Sunday Rivals
Another update to the game, another update to this review!
TLDR: My play time speaks for itself. It’s very fun with a TON of replayability but it does lack a few features at the moment (but that’s going to change in the future once more updates release)
Pros:
-Loads of customization (players, teams, stadiums, leagues, jerseys, gameplay sliders, coaching strategies, and even playbooks as of the most recent update)
-Great gameplay
-Customizable Season Mode with full custom league support
-Share your custom leagues/teams and try out others' (albeit not via workshop)
– Real player with 324.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Football Character Customization Games.
The game is very simple right now, but it’s super fun to play. I’m really looking forward to the planned features.
EDIT: The Headhunter mode just released and it really adds to the replay value of the game. The mode allows you to “lead your favorite team through a 4 game, single-elimination tournament while racking up points using a fantasy football-style scoring system”; and let me tell you, that extra scoring system makes the game so much more fun than it already was. You can compare your scores from your own Headhunters runs and with your friends runs. I’d imagine the game’s Discord server would be a great place to do it: http://discord.gg/dSuMe5w
– Real player with 282.1 hrs in game
Madden NFL 21
If you’re looking for a realistic football simulating video game that gives you a half-way authentic NFL experience….keep looking. This year’s installment of the annual abortion that is Madden is BRIMMING with impactful bugs, scarily consistent crashes, and (assuming you’ve successfully navigated thru all of that) an entirely bland and unsatisfying simulation of the typical NFL game. Not only has this game been horribly adapted to PC, but it is entirely consistent with it’s long line of predecessors. The gameplay can only be described as “The Game of Football” according to what a native resident of Bangladesh heard of American Football was like from his Pen Pal in Saudi Arabia. Yes, you are technically running and passing the football against some character models that vaguely resemble (that’s an understatement…there’s really 0 resemblance among all of the players) NFL athletes, but the comparison to how a normal game of football plays out stops there abruptly. Without wildly changing the “Gameplay Sliders” (yes you can literally alter everything about the gameplay which to me is the Devs admitting “hey we really don’t know how impactful any aspect of this sport is so we’ll let you figure out that little detail) the game is wholly inauthentic. Adjusting the sliders makes the game a tad more realistic but overall this title is the epitome of why Madden is one of the shining examples of bare minimum effort put into a game for the sake of raking in annual sales. If you’re not one of the chumps like me who bought this game I implore you not to. The only way these games can become even halfway realistic is if EA takes a hit to their sales and recognizes that minimal investment will yield minimal return.
– Real player with 347.0 hrs in game
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For years, football fans have yearned for a game with NFL licensing made by any company other than EA. The most cited competitor is generally 2K, who last made an NFL licensed game in 2004 - ESPN NFL 2K5 - one of the most well-received sports games of all time. ESPN NFL 2K5 was almost the nail in the coffin for Madden. The game received more critical acclaim than Madden 2005, while being priced $30 cheaper at a mere $20. I received the game as a Christmas gift that year, and played it for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. I can attest that its ambitions even 16 years ago were way beyond the scope of anything Madden has done since then. It is truly a tragedy for someone like me, who saw so much potential in football games back then, to see what football games have become today.
– Real player with 144.3 hrs in game
LCD Sports: American Football
A faithful homage to the Mattel handheld of 1977. There are some gameplay tweaks here as well as some concepts borrowed from Mattel’s “Football 2” handheld but overall this is a lot of fun to play and if you enjoyed the original from the 70’s you’ll probably like this version too.
– Real player with 0.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Football Retro Games.
Cute game but the controller locks up on the computer opponents first series. Also there is no selection to pass/run like in the old coleco version. During the opponents first play, it just crashes and gives and error message. Hope the devs will fix it! I have received no response to my post about it on the discussion page.
edit: The devs contacted me today with a response to the problem. They say they will look at it. It’s good to know the devs care about such things!
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
Madden NFL 22
Do you like NFL Football? This game is for you. The blown calls by refs, the absence of gritty plays, the suspicion that it is all rigged. This game has it all. What’s that? Derrick Henry’s knee was down 10 yards ago and remained down but somehow the game doesn’t recognize it? BOOM WE CALL THAT A FEATURE HERE. Oh you don’t like that the guy you’re playing only runs exploited quick slants every down and spends all but 5 seconds of the play clock doing fake audibles? SORRY I GUESS YOU HATE REAL FOOTBALL. Oh you like the Chicago Bears and are excited about the new rookie QB (IDK HIS NAME AND NEITHER DOES MADDEN)? THAT’S COOL HERE IS A RANDOM COMMENT ABOUT THE 4TH STRING WR BEING AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE THAT’S THE ONLY RESEARCH WE DID FOR THAT TEAM. If all this isn’t enough to perk up your pricker then maybe try the uninspiring original soundtrack for the game! GONE IS GREENDAY, CHEVELLE, ANY GOOD ROCK OR CERTIFIED GANGSTER BEATS. WE GOT SOFT, FORCED FOOTBALL RELATED ORIGINAL BEATS. WE DON’T EVEN HAVE SAM SPENCE TRACKS.
– Real player with 162.8 hrs in game
I enjoy Madden, I play the franchise mode specifically a lot. That being said after 20+ hours I’ve yet to be capable of playing more then one game at a time before the game freezes indefinitely, either as a head coach or a player. The only issue I’ve come across is the game freezing on me. Whether it be after choosing the first play of the game, while i’m loading into the game, setting up my weekly game plan or just navigating the menu. I wouldn’t recommend this game to anyone trying to maintain sanity until a solution to my predicament and to the other disabling issues other customers are facing is presented and put in place.
– Real player with 126.3 hrs in game