It’s Madden season. With the NFL kicking off its 107th season, and Madden is back for its 38th mainline entry, and a second appearance on the Nintendo Switch 2. We enjoyed our time with the game on the handheld last year, but annual releases don’t always score on the next possession. How does EA Sports Madden NFL 27 fare on this drive?
First, let’s take a look at our score for the title, albeit for the Xbox Series X. This release was much better received, as we awarded it a 90/100. Our thoughts can be summarized as follows: “With a plethora of fan-requested items added since last season, Madden NFL 27 brings Franchise Mode back to the way it needed to always be. While other areas stay on course or even lack polish, Madden NFL 27 is boosted by Franchise Mode and great gameplay. If you’ve been away from Madden for a while, especially if you’re a fan of Franchise or Head-to-Head modes, this might be your time to get back “in the game.” High praise to be certain, as the reviewer in question knows their way around every intricacy of Madden, especially Franchise mode.
Lyra Moreno
How does the Nintendo Switch 2 deliver this formula, though? Well, quite admirably. I was impressed with the efforts of last year, and this year is roughly in the same vein, for better and for worse. If you're expecting a huge jump, you probably shouldn't spend your money, but if you want a competent sports game that runs rather flawlessly and has a lot of content to engage with? You'll be satisfied.
While it was the same last year, it's great to see Madden NFL 27 is essentially a one-for-one content port for the Switch 2. Franchise is here, Madden Ultimate Team is here, Superstar is here, and more. It's never fun to buy a version of a popular game and find out you're missing features, and thanks to the upgrades available on the Switch 2, Madden isn't hampered by the hybrid handheld.
On the field, this is probably on the level of at least the PlayStation 4, and possibly the PS4 Pro. Players look decent, and, while not lifelike, still exhibit the qualities you'd expect from a Madden game. I'm rather taken by the animations this year, as there has certainly been extra work put in to add to the immersion. I watched as a receiver fought his way through a tackle to push the ball over the endzone line for a touchdown, and this occurring on the Switch 2 made me giddy. Things don't feel left out on this platform, which makes a huge difference in wanting to buy a title here.
There are two visual modes: quality and performance. If you've played a lick of console games recently, you understand the point of these. One focuses on cleaner resolution, while the other dials in crisp frame rates. I generally go with performance – after all, I don't buy Madden for a graphical showcase – and I'd argue this is running at 60FPS to the naked eye (which it is while docked, with 40FPS in handheld). It's smooth, exactly what you want in a game based around competition. As for the visual mode… just don't bother. The extra resolution isn't worth the compromised frame rate.
I had one odd issue I ran into several times while playing Madden NFL 27. There's an audio bug where the crowd noise would suddenly disappear, but in a fade out rapidly kind of way. It would do this for a moment before returning in like manner. It's not game-breaking, but it is strange and pulls you out of the immersion.
If there's one thing that needs to change across all Madden platforms, it's loading times. On the Switch 2, simply loading into a quick play match took twenty-five seconds to start. I understand that Madden does have complex physics and animations to introduce, but we're reaching Starfield levels of loading screens in a game that, in my opinion, doesn't have that amount of sophistication. Whatever it takes to improve this situation, get it done, EA Sports.
As for portability, you're going to exchange a lot of storage for the pleasure of playing Madden NFL 27. This version weighs in at 57.1GB, roughly a fifth of the available space on your Switch 2. Considering the full arsenal of Madden's game modes are at your disposal, it’s arguably a fair trade. That said, it's one you still have to think about since you might need to delete a few games to open up the space.
Overall, this is a perfectly solid iteration of a fantastic Madden game you can take on the go with you. Although not every graphical bell and whistle makes its way into the presentation and animation, it's clear this isn't a lesser port. Madden NFL 27 is an efficient and effective way to play NFL football, anywhere you go and anywhere you are.
