Madden NFL 20 Beta Impressions, Post Your Weekend Thoughts

[Steve_OS]

After a weekend of playing the game, here's our initial impressions of the Madden NFL 20...

Written By: Operation Sports

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[canes21]

The game has a very PS2-era feel to it. The slower passing velocities and the trajectories they introduce along with the way players feel brings me back to those games. The on field gameplay truly feels like a successor to those games and not what we've had since the generation after. This is what Madden 06 should have been. Removing the options for game speeds seems to have paid off as the one permanent speed feels more polished than ever.

The pass rush is awesome and I hope EA does not nerf it moving forward. The slower QB releases and the windups on deeper passes is lovely. Timing is more important than ever and I love it.

X-Factor players play like superstars. These guys are simply on another level and I love the feature. For my fellow 2k guys out there, think of the gold-tier legends and how great they were. That is what the X-Factor players play like. And beyond that, the player differential between non-superstars still feels more noticeable than any games through the last two generation of consoles. Again, this is another aspect that is more PS2 era.

Overall I love the gameplay on field. It feels weird to say that I love the gameplay of Madden, but I admit it, I do. I've been playing the PS2 era NCAA's lately because I miss them and they give me great nostalgia plus they play better football to me. Having played those recently the way they play is fresh in my mind. This beta plays like those games. If you enjoyed those games then you will enjoy this game on the field.

Now, off the field is where this game struggles. The scenario engine is very disappointing. It's just an enhanced weekly goals system more or less. It does not seem to be creating narratives all around the league at all. No trade demands, no holdouts, etc. It's a big letdown. I think the entire CFM mode is a big letdown once again. As good as the gameplay is, CFM remains to be the exact opposite. It's very depressing to have such a vanilla mode that feels like a chore to go through sometimes. It doesn't feel like a living breathing world. Each year feels like it is taking place in a vacuum. It's just an overall shallow mode that would be the worst franchise mode in all of modern sports games if NBA Live did not exist. EA really needs to just go bananas building CFM, it is embarrassing what they have let the mode devolve to.

Presentation is also disappointing. EA seems to have no desire to really improve the presentation in Madden. They added the half-time show last year, but outside of giving the scoreboard and all of the UI in the game some weird beach-like vibe as if you just walked into a Waves store you see all over coastal cities the presentation seems largely unchanged. They did seem to finally fix the camera from cutting to the coaches constantly, but nothing was added from what I can tell.

Overall Madden is a game that delivers on the field. The PS2 games were the best in the series and this game takes a giant step towards replicating the experience of those games with the bells and whistles of modern technology added on. The game is a big failure off of the field. As much as I love the gameplay on the field I absolutely hate the lack of depth to the gameplay off of the field. I'd probably give the game a 7 out of 10 based off of the beta. It's a very pretty game that does excellent things on the field, but the lack of depth to the game modes is just embarrassing for a AAA developer that produced NFL Head Coach, that had deep franchise modes in all of their sports titles on the PS2, and that basically is the forefathers of Owner Modes in sports games.

Also, I noticed Kane never liked my post in the ratings thread that was locked so it's obvious he is confirming we are getting an NCAA game in the near future and EA getting the 10 teams in this year is just the first step towards the series returning. Thanks for the confirmation, Kane!!! I cannot wait to run RPO's with Miami against Appalachian State next year!

[OhMrHanky]

This is a long post, I know, but these were notes I was taking as I was playing the beta, and as I’m extremely satisfied with M20 as of right now, just wanted to share them all.


Madden 20 beta notes

First INT returned for TD
- play flip around when INT felt good and easily transitioned to running the other direction for 80 yard INT return.

Presentation
- replays are roughly the same for those people that thought they might be cut back with new hurry up to line. They also appear to be more contextually correct as well.
- Got pressure on qb, he threw a very realistic incomplete. Next play was 3rd down, I had good coverage and sacked him for 10 yard loss. As he was getting up, he chucked the ball to the ground in disgust! Lol. To which, Gaudin mentioned this during the replay. Solid.

Defenders hurrying up to lineup looks FANTASTIC
- D players FINALLY hurry into position. No more goofy looking sidestepping animations to get into position, lol. They look ready and on their toes and get into position very quickly and realistically.
No walking to line
- This is actually totally fine and not an ‘immersion killer’ for me, personally. Moves the game along. I play 2 hour games, so this benefits me. Less ‘goofy’ animations from players trying to lineup.
- However, under no huddle conditions, I have to imagine H2H players are going to cringe on D. While many h2h players hot route a lot, and as such, the D user may have more time to call their play and then hot route on D, when playing the cpu, for me, if they ran no huddle without hot routing, I only have like 3 secs to call a play. Now, for me, under no huddle conditions, I often simply go man, man, man, or Tampa 2, Tampa 2, Tampa 2, so maybe not a huge problem. But, irl, I’d like to think u either have the D coach speaking to Lb through helmet mic, or at least, barking orders, or giving hand signals to maybe run a blitz or switch from man to zone, so we should have this ability on D as well. To click through multiple plays to find your fav zone or man or blitz takes longer than 3 secs. So, this no huddle hurry up presentation they’re touting will affect D play calling ability, imo.
- Again, in h2h, as long as both players hot route for 5+ secs, this may not be a problem.

Running the ball feels nice.
- nice, crisp jukes, man.
- Very responsive user input to juke.
- My first kickoff return, I setup a nice spin on first defender to immediate juke right, and it was crisp as hell (as it SHOULD be). I got the spin fake and juke fake on the appropriate defenders, and then was tackled by appropriate defender as well.

Graphics appear to be a little more ‘cartoonish’.
- I don’t mean this in a positive or negative stance. I’m very neutral to it. But, there’s just a little more ‘cartoonish’ feel to the graphics. Sort of like Borderlands. Just a different art style.
- It’s possible this allows for better animation transitions, because this game def has better animation transitions than any other madden to date.

Superstar and X factor CAN be turned OFF in franchise.
- for all the simheads who don’t even want to try this new zone abilities thing, it actually does have a toggle.
- No offense to EA, but I am AMAZED they added a toggle for this upon its inception. Lol. Good job, EA. Choice is always best.

They finally added chatter to the field!!!
- lol. I think they’ve had chatter in the game, but I’m not even sure as I don’t feel like I’ve heard enough in the past few years.
- But, this year, u absolutely hear things like, ‘big hit! Big hit! That’s right, baby!’ Lol. Things like that. I’ve wanted to hear this type of chatter for awhile, so I’m pleasantly surprised with this.

Sound effects
- holy cow. The sound of the kicker kicking the ball is fantastic. Lol. And while this is otherwise a minimal thing, I really specifically mean that the sound of the kicker kicking the ball just sounds so much better and realistic than past versions of the game.

Sack animations are much more varied and realistic looking.

Interesting sound effects when throwing the ball. And, there’s somewhat of a delay and zoom when throwing. This is all GOOD. Hard to fully explain. You’ll have to play it to hear and feel it, but I kind of like it.
- in essence, I think they made different sound effects for bullet, lob, etc. which, at first might sound ‘off,’ but honestly, it’s a good video game thing to do simply to tell u that u successfully threw a bullet if u turn off visual feedback or something. It’s a little ‘arcade,’ maybe, but again, I actually like this subtle change.

Cpu punting seems MUCH better.
- I got completely coffin cornered on the 2, and just something about the trajectory and angle of the punt looked so different from prior maddens.
- In prior maddens (including 19), the cpu punter is always a goofball kicking the ball way out of bounds at the 20 or 30 with no concept of kicking a coffin corner punt. I was AMAZED when this punt happened to me. Lol

Fantastic PI called against my user lb turning and hit sticking the wr just before the ball got there. Looked extremely realistic and was appropriate based on my user input.

Players feel much more ‘individualistic’ meaning they all really seem to be doing their own thing and taking appropriate angles on D. As opposed to that ‘tethered’ feel where all D players move and glitch in stride with each other while chasing the RB.

D lineman now really ‘push’ o linemen backwards. Line play overall feels better because of this. U don’t always push back, but when u do, u ‘feel’ it and instead of just spamming the A button to disengage, u now feel like pushing might be better idea.

Wow. Lost the first game of my falcons CFM to vikes 43-26. Lol. I had 4 takeaways, they had 7. While that number is certainly high, I have to say that they were all legit. Either poor decision making by me or good coverage or big hits well timed. I play 15 min qtr with 17 Acc clock, just FYI. But, wow, I’m amazed at the gameplay. I love it.

Big hits do not feel as over the top as 19 as well. Big hits exist and when timed correctly, they look great. But, they’re not as ‘big’ as 19. More realistic, imo.

X-Factors
- Ertz ate me up for philly. Lol. I got him out of the zone at some point, but he caught 17 passes for 200 yards. Lol. I won the game 35-33.
- Julio made a fabulous goaline fade catch jumping over a defender similar to a catch I’ve seen him make irl. He got the 1v1, he beat his man towards the corner of the end zone, right when he beat him, Ryan threw a high point bullet, and Julio turned, jumped, and snagged it while the defender tried to catch up to Julio. Absolutely gorgeous.
- Strangely, however, he was not in the zone at this point in time. Once, I got him in the zone, I was able to throw another goaline fade, and the defender knocked it away to take him out of the zone. So, honestly, there u go. That one play tells me zone abilities are not OP. If they were, Julio absolutely would’ve caught another TD.

This game reminds me so much of madden 13. Not only in gameplay, graphics, individualistic player control, but also music. Lol. I really wonder if they went back to more of an infinity engine approach to 20, because, honestly, this game does not quite play like madden 15-19. 15-19 have a distinctive sort of feel to them that is extremely ‘related.’ Meaning, they all play similar and are all ‘related’ in some core way. Something about the specific animations. Something about the specific ‘jankiness’ of the animations (don’t ask me to define ‘janky.’ If you’ve ever played madden, u simply know what a ‘janky’ animation is. Lol). Something about the ‘input lag’ as well. Meaning, u had to press ‘juke’ early as hell because u knew he wouldn’t juke right away, so the timing was a bit early, imo, in order to be successful. Not with madden 13 or 20, man. There is ZERO ‘input lag.’ It’s fabulous. U simply wait for the right moment to juke, hit the sticks, and WHOOP! You’re juking fools. Again, it’s fabulous.

I don’t think I can say enough positive things about the individualistic animations and character behaviors as well on the field during and after plays. I have Xbox one X, so I’m sure I’m seeing the smoothest gameplay animation atransitions, but man, it’s smooooooooth. The players do not feel tethered at all, imo. They are all taking their own appropriate pursuit angles and there isn’t that nasty ‘pause’ u see from players so often in madden 15-19. Those games all suffered from the lag, the pause, the lag input type deal. Madden 20 does NOT. Again, it’s fabulous.

After 3 games in franchise with the falcons, I am 2-1 with my first game being a tough loss vs the vikes by 20+. I threw a ton of ints getting used to the new gameplay and the minor playbook changes. Uggghhh. They always change about 5 core plays per year that were staples of my offense and I have to find a few new plays to add some wrinkles. And, I have to say, I didn’t know if I’d run any RPO and didn’t know if the falcons would have any as I don’t believe they’ve run this before, but I was pleasantly surprised with them. They’re easy enough to pull off and don’t seem overpowered just yet. I ran some and threw some out of it to see what’s what with mixed success and failure.

Some people may not like the ‘star’ and zone indicators beneath the players, as I normally don’t like extra ‘arcade clutter’ on my gameplay screen, but honestly, it’s hardly noticeable when you’re actually playing. And, I have to give ea credit here. They really could’ve fouled this up hardcore by making it too jarring. Instead, you get some minor rumble in your stick (perfect, imo) to let u know you’re doing ‘something’. This could be making a good pass or making a good tackle. It varies. You’ll also see some ‘star’ graphics filling your player as he makes a tackle if he’s got a star quality. Keanu Neal has a star tackle quality, so when he would wrap someone, they weren’t getting away and the star would fill up. It’s all done graphically very well, imo. Again, not jarring, imo.

My third game was a blowout by me as I think I’m getting hang of the new gameplay and playbooks. Julio had 5 tds. Lol. And, legit, I’m setting him up for success by running the ball and then PA for some deep balls. He had a goaline fade and a goaline slant for tds. He had a few deep balls. And, man, oh man, those deep balls. Wow, they’re beautiful, too, imo. The air they’re putting under the ball. People have been complaining about this some, but I’m here to tell u, it’s solid. U just have to set the pocket appropriately and time you’re throw, and you can complete them. The pass rush is solid. I’ve taken plenty of sacks so far adjusting to the gameplay. But, that’s on me. The pocket timing is perfectly realistic, and again, if u slide in the pocket (up, right, left, etc), u can buy an extra second or 2 needed to launch that bad boy down field. And, again I mentioned the sound effect of the ball ‘zipping’ off the qb hands. Here, I’m sure some sim guys may think that’s ‘arcade gimmicky’ or something, but as a simhead myself, this is also a video game, and the sound effect of the ball, I believe, is giving u an audible cue that you’re making a touch or bullet pass, or that you’re making a ‘good’ pass. Ea might clarify that for us after launch, maybe. But, I dig it. Lol.

The sound effects and the on field chatter, man. This is FABULOUS and is finally done very well, imo. Seriously, the sound of the ball being kicked is FANTASTIC! Lol. The on field chatter is FINALLY there. I’ve been waiting to hear this FOREVER in madden. It’s finally there. I think the crowd noise is still lacking, but maybe it’s ramped up during playoffs or something.

Everything is so much responsive in this game. I’m not just talking about gameplay, here. I’m talking about pushing menu buttons and such. Again, madden 15-19 just had some weird lag in menu button pushes and in gameplay. Something in 20 is making everything so much more responsive. Again, it’s fabulous. Lol.



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[Rayzaa]

For me the game play was a hit. Game played well, I liked the pass rush... Don't change it.

The run game was smooth and I liked how the RBs cut, juke and move. Much better than 2019. I was really happy with how the game played and game play is King and it is very good. Though fumbles are ridiculous in this game but a slider adjustment fixed it.

I am also liking how the QB goes to the LOS eliminating the entire offense doing it, I still have plenty of time to adjust or call an audible, but it is a bit tougher on defense but only because I don't do it a lot and I've not got the buttons down to be fast at it.

Im liking the X factors as well. Welcome addition to the game as well as the pump fakes by the QB.
Liking the elimination of a lot of the coach shots on the sideline. A little is good, not every play like 2019.
Thank Goodness the super LB play is gone. That was very frustrating.

Not a fan of the new scoreboard. Like last years better. And I like the timeouts dots in 2019 better than the skinny lines on the bottom of the new one but I can get used to it.

Upgrading of the players seems to happen more often than last year to help get those low rated rookies. Seems almost every week I was upgrading a few of them. Every other anyways.

I play the Chargers so I did not run any RPO's as Rivers isn't doing any part of the R in RPO lol. Must say and I might be crazy but it sounded like Rivers when he was calling out the cadence, but I'm sure I'm hearing things lol.

One negative is since the pass rush can be so strong I was unable to even get a screen pass as I was sacked every time before the RB could move to a place to throw it to him.

The commentary is old and stale. Aside from adding names to their vocabulary, the comments/play by play seemed to be are all from 2019 but little things in the background was nice. Liked the crowd reactions which seemed to be a bit better.


Now to the bad things which I'm seeing may not have been touched for this beta but il mention anyways.

Presentation is the same old thing. Draft is boring, was hoping for a scouting upgrade, relocation is the same ol thing. No making of our uniforms, logos, or being able to choose to rebrand in the same places. Didn't get far enough to see if the commentary added the city names that have been left out the last two years.

Contracts still need the added fifth year for first round picks and RFA'cy. CPU teams still don't offer trades, players don't demand trades or get disgruntled, no teams try to trade with you in the draft and free agent signings S I'll need work.

Why on earth would the Giants draft a Daniel Jones at number six and because you gave Rookies a low rating, they signed Brock Stinking Osweiler who is now their starter. Osweiler has a higher rating but we all know he sucks. Why not just keep Eli in that case?

Overall it's an upgrade because the game play is a lot better but for me, it's not enough to buy the game the way it is. So I'm at the wait and see stage when the game comes out to see what is added and fixed. Franchise still needs a lot.

Im sure I'm forgetting something but I'm sure others will get to it.

[XtremeDunkz]

Positives

Gameplay as a whole is smooth.
Pass rush
Super LB toned down
Superstar abilities are effective but not overpowered
Fixed the crazy wind speeds

Negatives

Too many hit sticks
Regression too heavy on QBs specifically
Scenario engine was a lie


I'll keep adding to this as I think.

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[roadman]

From the beta thread:

Positives:

Pass rush, keep it EA, don't succumb to the itchy trigger fingers

Cleaner, smoother looking game.

Big advocate of the no huddles presentation, love this addition.

The view around the stadium is much more enhanced and you can see out further than the stadium. Presentation notice.

Pass trajectories feel real nice


Sideline catches are a treat to watch and work

There is some sideline interactions with players jumping up and down after a big play. (different than last years jumping around)

No more cut scenes with seeing coaches faces 200 times per game

I tested penalties, they work if above 50, not so much at 50. That's needs to still improve.

Crowd swells seem to be louder and done at more appropriate times.

I noticed it was raining in the first home Packer game. Yes, thank you!

Superstars are now a thing!
Negatives:

I only noticed one blocking play that the D did a stunt and the center did not pick up the stunter. This could improve too.

Too many fumbles from big hitters, that needs to be reduced.

No comments on presentation, I know Canes is down on presentation, but last year, they held off presentation in the beta and I'm hearing they did this year too.

Franchise mode, ehh, the player contracts look a bit better, but I still feel this mode is underwhelming.

All in all, game play wise, best Madden I've played so far at this point.

Only fix the fumbles and the penalties.

[Brooke2011]

Compared to past Maddens, this is by far the best gameplay. All pro sim is legit and fun as heck.
-The QB release is so realistic that I found my self constantly hitting the replay button to gaze at the beauty that EA has bestowed upon us.
-The animations are way ahead of Madden 19 as far as player momentum and physics go.
-The ball trajectory is done well and it allows for really nice defensive battles.
-Fumbles could be toned down just a little but I found that it did go both ways as far as fair goes.
-Lighting is better than last year and the audio from the field and especially The PA announcer is really good this year.
-New equipment has been added and their is a fix in the works for striped socks.
-The no walking up to line of scrimmage had no negative feel to the game and kept the game flow going.
-The Philly playbook is fun with all the new plays EA added.
Overall, I enjoyed the Beta and feel like EA did a good job building upon last years game. The one thing EA has to work on going forward is making the sidelines and fans more realistic and interactive.

[Oldsmobile19]

I was lucky enough to snag a beta code and get some games in this weekend and mess around with CFM and here are my thoughts. I played 6 minutes games on All-Madden Simulation:

Positives:

Running the ball and player motion is well improved. I could hit holes smoothly and transition into jukes and spins seamlessly. Loved the improved stiff arm as well.


Pass trajectories and qb throwing motions were adjusted but for the better of the game. QBs had a little bit of a longer throwing motion but the game had a realistic feel and I hope they stay.


Pass rush was well improved and again more realistic for the better of the game. I hope this stays as well.


XFactors are a nice addition and not OP like I originally thought they would be. Players in the zone stepped their game up but at the same time it was not difficult to knock them out of the zone.


Lurking LBs are gone! I could confidently throw across the middle of the field and know a LB wouldn’t miraculously snag an INT.


RPOs are a nice addition. If executed correctly they can be a nice addition to your game. For those who do not realize you have to make a quick decision will struggle and be penalized. Perfect!



Negatives:

Way too many fumbles. As I like the addition of Xfactors, those with the Enforcer ability hit stick literally every play and the chance of your player fumbling was at a high rate. In a Pro Bowl game I witnessed 10 forced fumbles and in another I played the Skins and Landon Collins forced 4 fumbles alone in the 1st half. Not sure if the fumble rate needs to be tweaked or the rate in which Enforcers hit stick needs to be tweaked, but something has to be changed.


CFM was pretty much the same. Scouting, contracts, draft stories, free agency, the draft all remain unchanged. There was a scenario engine added for weeks you play against a team with a XFactor and you pick how you want to play against him and can receive additional morale and xp boosts for winning that week. Besides that all was the same.


No huddle will be a nightmare when playing H2H. Offense lines up immediately and can snap the ball almost instantly. This will be a headache if abused by the wrong people.


As a user defender there was a time or two I was still sucked into a faked out animation when the cpu juked or spinned. Thought this was gone but I may be wrong.


Overall:

I loved the beta and the gameplay was clearly the main focus and a jump in the right direction. I am really hoping the pass rush and qb motions do not get touched and people actually adjust their style to adapt instead of complaining and we end up with the same game as before.


Outside of the gameplay I really didn’t expect much to change so I am not surprised most of the aspects of CFM are the same.


Hopefully one of these years we can get a complete CFM overhaul with the improved gameplay for a complete game.


If I can think of anything else I will be sure to add it.


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