Madden NFL 21 Review: 4 Ups & 8 Downs

2. Franchise Mode Has Been Neglected (Again)

Before critiquing Franchise, here are some changes EA made this year.

There are new X-Factor abilities available, the Wild Card rounds have been extended for the Playoffs and there are new contract negotiations for rookies. That's literally it. Everything else, right down the in-office main hub for your coach, remains exactly the same aside from a colour switch or two.

It's heartbreaking that EA seem so unwilling to listen to their customer base when it comes to this mode. People want Franchise to be a success, and they'd be happy with incremental progress if it showed the developers were actually paying attention.

They're not though. EA want you to play MUT instead and line their pockets by buying 'pay to win' card packs there. If you're still playing Franchise in Madden 20 and have a good thing going, stick at it. There's no need to start from scratch in 21.