Despite always being a popular point of discussion and debate, player ratings have not always translated in an overly meaningful manner to the actual performance of the players in sports video games.
That can not be said about "Madden NFL 20" due in large part to the brand new Superstar X-Factor feature. The best players in the league stand out in impressive fashion and can dramatically alter the course of every game.
In past Madden editions, it would be important to account for the elite players on the field, but they were unlikely to really change the approach to playing on a game-by-game basis. Maybe you'd see Aaron Donald and decide to run to the other side or roll out the QB in the other direction and he wouldn't have much of an impact otherwise.
MADDEN 20 GUIDE: Everything you need to know before buying the game
Superstar X-Factor makes 'Madden' fun, more realistic
In playing the likes of Donald, Khalil Mack, Calais Campbell and Joey Bosa early in one season, it became quickly apparent that they had the ability to simply wreck your entire plan as an offense.
I had to take several actions to try and counter the pass rush but even then struggled mightily in having to deal with their presence as they disrupted my rhythm, collected sacks, and applied pressure that affected pass accuracy. That's a compliment to "Madden" because those guys rightfully should be feared. A huge sense of relief has since been felt when playing teams that have few or no real impact players. Each game now feels like a unique challenge because of the necessity to scheme around the superstars on both sides of the ball and that makes "Madden" much more interesting.
Some marginal tuning may be necessary, however, to properly balance the X-Factors. There's much you can do to try and neutralize a dominant pass rusher, yet you can simply choose to avoid a superstar corner or safety. There are also arguably too many fumbles being forced by certain classes of X-Factors. A few of the special abilities crept into "gimmick" territory, but the vast majority are well thought out.
The actual player ratings scale has been adjusted to better differentiate abilities on the field. Combining that with X-Factors has proven to be a successful initiative and hopefully one that holds. Past attempts at spreading out ratings in sports games have quickly been reversed after receiving pressure from players, agents and the leagues themselves.
Despite the impact of X-Factors and new elements like RPOs, there remains some sense that the general familiarity with the series' gameplay and its deficiencies will damage long-term playability.
X-Factors provide a dynamic nature that had been lacking and various legacy issues have been addressed, such as the updated pass trajectories. Both have done wonders, and yet there are still those moments that will make you scratch your head or throw your controller. Over time, they may wear heavily on enjoyment. Incidents of awful AI clock management and a lack of awareness (sidelines, first-down marker, time clock, etc.) by AI players are among the issues and difficult to dismiss.
MORE: Here are all the players with Superstar and X-Factor abilities in 'Madden 20'
QB1: Face of the Franchise mode refreshing, includes 'NCAA Football' callbacks
The new big mode this year is called QB1: Face of the Franchise. Essentially, it acts as the next iteration in a string of narrative-driven career modes.
After creating your character, the mode goes right into Signing Day with the option of choosing from 10 licensed universities. The college experience plays a big role in Face of the Franchise given that you are then dropped into a scenario tasked with leading your chosen team to victory in the College Football Playoff. How you perform in the games, whether you win and move on to the national championship game, and then the result of that game will go on to influence perception of your potential from NFL scouts and pundits.
MORE: Which colleges are featured in 'Madden 20'?
In a world that hasn't had "NCAA Football" since it last released in 2013, there’s a real excitement in seeing its presence here and executed so well. Popular assets from the college game, including authentic fight songs and crowd chants, have made the transition.
Performance at the NFL Combine will also play into where the character will be drafted, which can range from the No. 1 overall pick all the way to undrafted free agent. That draft positioning determines the initial player rating. In my case, Pasta Padre was taken 23rd in the first round and began with a 79 overall rating. Get drafted lower (or not at all) and that rating can fall into the 60s. Maybe, though, that is not so bad considering Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is beginning his career rated 63 overall.
When you arrive in the NFL, you'll be tasked with making the initial 53-man roster (which is not guaranteed), beating out the incumbent starter, and playing out the season to its conclusion. The story is dependent on the success of the team.
Given the current climate in the gaming industry and its tendency to monetize gameplay — in the sports genre, especially — it's important to note that Face of the Franchise is not a microtransaction mode. In fact, there's no monetization involved at all.
The sole focus of the feature instead comes with facing the aforementioned challenges, building up the character organically, and having fun along the way.
It's no surprise, then, that your QB progresses quickly and could easily be rated in the 90s by mid-season. It's refreshing to see such an approach to the design of the mode, which could have been drastically altered if the priority were instead to pressure players into paying money to improve and compete.
Mostly status quo for Franchise Mode, MUT
While there aren’t many notable changes in game modes like Franchise and Ultimate Team, the X-Factors again are the biggest factor to consider. The players who have those special abilities can lose them, and those on the rise can earn them. Cards in Ultimate Team will incorporate X-Factors as another way to personalize specific players and enhance their abilities.
As always, there are some areas of concern in statistics produced from simulations in Franchise. After testing numerous full seasons, it was evident that quarterbacks do not run in the sims. The most rushing attempts for a QB through 16 games has been in the 20s and even Lamar Jackson has finished years barely cracking double digits in carries. He averaged 16 rushes per game he started last season.
MADDEN 20 RATINGS:
- Player ratings at each position
- Overall team ratings
- Best offensive teams to use
- Best defensive teams to use
Most other categories look about where they should be, however. QB completion percentages are slightly high, QB interceptions are on the lower side, and sack numbers aren't as high as one would expect given how X-Factors will heavily inflate those numbers in any user-played games.
There are also now hidden development traits revealed only after certain thresholds are met. That adds some intrigue to the mode that had been lacking.
Attention to detail still lacking in some areas
After an absence of eight years, the Pro Bowl makes a return to "Madden" in what could have been a fun reward at the end of a long regular season of Franchise Mode. Unfortunately, what’s here doesn’t even resemble the actual Pro Bowl and instead is just a regular game of “Madden” but with rosters full of the league’s most talented players.
The unique rules associated with the Pro Bowl have not even been implemented. Restrictions on formations and blitzing aren’t enforced. The clock rules aren’t correct (doesn’t continue to run on incompletions, play clock isn’t 35 seconds, and there aren't two-minute warnings in every quarter). Kickoffs haven’t been a part of the Pro Bowl since 2014 and yet they are included like it’s a standard game. Even more startling is how all the players are giving 100% effort. There’s real tackling and violent collisions that you would not see in the actual Pro Bowl.
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One place the developers at EA Tiburon deserve immense credit, however, is in the way “Madden” respects time of those playing the game. A few years back, they added in a way to skip through any presentation element with a button press. “Madden NFL 20” has also cut out some more of the fat by removing the process of breaking the huddle before each play or getting to the line when in no huddle (there's a clock runoff instead).
While they seemed to be questionable decisions when first announced in practice, those small adjustments really improve the pace of the games.
Overall rating
Whether it’s the X-Factors, new Face of the Franchise mode, or even signature player animations, “Madden NFL 20” feels more true to life than ever before. The lack of advancement in core areas such as presentation and Franchise Mode, however, hold this edition back from being the complete package.
The twilight of a video game generation tends to produce the most well-regarded and fondly-remembered editions of sports games. While it does not appear "Madden NFL 20" will stand among those past greats, a more defined attempt at providing gameplay authenticity bodes well for the future of the series.
"Madden NFL 20" is open to play now through a 10-hour trial with an EA Access subscription on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The game officially releases July 30 (Superstar Edition for $80) and Aug. 2 (Standard Edition for $60). The latter is available for $50.94 through Amazon. A digital code was provided by publisher EA Sports for review purposes.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.