Every year, it seems to be the same thing: Electronic Arts unveils the new Madden game and it’s far from unanimous. However, for the Madden 21 edition, everyone seems to be on the same page.
The game is simply atrocious according to those who assess it. Madden 21 gets a rating of 0.3 out of 100 on the Metacritic site. No other game in history has received such a low score.
But what is it that makes the regulars of the game angry? Lots of things.
Glitches
Ah the famous “glitches”. Again. Always. Here are a few found by the team at Extra Mustard.
Either the ball magically gets stuck on the players’ helmets …
Love the new ball physics in Madden 21. ???? #NFLdropEA pic.twitter.com/PJ6xGZJerI
— Will 郭 (@GuoBlue) August 31, 2020
Needless to say Madden fans are generally NOT happy with this year’s edition. #MaddenNFL21 has claimed one of the lowest Metacritic user scores ever at 0.3. pic.twitter.com/j5pzxzsgQ8
— Gaming Humor & News (@VGFGamers) August 31, 2020
… or he walks alone in the air.
9 minutes into owning Madden 21: pic.twitter.com/ih14935niZ
— Dylan MacNamara (@DylanMacNamara) August 31, 2020
The new Madden 21 already showing a glitch…. Computer controlled Vikings trying what looks like a run after a fake punt on 4th down. #maddenglitch pic.twitter.com/qPVsaUPbF9
— John Young (@Young42John) August 31, 2020
Even some players deflect gravity and don’t want to fall. Watch the legs that never stop moving. We’re speechless.
And the NFL just signed another contract with EA for another 10 years. ????????♂️ #NFLdropEA pic.twitter.com/Tv5bM5t0an
— Kip Smithers ???? (@Chughes612) August 30, 2020
Cool stumble recovery tho #nfldropea pic.twitter.com/m45cEynfiK
— NFL Draft guru (@NFLsantaClaus) August 30, 2020
Graphics problems
The visual aspect of the game also seems deficient. So try playing with a completely white image to see.
#NFLdropEA I wish I never spent money on madden 21 I’m a ???? pic.twitter.com/X7Pp0dWLBV
– Ya_boi_weasel (@BoiWeasel) August 30, 2020
Ah… the dividing lines are sometimes missing.
Glad I’m not the only one pic.twitter.com/Gr6d85aAoN
— Cody Nelson (@ccnelson2012) August 30, 2020
Grounds crew get fired, @EAMaddenNFL? pic.twitter.com/GzHqJAaTqJ
— Gaming Humor & News (@VGFGamers) August 31, 2020
The heads of the players too.
Photo credits: hothardware.com
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A copy of the previous game
It is normal that the people in charge of the game do “copy and paste” from one year to the next. But from there to leaving the year 2019 on the ground for a game titled Madden 21, it’s ordinary.
This year’s #Madden is using last year’s field art. pic.twitter.com/BNwrCekBs4
— ????Robert Enders???????? (@RobertMEnders) September 1, 2020
The animation of the celebrations when our team wins the championship has been the same for several years. It is time for that to change a bit, right?
This problem has persisted for years. As great as Madden 08 was, you can pick up Madden 07 and not notice much of difference.
Speaking of not seeing much of a difference, this side-by-side comparison of Superbowl celebrations between Madden 17-20 is very sad. #nfldropea pic.twitter.com/nbP5minXnr
— Nomar Mendoza (@TheNomarMendoza) August 30, 2020
An online campaign
The vast majority of tweets that demonstrate Madden 21 game problems are accompanied by the hashtag #NFLdropEA. This is an online campaign founded to convince the NFL to let other companies create football video games. The NFL has in fact granted the exclusive rights to use branding to EA until 2025. When you have no competition, it’s easier to sit on your laurels than to try to improve.
In Electronic Arts’ defense, Madden 21 was certainly created in part by people who didn’t have access to all the software and computers they needed because they had to telecommute. Or EA had to turn corners to release a game on schedule despite all the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whatever the reason, people are upset.
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