


However, developers have worked to limit the amount of unnatural tackling and collision animations. There are more multiple-player animations that make the action smoother and easier on the eye.įrom a gameplay standpoint, this one is pretty big.ĬPU-controlled quarterbacks are infinitely smarter than they have ever been. Rather than sitting in the pocket as helpless targets for any pass rusher that gets penetration, they will now move and get rid of the ball in earnest when they are under pressure. It’s not impossible to get a sack, but it’s not nearly as simple as it has been–especially on All-Pro difficulty or higher. The quarterbacks play a lot more like themselves as it pertains to pocket tendencies, which gives you the feeling of playing against different offensive leaders. It feels good to see layers added to franchise mode. Teams now have offensive and defensive coordinators with skill trees. The coordinators’ abilities can be felt across the roster, and there is now more relevancy to the weekly preparation portion of the experience. You have to choose whether to rest players or to allow them to go all-out in practice. The chance to add more XP is there while the risk of having a player injury is the downside. These are the kinds of decisions players want to make in franchise mode. The weekly goals and such for players and teams continue to provide some sub-plots and challenges, but they aren’t intrusive into the overall experience. The cutscenes with press conferences are a nice start when it comes to adding an organic narrative to your franchise experience. Tying them into weekly goals was smart as it keeps them from becoming sequences players simply button through. Superstar KO is a Blast With Real NFL Teams - MODERATE While there are some things I don’t care for in franchise mode and still some glaring omissions, we see some real growth in franchise for the first time in more than a decade. I’ll be honest, Superstar KO was my second least-favorite way to play Madden 21. I came into this year’s game expecting it to be more of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised.īeing able to play the mode with real NFL teams added something to the experience. Visually, Madden Still Hasn’t Taken a Next-Gen Leap - MAJOR It is a much better way to entice players to try Ultimate Team, if they haven’t already, and it was nice to play the KO style under those parameters.
