Madden NFL 20

Last updated
Madden NFL 20
Madden 20 decalless cover art.jpg
Standard Edition cover art featuring Patrick Mahomes
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Designer(s) Clint Oldenburg [1]
Series Madden NFL
Engine Frostbite 3
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 2, 2019
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player
Multiplayer

Madden NFL 20 is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. The 31st installment in the long-running Madden NFL series, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on August 2, 2019. It features Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the cover athlete. Mahomes became the second player after Rob Gronkowski to win a Super Bowl the same season they were on the Madden cover, and the first player to win the Super Bowl MVP while doing so, thus breaking the "Madden Curse", a curse where the cover athlete ended the season early due to injury. [2]

Contents

Development

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes was unveiled as the cover athlete alongside the game's announcement on April 25, 2019, becoming the first player for the Kansas City Chiefs to be on the cover of a Madden NFL video game. [3]

The soundtrack includes 22 original tracks written specifically for the game, a first for the Madden franchise. The soundtrack includes songs by Sage the Gemini, Denzel Curry, De La Soul, Joey Badass, Jay Park, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Lil Skies and Saweetie. [4]

Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis are the in-game announcers, and Jonathan Coachman is the studio halftime and pregame host.

In Season 1 of post-launch content, Superstar KO is a brand new mode in which players can select a team with a head coach and three players in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 matches. Winning a match will add another player to the team. The goal in this mode is to win three matches to become the "undefeated champion". Losing a match will end the run. Each team has a unique playstyle, such as the Florida Keys, with DJ Khaled as the head coach, focusing on blitz plays, the Magicians, with Patrick Mahomes as the head coach and Twitch Prime as the sponsor, focusing on run pass options and play actions, and Backyard Heroes, with Lil Yachty as the head coach, focusing on sandlot plays.

Gameplay

Madden NFL 20 features a new "personalized career campaign" known as QB 1, following the journey of a player-created college quarterback from their participation in the College Football Playoff, to being drafted by an NFL team. Ten licensed college teams (Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Florida, LSU, Oregon, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech) from the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC, are available in this mode. The mode acts as an updated version of the "Superstar Mode", where the player would take their custom player and control them throughout a career, which was featured from Madden NFL 06 until its removal in Madden NFL 25 . [5]

In September 2019, EA Sports introduced another mode called Superstar KO, as part of the game's first "season". [6] [7] In each round, each team plays a drive from their 25-yard line to score a touchdown and a two-point conversion. If teams draw, the round is decided over a "tug-of-war", where each team does three plays, and the team that advances furthest wins the round. After each round, the winner can draft a player from the rival's team.

EA continued with including accessibility features for blind and visually impaired end users. Not least among these is menu narration, in which options are spoken aloud as the player navigates to them using synthesized speech. As part of his voice role for the game, Brandon advises via the game intro concerning accessibility settings and how to reach them. Other settings like image contrast and color-blind friendly settings are also available. While the majority of menus are narrated, some menus deep in franchise, for example, are not narrated. An example of this is when you are scouting college players, or are trying to purchase free agents or when you are attempting to complete the training. Menu narration is also notably absent from the in-game playbooks, although a text-only manual is available in the accessibility section of EA's website.

Release

The game was released on August 2, 2019. It was able to be accessed three days prior on July 30 by those players who purchased the "Superstar" or "Ultimate Superstar" editions of the game, which included packs and special abilities. [8] [9]

Reception

According to review aggregator website Metacritic, Madden NFL 20 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the console versions and "mixed or average" reviews for the PC. [11] [12] [10]

IGN gave the game an 8.1/10 and wrote: "Madden NFL 20's new superstar players and control refinements make its moment-to-moment gameplay the best the series has seen this console generation, but areas like Franchise have been left behind." [17] In its 8/10 review, GameSpot wrote that "Madden NFL 20 is an improved version of the annualized professional football series that excels in some areas and leaves something to be desired in others." [15]

GamesRadar+ praised the updated story mode in comparison to Longshot and the addition of the X-factor players, saying that the game "clears the roster and properly initiates the rebuilding phase for football's first franchise," although noted Franchise mode again felt neglected. [16] Game Revolution , which gave Madden NFL 20 a 3/5, also praised the X-factor addition, saying stars felt "bigger than ever", but was equally disappointed with the lacking in Franchise mode. [14] Game Informer gave the game a 7.5/10, summarizing its review with: "New features can only do so much for a series that needs work in multiple areas." [13]

In a scathing review, Shacknews gave the game a 4/10, calling it "the worst major sports league video game out there," criticizing EA for only making marginal improvements to previous installments. [18]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2019 Game Critics Awards Best Sports GameNominated [19]
2020 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Sports Game of the Year Nominated [20]
NAVGTR AwardsControl Design, 2D or Limited 3DNominated [21]
Game, Franchise SportsNominated

Related Research Articles

Madden NFL is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Orlando for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018. From 2004 until 2022, it was the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast. As of 2013 the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.

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<i>Madden NFL 2003</i> 2002 video game

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<i>Madden NFL 06</i> 2005 video game

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<i>Madden NFL 07</i> 2006 American football video game

Madden NFL 07 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the first in the video game series to debut for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles as launch titles and the last Madden game to be released on the Game Boy Advance. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.

<i>Madden NFL 08</i> 2007 American football video game

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<i>Madden NFL 09</i> 2008 video game

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<i>Madden NFL 10</i> 2009 video game

Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. The 21st installment of the Madden NFL series, it is the first game to feature two players on the cover: Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, who played against each other the previous season in Super Bowl XLIII. It was released in August 2009 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 and BlackBerry, and for the iOS on September 9 through the App Store.

<i>Madden NFL 11</i> 2010 American football video game

Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, BlackBerry, and iOS platforms. The PS3 and Xbox 360 demos were released July 27, 2010.

<i>Madden NFL 12</i> 2011 video game

Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and Asia, September 1, 2011 in Australia, and September 2, 2011 in Europe. It was available on August 27, 2011 to EA Sports Season Ticket subscribers for a three-day trial. It was the last Madden NFL game to be released on the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 2.

<i>Madden NFL 13</i> 2012 video game

Madden NFL 13 is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. EA's Chief Creative Officer, Richard Hilleman, said that defense would receive various changes in mechanics and controls, one of the first known changes in the game. The 24th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game was released in 2012. For the first time in the series, the game was officially released in Brazil, due to the explosive growth of the sport in the country. This was the last Madden game to be released on the Wii, the first and only to be released on the Wii U and PlayStation Vita, and the final in the series to be available for non-mobile phone handhelds and Nintendo systems. It was the first game of the series since Madden NFL 2002 to not feature EA Trax and instead only had instrumental music, which was met with criticism.

<i>Madden NFL 25</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Madden NFL 25 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in August 2013. Instead of numbering it Madden NFL 14 with the year like in previous versions, the "25" in the title refers to the 25th anniversary of the Madden NFL series. The eighth-generation console versions of Madden NFL 25 are the first games to run on EA Sports's Ignite game engine. However, the seventh generation versions still run on EA's previous game engine, Impact. The seventh-generation versions featured former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders on the cover, while the eighth-generation versions featured Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, and were released as launch titles for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2013.

<i>Madden NFL 15</i> 2014 video game

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Madden NFL 17 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. As the 28th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game was released on August 23, 2016 and features New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on the cover. It was the last Madden NFL game to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are based on Madden NFL 25.

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<i>Madden NFL 19</i> American sports video game released in 2018

Madden NFL 19 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed and published by EA Sports. An installment in the long-running Madden NFL series, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on August 10, 2018, the first time it released for the latter since Madden NFL 08.

<i>Madden NFL 21</i> 2020 American football video game developed by EA Tiburon

Madden NFL 21 is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. It is an installment of the long-running Madden NFL series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 28, 2020, and for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 4, 2020. It features Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as the cover athlete, and Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis as its in-game commentators. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay but criticized its technical issues, while player reception was negative, with many heavily criticizing the lack of innovation.

<i>Madden NFL 22</i> 2021 American football video game developed by EA Tiburon

Madden NFL 22 is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. It is an installment of the long-running Madden NFL series, and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia. NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played against each other the previous season in Super Bowl LV, were both featured on the cover of the game, the first joint cover since Madden NFL 10. Like recent previous installments of the series, the game received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the attempts to improve Franchise mode but criticism at glitches and the lack of innovation elsewhere. This was the last Madden game released before the death of John Madden, the franchise's namesake.

<i>Madden NFL 23</i> 2022 video game

Madden NFL 23 is a 2022 American football video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. Based on the National Football League (NFL), it is an installment in the Madden NFL series and follows the release of Madden NFL 22.

<i>Madden NFL 24</i> 2023 video game

Madden NFL 24 is an American football video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. Based on the National Football League (NFL), it is an installment in the Madden NFL series and follows Madden NFL 23. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the cover athlete for the game.

References

  1. ↑ Oldenburg, Clint (9 May 2019). "Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors". EA.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes defied the 'Madden Curse,' and that's good news for the Ravens and Lamar Jackson". BaltimoreSun.com. 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mahomes named 'Madden 20' cover athlete". ESPN.com. 2019-04-25. Archived from the original on 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  4. ↑ "Turn Up with the Madden NFL 19 Soundtrack". EA Sports. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ Good, Owen S. (2019-04-25). "Madden NFL 20 brings back NCAA Football teams for new career mode". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  6. ↑ Arts, Electronic (2019-09-03). "Superstar KO: Developer Deep Dive". Electronic Arts Inc. Archived from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  7. ↑ Madden 20 | Official Superstar KO Trailer, archived from the original on 2019-09-28, retrieved 2019-10-01
  8. ↑ "Madden 20 release date and cover star confirmed – here's everything you need to know". GamesRadar.com. 30 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "COMPLETE GUIDE TO MADDEN NFL 20'S PREORDER BONUSES". ign.com. November 2021. Archived from the original on 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  10. 1 2 "Madden NFL 20 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Madden NFL 20 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Madden NFL 20 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Kato, Matthew (August 5, 2018). "Madden NFL 20: Coming Up Short". Game Informer . Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Treese, Tyler (July 28, 2019). "Madden NFL 20 Review - Back to the same ol' glitchiron". Game Revolution . Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (July 31, 2019). "Madden NFL 20 Review - Some Stumbles, No Fumbles". GameSpot . Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Delaney, Mark (July 31, 2019). "Madden 20 Review: "Like Drafting a Left Tackle With the First Overall Pick"". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  17. 1 2 Kollars, Robert (July 30, 2019). "Madden NFL 20 Review". IGN . Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  18. 1 2 Jarrad, Chris (July 30, 2019). "Madden NFL 20 review: No love for the game". Shacknews . Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  19. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (June 27, 2019). "E3 2019 Game Critics Awards – Final Fantasy 7 Remake wins Best of Show". VG247 . Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  20. ↑ Chalk, Andy (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  21. ↑ "2019 Nominees". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. January 13, 2020. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
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