story mode at some point but keep putting that off too.
Eh, this is one of those sports I’ve always preferred watching over playing.
Come on Broncos, it’s as if they won the Super Bowl in 2015 and were like yep we’re done.
@get2sammyb
Typo in the first paragraph. "Caroline Panthers"
Madden 20 came out a week ago, why the late review?? Did ea not give you code for review?? All in all, a good review.
Face of the franchise is definitely bare bones. Unlike many others, I really like the running game.
@playstation1995
Hell no dog. I really believe the browns will take the division this year. Just hoping my Jets make the playoffs!!
@NYJetsfan123 nah dog Brown cookies ain't winning the division.pittsburgh is the best.and j e t s.i don't think they are making the playoffs this year.word up son
@playstation1995
Idk son, I feel like it's roethlisbergers last year, Conner and juju better step up, and the defense seems a bit lacking on paper. And hell yeah dog, my Jets making wildcard, mark my words. Can't set expectations too high haha
@NYJetsfan123 nope.roethisberger is sign to 2021.and he can play more.wordcup son
@NYJetsfan123 James Washington pittsburgh receiver is doing great right now . hahaha.and the defense is great.word up son
@playstation1995
But he getting old!!!!
@NYJetsfan123 Thanks for the correction, I’ve edited that. Review is a little bit late because I’ve been a little busier than usual and wanted to make sure I’d played it properly.
@NYJetsfan123 nah Ben is the man with the master plan.steelers gonna ride the ship.for 2019 championship.big Ben number 7.steelers 7 championship.word up son
Some of those X-Factor abilities sound like they could be real game changers. It’s left me curious enough that I might actually decide to invest in this year’s iteration.
@playstation1995 the Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-2,so,it's not going to happen because the Pittsburgh Steelers might not make the nfl playoffs this year because with ben roethlisberger out for the year,i might to disappoint you.Am i right patriots fans because Superbowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers ain't happening because ben roethlisberger injured,so,maybe this is Cleveland's year,honestly
@Rick_Deckard the bolts And cheifs sorry not happening because my guess it could be Cleveland browns very first super bowls because look at the odds because the odds aren't in Patrick maholmes and Phillip rivers,so,the best bet is baker mayfeild and Tom Brady,then look again because the top 5 teams right now are 1.the new England Patriots 2.Cleveland browns 3.baltimoore ravens 4 Detroit lions,5 buccaneers ,right now Pittsburgh Steelers is in the worst position and can easily fall to a 6-10 record if not careful.
@Milogdog1990. Cleveland aint going anywhere dog.word up son
@playstation1995 nope you're wrong actually because it will be the new England Patriots in the superbowl again sorry to burst your bubble,plus the Tails Doll might get you if you play Sonic R because Sonic R is haunted,so go in the bathroom around 3 am and play city escape backwards and living in the city backwards also for Halloween time
@Milogdog1990. No they not going to the superbowl.they gonna lost in the playoffs.word up son
@playstation1995 the Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the nfl playoffs because there record is 0-3,they will fall to 5-11 because the Pittsburgh Steelers only 8% of making the nfl playoffs, but there record prediction needs flipped out because Pittsburgh Steelers doesn't want to loose to baltimoore after winning against Cincinnati bengals,the Pittsburgh Steelers loose to baltimoore ravens then loose to @ La Chargers bye week,a win in miami dolphins,a win against the Indianapolis colts,a loss facing the rams,a losst at the browns,a loss at the Bengals,a win against the browns,a win against the @ cardials,a win against the bills,a win at the jets then a lost against at ravens theres no nfl playoffs that because the seven superbowl championship is a lie,the Pittsburgh Steelers need to turn the tables on divisional teams,if the Pittsburgh Steelers can reverse the 5-11 record prediction to 11-5,maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers have a 8% chance of making the NFL plsyoffs because the Pittsburgh Steelers keep loosing
@Milogdog1990 they gotta win this Sunday.and they will win.word up son
@playstation1995 the Pittsburgh Steelers play monday night football against the Cincinnati Bengals,the Pittsburgh Steelers might drop to 0-4 because the need to fired the offensive coordinator and head coach,Pittsburgh Steelers might loose to andy Dalton and the bengals,then the ravens 0-5,chargers 0-6,miami 0-7,colts,0-8,rams 0-9 browns 0-10,Bengals 0-11,browns 0-12,cardials 0-13,bills 0-14,jets 0-15,ravens 0-16 if we keep loosing we might fall to a 0-16 record if we keep playing bad,can a Patriots fan say something about the path Pittsburgh Steelers is taking with mason rudoph because this all season is a letdown because the way Pittsburgh Steelers is playing is like 2017 0-16 Cleveland browns
@Milogdog1990. You crazy playa.pittsburgh will win this Monday.word up son
@playstation1995 Am i really because i have a nice looking Tails doll i like because i never play sonic r and summon the Tails doll either because i never seen the red eyes tails doll because the tails doll is my friend,so,people are saying the new England Patriots are going to the Superbowl and the Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the nfl playoffs because the freaking whole coaching staff needs fired,the better option is trading for eli manning because the Pittsburgh Steelers are doinig nothing with Rudolph and james connor and the Pittsburgh Steelers are fucking loosing fans because look at what's going on, a freaking 3 game loosing streak the fucking start of the season and this fucking should be Pittsburgh Steelers year,but sadly it's not looking the way it's supposed to because i thought this year was better,i freaking wish the fucking nfl season was canceled because it's all rigged by the new England Patriots and bill bellichick ass and the legendary unstopable g.o.a.t Tom fucking Brady,plus the Pittsburgh Steelers has the baltimoore ravens after the Bengals and are predicted to loose against the ravens,chargers,a win in Miami dolphins a win against the colts,a loss to the rams,a loss to the browns,a loss to the Bengals a win against cardinals ,a win against. The bills,a win against the jets,a loss against the ravens and no fucking playoffs that way because the Pittsburgh Steelers need to do better,but that's not the case because look the freaking nfl season turned out and this is why people are interested in watching the freaking new NFL because i fucking hate this because i wish the the new England Patriots would have never signed Antonio brown and cheated against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 1 a fucking blow out week 2 a loss against. Seahawks and a freaking loss in san Francisco,theese are not the Pittsburgh Steelers i remember because this isn't the 2008 steelers,but this is freaking 2019 nfl season and the Steelers predictions we're a lie,what a worthless nfl season,i wish this freaking season never happened
@Milogdog1990. It is rigged.but the patriots aint winning the superbowl.word up son
@playstation1995 actually, someone else might say otherwise. Because the real answer you're looking for isn't corrected because the new England Patriots are winning the superbowl again because i'm the one that's correct and you are wrong otherwise look at it this way because with the loss of Antonio brown,leveon bell,jesse james and the list goes on,the Pittsburgh Steelers are really screwed at this point of the season because the correct thing to freaking to say is how to put this nfl season that never should have happened in the first place
If u look at it this way because everything else plays a factor.
They will be ok they winning this Monday.word up son
@playstation1995You're not asleep, you're saturated,aren't you?
@playstation1995 No,they won't be okay if they loose to baltimoore after Cincinnati Bengals or either loosing to the chagers,rams,browns,Bengals and ravens,the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati win 1-3, baltimoore ravens 2-3 @la cargers 3-3 bye week 3-3,miami dolphins 4-3,Indianapolis colts 5-3 rams 6-3,@browns 7-3@Bengals 8-3,browns9-3 cardials10-3,bills 11-3 @jets 11-4 ravens 12-4 and into the playoffs,but 8-8 no playoffs or 7-9 no playoffs,the Pittsburgh Steelers need to fired Randy the offensive coordinator or demote him and Pittsburgh Steelers need to fired Mike tomlin and a new head coach,when time lookS tough,we need a miracle to happen to get the nfl playoffs
When misstakes happen,it's usually the other way around because it only takes one mistake,honestly the Pittsburgh Steelers need to change there coaching staff and fired mike tomlin & randy ass,as time changes,we're racing against the clock,so to speak and say that time isn't on our side which leads to trouble of not making the nfl playoffs and missing the nfl playoffs for the second straight year is the path we're heading is the wrong path.but there is a right path and right choice because decisions play a factor and the choice is either choose to win or choose to loose which can lead to a trick question rather to say the outcome of the Pittsburgh Steelers are not on the winning side which leads to a downhill spiral of loosing?basically someone has to step up and say something because otherwise is unpredictable because are overall record should be 3-0,but it's 0-3,basically the Pittsburgh Steelers need to do is step their game up,obviously.if the Pittsburgh Steelers can learn from the mistakes in the last three games then we have a better shot of making the nfl playoffs and the Pittsburgh Steelers needs to turn the tide around on the ravens,chargers,rams,browns,bengals and ravens,maybe we can go 13-3 with Rudolph if we're lucky because it would be a first round bye against the wildcard teams,but we have a straight shot to the divisional round,but everything has to go right with the Pittsburgh Steelers,when things go bleak,strange things can happened because we gotta work winning the 3 games ahead of our bye week with sitting at 3-3 at bye week and win more games against miami,colt,rams,@browns @bengals,browns,@cardials,bills,@jets,@ravens,but first we need to get past Cincinnati Bengals,Baltimoore ravens,@la chargers.i hope we can manage a 13-3 record with Rudolph because he's the only one can get to the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Superbowl and collecting Superbowl trophy number 7 for big ben,i think Mason Rudolph can do it all,but we also have a straight shot to the Superbowl and the Pittsburgh Steelers can't loose anymore games because we're on plan b because we're without ben roethlisberger and we need to pull ahead of the baltimoore ravens and knock off the new England Patriots with Mason Rudolph because right now our chances of making the nfl playoffs are down to 8% chance,but that needs to change in our flavor,but it's not in our flavor right now and Cincinnati Bengals can beat us and dropped to 0-4,we can't allowed that to happen.our season right now is in flames because we're playing with fire at this point of the season.look at the Pittsburgh Steelers they can't do nothing on offense and we're the freaking laughing stalk if we fall to 0-4
Sorry to break it to you there is no 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers because Pittsburgh aren't going to the superbowl this year since they're 0-3 and will be eliminated from the nfl playoffs here soon after loosing to Cincinnati Bengals like the 1995 season,this might put ben roethlisberger in early retirement.the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to drop to 0-4 Monday night
@NYJetsfan123 ea sports madden nfl series died because Madden NFL. 20 is broken with dreadful awfull gameplay,Madden NFL 21 ps 5 pro bundle because ea sports honestly ruined Madden NFL series because madden nfl 18,19 and 20 are broken,i liked Madden NFL 16 the best
@Milogdog1990
Thanks for your opinion.... I guess.... But I couldn't disagree more. End of discussion on my part
@playstation1995 the Pittsburgh Steelers will loose to Baltimoore Ravens and drop 1-4 and be the laughing stalk because the new England Patriots rule,really since they g.o.a.t Tom Brady the super Sonic star with the loosing Pittsburgh Steelers that suck because Ben Roethlisberger gets injured alot,we need a better quarterback because big ben too old
@Milogdog1990. Child please.joe Montana is the g.o.a.t.and Pittsburgh will beat ravens.word up son
@NYJetsfan123 Ben roethlisberger might go in early retirement after this season because Pittsburgh Steelers have a hard time against baltimoore ravens and la chargers,plus,there season is probably over if they loose four more games
@playstation1995 Actually terry bradsaw went back to back superbowl champions,maybe Rudolph can make three superbowls happened
@playstation1995 computer AI compared tom brady's stats with Joe Montana to see who's better?the Patriots fans or the 49ers fans will see who is the true greatest player of time will say otherwise dan marino and the undefeated dolphins.may the the new England Patriots decide what to say mr.new England Patriots would tell you some because Tom Brady and Joe Montana have similar stats because Tom brady is maybe better then joe Montana,but who is the next Ben Roethlisberger?figure that one out yourself?
@Milogdog1990 so whos your team in the nfl.word up son
@playstation1995 Well,my team is Pittsburgh Steelers,but i wouldn't say more if i told you who's going to be in the nfl playoffs and it likely won't be Pittsburgh Steelers making the nfl playoffs if they have a loosing skid because mason Rudolph isn't kordell stwart because it wouldn't be a 1-5 record by bye week and we we loose to rams,browns and Bengals and Ravens get eliminated from the Nfl Playoffs
@NYJetsfan123 My name's Michael vernon Gabriel Two,i'm the real Michael Tails aka Miles Tails @playstation1995
@playstation1995 ^_^
@Milogdog1990. What Steelers is going to the playoffs.word up son
@playstation1995 Nope,they're not making the nfl playoffs,Pittsburgh Steelers is loosing alot games,everything is a fucking lie,the Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the superbowl and the whole truth because the freaking cheatriots always go to the superbowl for the fourth freaking time coming because a fucking new England Patriots will win the seventh Superbowl trophy and new England Patriots been there the last 3 times and the Pittsburgh Steelers will never make the nfl playoffs because you're wasting you're and the damn nfl is fucking rigged by damn new England Patriots every fucking nfl season,the last time Pittsburgh Steelers made the superbowl was 2011 and they should won that game against the greenbay packers
@NYJetsfan123 Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the nfl playoffs after dropping 1-4 because there offensive coordinator sucks and mike tomlin needs ffired after this season and the new England Patriots are always in the nfl playoffs,i have a bad feeling it's another new England Patriots superbowl because Pittsburgh Steelers is having another turnoil season just like last year,but way worst,how can Pittsburgh Steelers salvage the season?they can't
Y@playstation1995 told you the Pittsburgh Steelers ain't gonna make the nfl playoffs,just like everyone says,the new nfl is all about the new england Patriots winning another dumb superbowl and i don't like 2019-2020 nfl season,at this point the Pittsburgh Steelers are eliminated from the nfl playoffs as a lost season,the nfl is extremely rigged because it's not about Pittsburgh Steelers anymore because the new England Patriots and Tom Brady getting his seventh superbowl after the new england Patriots after being three times and you can just watch as Tom Brady wins again,the unstoppable quarterback, the last three years it's been Tom Brady and Patriots in the superbowl and new England Patriots will be at superbowl 54,we got screw over this year,face the facts,hello,i wished this nfl season never happened because this is the worst 2019-2020 nfl season ever made,i wish this season never happen because who's dumb idea to start the nfl season 1-4 with a injured ben roethlisberger and mason Rudolph and this NFL season has totally been unfair from the start of the nfl season.just like the previous years ,but in 2017-2018 we lost Jacksonville jaguars in divisional round and it's the Pittsburgh Steelers loosers since 2008 which is basically not right because this nfl season hasn't been right for any the nfl teams because the Pittsburgh Steelers should be 5-0 and we dropped 1-4after loosing to baltimoore and we will never get that seven Superbowl because the cheating scamming new England Patriots are in the playoffs and another superbowl for fing new england Patriots for the fourth after being to the last three superbowls has been the new England Patriots in the last three Superbowls.how can the Pittsburgh Steelers salvage the nfl season?they can't save their own season because they're about to be eliminated from the playoffs contention and this year hasn't been any better and they say Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is so great and coach mike tomlin because the offensive line hasn't been good and the coaching hasn't been good either,this was suppose to be Pittsburgh Steelers year and it's the right to tell you,so,there ask anything because i'll say anything because i know everything how the season ends with a new England Patriots superbowl win and tom brady gets his seventh superbowl ring and this makes me not watch the new nfl because it's been a disaster this 2019-2020 nfl season.this was not how the season was supposed to go at all.was this season was supposed to happen?nope
@cheetahman91 Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the nfl playoffs,i see a 6-10 record for this year
@Milogdog1990. Nope the patriots aint winning the superbowl this year.word up son
@playstation1995 you are basically wrong,
@playstation1995 likely you might to think otherwise because i might 50% percent chance of new England Patriots winning the superbowl and 50 percent chance of the new England Patriots not making the superbowl,so,you might have agreed with me because i'm good,are you asking for a deal because you might want to accept the deal because if you don't accepted the deal,you're worst fears turn into nightmares of the hell hounds chasing you wanting to eat you whold in nightmarish world where you're worst fear happens because i'm one of the monsters to scare you the most.
@Milogdog1990. Seems like you was drinking too much alcohol or high or something.remember say no to drugs.haha.word up patriots aint Winning the superbowl son
@playstation1995 sure,have fun with miichael verno gabriel Two also know as Michael Tails aka Miles Tails as in Miles Tails prower
@playstation1995 i have alot of answers,i'll say anything be there's things alot worst of knowing
@Shatter Can you tell @Playstation1995 that the Pittsburgh Steelers won't make nfl playoffs and the new England Patriots will win superbowl 54 because Tom Brady and the patriots will win another banner because Tom Brady is really good quarterback and the new England Patriots will loose to no one in the nfl playoffs
I don't like how Madden NFL is,so,i gave it a 1 star rating. Is what it deserves the most
@roe madden 17,18,19 and 20 is all trash with the same exact gameplay,should put my faith to madden nfl 21?No
@NYJetsfan123 i exspect nothing from madden nfl 21because i'm not going to buy it if it has frostbite engine,no buy,but i can't say ,but i think the ps 5 Madden 21 will have a new gameplay engine i hope because the last three madden nfl games was s****y
Language! - Quintumply
@get2sammyb madden nfl 21 need a lot of features and create you're own football team from scratch and make up the players names since the nfl might add two more games and loose a couple preseason games
@Rick_Deckard Here's something to do? Madden nfl 21 cover athlete name Shuffle. Mbtomr,redbse,venole eblll,abkre aymfeid,roran oggres.figure this out
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