Madden NFL 27 Review - Impressive Franchise Return Marred By The Same Old Issues

Madden NFL is back for another year, and while there are some notable improvements this time around, the same old problems still linger.

Madden NFL 27 is finally here, and the stalwart of the football simulation genre is coming back to the proverbial party with quite a few changes that have made a difference to how the game feels. Franchise Mode and Ultimate Team are also returning, though the former is noticeably more changed this time around.

There have also been some big (optional) additions to the gameplay, one of which fans have been calling for, and it does feel noticeably different to play this time around. With plenty to dive into, this is probably the best release we've seen in the series for a while, but there are some major areas for improvement moving forward.

An Evolution In Gameplay

The first thing to note here is that, on the most basic level, the gameplay on a minute-to-minute basis is essentially what you will have experienced in recent years. That said, there have been some quiet evolutions that really bring the fun forward, while eliminating some of the more frustrating problems that have permeated the series for a while.

In this sense, the new timing-based catch addition is probably the most stark change of the bunch, which absolutely does give the player more control over their own destiny. No more will your star wide receiver randomly fumble a shoveled, wide-open ten-yard pass when you're on fourth and goal with 10 seconds to play, unless you muck up your execution, and there really is nobody else to blame.

The overriding feeling when playing a full-length game is that it feels more realistic this time around. Players interact with each other more, jostling and battling for position, while the statistical benefits certain players are supposed to have usually are borne out. That said, the game is held back by baffling moments where it really feels like it just hasn't behaved as intended.

The most notable area is the defensive line, where tackles can be very inconsistent, and other physics-based interactions just don't go as they would in the real world. Some of that comes down to the animations, which don't line up with what is happening on the turf at times, but other times it just feels like the engine doesn't know what to do in certain situations.

In terms of difficulty, Madden 27 feels like a fundamentally easy game that you can complicate as much as you wish. Unfortunately, dialing up the difficulty doesn't really feel like a smooth ramp-up in the opponents' quality. Instead, it feels like the computer is given information ahead of time (which it is, in one sense), and defenders will home in on your pass and intercept with ease.

The top difficulties don't make the AI feel any smarter or more capable in general gameplay, and it instead feels like it steals the occasional advantage if you are starting to get on top. It's not a huge problem, but it would be nice if the hardest settings simply made it feel like you were playing against a real person who is considerably better, rather than a computer that's skipping some of the usual rules.

What all those changes have made a difference to is online H2H, where the increased avenues for player control have led to greater skill expression. Problems remain, but facing a real opponent in Madden Online feels better than in recent entries.

A Franchise For The Ages

There's a lot going on in this year's Madden (which isn't always a good thing), but at the game's core, Franchise Mode stands out as the most fundamental and important experience on offer. This time around, taking control of your favorite team and guiding them to their destiny involves more detail and player control than ever, and many of the additions made them really feel at home in the wider game.

The big new feature this time around is the Persona Engine, which remarkably gives players their own personalities, which influence everything from negotiations to development. It's immediately noticeable as well. I started my own run with a draft, specifically to test how two different players developed given what are presumably different temperaments.

Same position, similar starting stats, and the same managed development, but one player was considerably easier to improve and no grief, while the other started talking about a move at the first sign of me favoring his counterpart. There's no doubt it adds realism and depth, and though it can be a little difficult to manage at first, once you get to know your players and their foibles, it's a rewarding element of management.

Player abilities and archetypes also seem more impactful than in previous years, and paying attention to potential and development speed in the draft is key to learning how quickly you can expect your team's quality to improve. AI teams also seemingly behave more sensibly, and if you're into the micro elements of the mode, there are more ways to manage everything than ever.

The unfortunate trade-off with all those bells and whistles is that the menus can be genuinely incomprehensible at times, even for someone who has spent a lot of time with the series to date. Several times I had major issues, either with an individual player or the way the team was formed, and I either didn't know about it or had no idea how to get where I needed to be to fix it.

There are moments where the execution leaves a little to be desired as well. The one that springs to mind is the eerie silence as the announcer confirms your draft pick for that round, then cuts through with overly loud music while your new player silently fist-pumps the air. It's not particularly important, but it takes a little polish out of an otherwise very tight mode. Those are relatively minor gripes, though, in what is easily the best thing about the game this year.

Different Year, Same Ultimate Team Issues

And so we come to Ultimate Team, the mode which remains the main point of appeal for many who buy the game. The ability to build your own dream squad is an appealing idea, and the element of RNG is certainly as addictive as it has ever been, when opening packs and similar random loot elements.

The problem here (and stop me if you've heard this before) is the hyper-aggressive monetization tactics employed to get people into the mode and spend money. As soon as you click the mode for the first time, you'll be presented with pop-ups detailing all kinds of "offers," and it really feels more like going on a dodgy website than actually using one of the flagship modes in a major sports release.

Functionally, it remains largely the same this year, with the big addition being Evos, a system that allows you to evolve your players. This can do anything from increasing their OVR rating to unlocking new abilities and archetypes. It adds a sense of continuous progression, bringing it more in line with Franchise Mode, but once you have a team of highly rated players, it feels a little superfluous.

The Ultimate Captain system has also been given some depth, but again, nothing feels as consequential as it does in the single-player modes, and it's difficult to concentrate with the game constantly reminding you to buy more packs in one way or another.

I totally understand there is a huge commercial element to these games and money needs to be made to keep them going, but Madden Ultimate Team's approach to monetization still feelsway over the line of acceptability. They have to refocus on providing a rewarding multiplayer experience, and then people will naturally spend money to remain as competitive as possible. At the moment, it feels so in your face that it isn't fun to engage with in the first place.

Overall, Madden 27 is a notable improvement over the previous iteration in many ways, but the same ghosts continue to haunt the playing experience, and monetization will still be a huge sticking point for many. If you're largely buying it to run the Franchise Mode, then it's an easy recommendation, and arguably the deepest the game has ever been in that respect, but if you were hoping for marked changes to Ultimate Team, it might be better to see what they have coming up next year.