Madden 20 Review: 5 Ups & 4 Downs

QB1 and gameplay refinements are nice, but focus on Ultimate Team is killing Franchise Mode...

By Jamie Kennedy /

The NFL's 100th season is almost here, and EA Sports are keen to capitalise on all the hype by boasting improvements across the board in Madden 20. Series veterans will have heard such promises before (so will anyone who's been burned by annual sports gaming franchises elsewhere), but it's largely true this year.

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Madden 20 is a much better football game than 19 was. Reviewing that one was actually pretty hard, because any new additions were mere window dressing. Behind them, Madden 19 was the same game fans had bought over the past few years. Some of that still rings true in 20, to be fair, although the sizeable advancements to core gameplay make it way more enjoyable on the whole.

Picking plays and controlling players on the turf is the most fun thing about Madden 20, and that's where it counts.

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Other modes are getting dusty however, and the (admittedly savvy and lucrative) focus on Ultimate Team is making it difficult for much-loved and long-standing features to flourish. Here are all the 'Ups & Downs' to help you decide if this year's Madden is worth picking up...