EA Sports Madden NFL 27 review

This year felt like a whirlwind for EA Sports. From a unique focus on both College Football and now Madden to a purchase of the company as a whole; EA has been through quite the year. However, we’re here to discuss EA Sports Madden NFL 27, the newest in a long line of Madden games trying to bring the realism of Sunday to your gaming platform of your choice. During the preview event, EA Sports focused on their updates from Madden NFL 26, but there was a major focus on Franchise Mode and gameplay, especially on defense. Did this translate to the game on release… let’s get “in the game.”

FRANCHISE MODE

If you’re new here, hello, I’m the one who takes Franchise Mode way too seriously in Madden. I have spreadsheets every year for my Franchise stories and have wildly enjoyed seeing Franchise Mode grow and evolve every year that I’ve covered Madden for GamingTrend. This is, without a doubt, the best and most alive Franchise Mode has ever felt. From the weekly assignments, to the Free Agent Frenzy, and drafting, things feel fresh and new in a way we’ve not had in a LONG time. 

First off, I love the addition of the College Coach choice when creating your coach. If you’ve played College Football 27, you can unlock this archetype with a photo of Jim Harbaugh. Not only does this make playing CFB27 more important to Madden, it’s simply a fun new way to play the game. 

I’ve been asking for YEARS to have real-life coordinators in the game, and this year we have them. Nothing is cooler to me than seeing the team that I put together as a whole. I brought in Wes Phillips (son of Wade Phillips) to be OC and brought back Matt Burke to be DC for my Miami Dolphins. Seeing Burke calling plays from the booth was so much fun, even if I think he’s better on the sideline in real life. Their levels impact your souring and player development. 

Another set of major additions are Free Agent Frenzy and player communication which makes free agency and contract talks so much more frantic. You get 10 hours to convince your free agents to join your team. You’ll have conversations with the player himself about what he’s looking for, what salary he needs to be happy, and more — all while having to keep their temperament in mind and their patience high enough to communicate. If a player is a “team player” they’re more likely to take home-town discounts. But if your player is a diva? They may need a higher bonus. This keeps players feeling real, not just stagnant CPUs. With Free Agent Frenzy, you can make your offer, but you may not have a chance to make a second offer if someone comes in strong. In my second season with the Dolphins, I tried to bolster my RG position and failed three times as all of them went to different teams, forcing me to draft a RT to play RG his first year. This new way of drafting makes things move quickly and feel frantic, just like I imagine the real free agency period feels for a General Manager. 

Keeping players happy is another major addition to Franchise Mode as it’ll affect their play on the field and development as well as contract talks. You can help raise those feelings by helping them achieve goals throughout the season, winning games, or resigning them to a player-friendly deal. 

Your weekly tasks are different in some areas, but training is always there. You CAN delegate this task to your GM, which I did at first to test something. I tested to see if players’ health would be impacted by this delegation. Let me tell you, it impacted it a lot. In my six game test, my injuries were skyrocketing and I had a game where both my QB1 and QB2 went out with “severe” injury status, making me have to try and win a game with my QB3 and HB4. When I controlled the weekly training, I had one major injury in the game (torn tricep) and didn’t have any issues with players leaving a game early because they were tired. While it seems like a small thing, training matters and setting FULL, HALF, or REST for pad usage is critical. 

Weekly tasks can also include everything from communicating with an upset player, looking at scouting reports, handling scouting assignments, and more. It’s fun going through any I had time for in that sitting. 

Building a team has never been more fun. 

• You get to build your coaching staff with actual coaches. 
• Deal with divas, pick team-first players, and other archetypes on your team and that’ll impact how you have to coach. 
• Picking up players in the season through free agency or trades can initiate a “should we change the playbook” task which can suggest new playbooks that fit their skill set. 
• Being better as a team gives you opportunities for holiday games.
• Free agency feels more frantic and high energy.
• The news tab will include news that might help guide you down your trade path. 
• No-Trade clauses are IN, making players like Lamar Jackson and Bijan Robinson unavailable no matter how many picks you throw at the team. 

Franchise Mode has been so much fun, this year more than others, because it feels alive and is evolving to fit your style with every season you play. One season I started a rebuild and built around archetypes that fit that mold, I then added a singular superstar to take things over the top on offense and it slightly shifted my team alignment in the news. Every season feels like anything can happen. 

SUPERSTAR MODE

The addition of new positions like TE, EDGE, and S headline this year, this mode seems like its prime for a continued update next year. A lot of the moments feel the same as they did in Madden NFL 26. The sphere of influence didn’t feel like it was updated too much. While there are some new cutscenes, they weren’t enough to say it’s been perfected.

Playing as an EDGE rusher and MIKE linebacker are a lot of fun on the two lower modes, but on the higher modes become too difficult to have a lot of fun. I tried on All-Madden and got my butt handed to me every single snap. On Pro, it felt like a perfect balance allowing the ability to learn zones and blitzes without laying on the ground every single play. 

The great part of Superstar Mode is how quickly you can move from game to game and season to season. Especially on defense. You can finish a game in a matter of minutes, especially on a great defense like the Seahawks (who I was drafted to as an EDGE) and the Texans (who I was drafted to as a MIKE). 

I expect that the treatment given to Franchise Mode could happen quickly to Superstar Mode next season.  

ULTIMATE TEAM

I’ve never been a fan of a “play to win” system. Nothing has changed my mind this year. This will be a great mode for the Twitch Streamers who can allow their viewers to see second-hand opening packs and see things come together. You can always grind to get your team, but that will become your daily goal and it’s not a scene I thrive in personally. 

ON-FIELD GAMEPLAY

The level of difficulty has been raised on all modes because the defense is simply that much better. The corner backs follow the receivers more realistically. The linebackers will float to different locations depending on the QB, RB, etc during a play. Blitzes feel much more frantic, especially when playing as an o-line that has anyone under 75 overall. This level of intelligence from the defense also impacts your quarterback because if their arm strength isn’t high enough or they throw off balance without having the skill, it’s way too easy for the defense to make a play. While I generally play on All-Pro for its feeling of realism, playing on All-Madden was the challenge of all challenges, especially with the Miami Dolphins. 

The new revamped passing mechanics are a lot to learn but make everything so much more fun, especially with a great wide receiver. Your goal is to press on your WR and hold down the button until it hits green. However, your WR’s skill ratings also are taken into account. So if you have someone like Justin Jefferson, your skill with the revamped passing will matter a little less as his skill will remain great like he is in real life. Be patient with yourself, it takes some time to learn. Once you get it, it adds a lot to the gameplay element. 

Rushing the football, just like in EA Sports College Football 27, feels absolutely fantastic. The bend, the speed, the acceleration; all feel the best they’ve ever felt. It is great seeing your RB bend around a lineman to get through a hole in the line. It also creates a HUGE difference with skills between a Bijan Robinson and a fourth string running back. Players like Bijan move like a cheat code. Between this amazing running attack and the frantic passing attack, you’ll need a balance to keep your offense afloat. 

Coach Mode is absolutely fascinating to use. You will have access to allow the players to use their stats alone to make plays happen, or make you look like a fool. I found myself cheering more when plays went right and getting more upset when a catch would fail or a back would get stuffed at the line. The lack of control was a test of strength for me as someone who likes making everything happen on every given play. However, just like a real coach, you can help your quarterback make adjustments at the line. My only frustration is a lack of being able to move the camera with the right stick before the snap of the play.

The camera will focus solely on where the ball is on the field without letting you move your head to check the defense pre-snap. There are a lot of new defensive looks this year and without the ability to fully move your head, you’re stuck in Batman realm unable to see CB’s and S’s at times. This is countered by an aerial view, but it’s simply not what I’m looking for from a Coach Mode. For this specific part of the game, I give it a 75/100 because it’s what we’ve been asking for from some aspects, it just needs to be cleaned up to make it perfect. 

PRESENTATION

It’s hard to find complaints about the presentation when everything feels like you’re watching the game on TV. Seeing the opening of the games with all the pomp and circumstance for each and every team gives home-field advantage a new meaning. Seeing the night games make things even more impressive as teams like Miami, New England, Denver, and more have impressive in-stadium lighting and drone shots.

What I found even more fun was getting a holiday game! It gives a small boost of fun amongst the monotonous nature of playing 17 games a season with some of them being holiday themed. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are so much fun as they not only change the visuals, but the music involved as well. 

The one thing I can nitpick is the clipping on specific uniforms and items. For instance, Patrick Paul (#52) of the Miami Dolphins left arm glitches in and out at the shoulder area. It seems to be an issue with the undershirt or sleeve folding in and out of the arm itself.. So when he gets into his stance on the o-line, his shoulder goes from black to white and such. 

During my four seasons in franchise, I only had the game crash once. The game simply stopped working while I was picking a play. It never turned the game off on its own, but there was nothing I could do. Thankfully, it started me back off right at the play before that, so I didn't lose my game status.

I really enjoyed the “legends” being placed in the opening of home games. This year, led by Chad Ochocinco and RGIII. While some people will just skip right through the introductions, Madden NFL 27 has done everything it can to keep people interested from the opening jingle to the first kickoff. You can also choose which commentary team you want in the Advanced Options before going into a game during Franchise Mode, so if you want Greg Olsen and Mike Tirico, you can do that.  

I’ve also loved the soundtrack for Madden NFL 27. We have Paramore, Wiz Khalifa, Bad Bunny, Good Charlotte, Kelly Clarkson, The Killers, Underoath, and more pulling in classic rock, hip-hop, metal, Pop-Punk, and more allowing you to cater your soundtrack to your favorites. 

OVERALL

Madden has never felt better. On offense you have fluid running animations, a brand new catching system. On defense you’ve got a solid new AI system bringing linebackers into play much more frequently and allowing corners to play on the ball more realistically.

The gameplay, along with the updates to Franchise Mode, has allowed Madden to feel alive and realistic in ways it hasn’t since the nostalgic days of the early franchise modes. If you’ve not played Madden in a while, this might be your time.