Madden NFL 21 Review: 4 Ups & 8 Downs

4. Obvious Next-Gen Focus

One can only hope that EA has a dedicated team beavering away to ensure that next-gen Madden is worthwhile. The power of machines like Sony's PS5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X should, in theory, lead to the most lifelike NFL experience fans have ever seen.

That doesn't help current-gen players.

They're the one who shelled out more cash on Madden 21 and found out first hand that EA's focus is firmly on things to come. Of course, the much-touted dual entitlement offer does soften this blow (those who purchased Madden 21 on PS4 or Xbox One will get a free update should they buy new hardware), so that's something.

A fair number of critics on social media saw this coming too. They predicted something akin to a 'Legacy' edition of Madden on current hardware this year, and that's sort of what the game feels like. Changing the colour palettes on menus isn't enough.