Madden NFL 27 Review
A copy of Madden NFL 27 was provided by a representive for EA Sports for the purposes of this review. This fact has not affected the content of this review in any capacity, but it’s only fair I let you know that.
By Thomas Willoughby
The NFL calendar is pretty much set at this point. Give or take a day or two, the playoffs always start the first weekend in January, the Super Bowl is always the 2nd Sunday in February, the combine is about 2 weeks later. You’ll usually watch Draft Day at the beginning of May, and regret doing so almost immediately after pressing play. So on, so forth. Obviously there’s a bit of flexibility. Stadium availability may mean that an international game in Germany, for example, is in week 7 one year and week 8 the next. The location of the moon may dictate the draft starting a few days earlier than it did the last season. But you have a rough estimate of the NFLs calender before anything has been finalised.
Part of that calendar is the annual release of EA Sports’ Madden NFL series, which hits shelves (mostly digitally, thanks to the demise of the high street), in early August. And, like clockwork, that same window was met this year. Madden NFL 27 is out now, and I’m delighted to report it’s pretty good!
The Asterisks
Some caveats. I am not a regular Madden player. The last edition I put real time into was Madden NFL 23. I did pick up the Switch 2 vision of Madden NFL 26 when it went on offer last season, and found it to be a decent time, if clearly hampered by the hardware it was on. So I couldn’t tell you if this year’s release is better than last year’s, or the year before that.
In addition to that, the series’ tentpole mode, Madden Ultimate Team simply is not for me. Again, I dabbled when I was an annual player, but, as a bill paying adult, I simply cannot afford to get invested in that. I have been reliably informed that “the introduction of Evos allows players to change and enhance items in brand new ways, including increasing a players max overall, changing archetypes, and more”, that you can select a captain which will stay with you for the duration of the year and evolve as you build your team, and there is a new upgrade system which is “built with flexability and experimentation in mind”. I don’t know if any of this means anything to you. Please let me know if it does or does not. Please try not to spend money on it.
Coach Willo
The meat of the offering, for me, can be found in the franchise mode, and the superstar mode. Naturally, I started my time with the game assuming on the role of “Thomas Willoughby”, a young offensive genius handed the headset and the title of Atlanta Falcons Head Coach. What an honour it is to be given the opportunity to lead this storied franchise into the future. Right off the bat; where’s the option to be the teams owner? I used to love risking the wrath of a city by hiking the price of pretzels up beyond what was reasonable, and moving them to the middle of nowhere when attendances dipped. We’ve lost something as a society, I think, with team ownership making way for just coaching.
What is presented to you is far more realistic and in depth than the Maddens of my youth. Being able to hire and fire coordinators is a nice touch, and being able to contribute their ideas into how your team trains and prepares each week is a lovely touch that heightens the immersion of the mode. One of the long standing issues with franchise mode, back in my day, was that it never felt like anything you really did off the field, signing players aside, would affect the on-field performance. With that, I’m pleased to say it feels a lot more balanced.
During my last foray with the series, scouting and drafting was very much in the early stages of being overhauled. Back in my day, you’d gain a certain amount of points each week, that you could use to get a general idea of how good a player is, and what sort of fit they’d have on your team. That feels to have gone to the wayside in favour or something a little more hands off. I’m only halfway through the season (the perils of trying to cram as much of a pretty expansive game in a matter of days), but so far I’ve assigned the scouts I have to secions of the US, and read a mock draft. We’re looking at a middle linebacker, apparently.
Solid Depth Chart
Contract negotiations have seen a dramatic overhaul, too, with players giving a greater degree of feedback in terms of what they actually want from a new deal. In turn, you’re given a few options in terms of swinging talks in your favour, such as appealing to the players compeititve side, trying to sell your vision for the teams future, or winning in the court of public opinion by discussing things out in the open. It adds a layer of complexity that didn’t exist previously, even if I don’t really understand how the numbers work.
On the field, for better or for worse, the game does feel different. There’s a greater emphasis on timing, on the offensive side of things. Gone are the days of holding down your catch button of choice; when in control of a reciever, a meter appears above your reciever, and you effectively need to release the button when it flashes green. It’s not particularly easy, either. Drake London seems to haul everything in, but Jahan Dotson is a bit streakier. Either you need to learn to master it, or commit a lot of time into building up the talents of the middle-bottom sections of your roster. I say all that; the option to keep the classic style system remains, for those who would prefer it. But the reward of catching just about everything awaits those who’ll dip their toes into the pool.
Name In Lights
All in all, then, pretty good stuff on the franchise front. I’ll be sure to update you all with my ongoing quest to deliver silverware to Atlanta in this years Five Wide, so read that. I split my time thus far between that, and “Superstar” mode, diving into the shoes of “Thomas Willoughby”, fifth round QB out of Rice University. You can pick from just about every position on the field, too. If I were that way inclinded, we’d be talking about my time as a Cornerback. Also, if I had EA Sports College Football 27, I would be able to import a created player from that into this. But I don’t, so I didn’t. It’s nice to have the option, though.
Superstar mode is a bit of me. The entire game is effectively a football RPG. You create, or import, your guy, decide whether you’re a day one, two, or three pick, and then you’re away. The combine is here as silly minigames, which is quite novel, though it doesn’t seem to affect where you’re taken. Despite being a top 3 QB in every drill, I still had to wait for Saturday afternoon for my name to be read out. You use practice and in-game performance to improve your “sphere of influence”, which is effectively “the guys who’ll vouch for you”.
What I liked is the degree of control, or lack thereof, you actually have. During my pre-season appearances with the Dolphins, I was limited to only 3 playcalls per down. At the start, have next to no say in how the drive will go, outside of your ability to make throws. As you get better, and your performances improve, your influence over coachs, players, and agents also improves, allowing you more flexibility in game. Which is good.
Miami didn’t work out for Willoughby, however. He was cut after pre-season, thanks to a truly abusmal third game. Jeff Hafley has made a powerful enemy of me. The Arizona Cardinals were on hand to offer him a job, however, where he’s mainly been deputising for Jacoby Brissett. He did lead a come-from-behind victory over the Cowboys in Dallas, however, and won the starting job after a decent showing in New Orleans. Whether he’ll be the starter remains to be seen. Updates on Five Wide, maybe.
*Monday Night Football fanfare*
I’ve always really appreciated the presentation aspect of Madden, and all of EA Sports’ titles, and it’s no different here. EA have hired three different pairs of commentators, giving us a level of authenticity when it comes to regular Saturday afternoon games, or prime time fixtures. Special graphics for seasonal games is a nice touch too, mimicking what’s on screen in real life between September and January. More that that, international stadiums are here too. You can’t say EA don’t pay attention to presentation. Plus, any game that has my actual name in as a sound file is a lovely touch.
It is worth adding that, right now, loading screens are pretty long. I timed a post-Superstart game loading screen at 1 and a half minutes. I was playing on a base PS5, so I’m unsure how things fare on other console ecosystems, or the PS5 Pro, but it was quite annoying to just sit there during watching a blue screen while Craxy Train played in the background.
I did also notice a “store” being implementated on the single player side of things. I was repeatedly given the option to buy skill points, XP boosts, and cosmetics for my QB, in exchange for Madden Points (which you need to buy with cash). I’m not keen on monetisation in gaming anyway, but far less so in premium titles. It’s gross, but in 2026 the toothpaste isn’t going back into the tube. All I can do is warn you that there isn’t a single part of this game they won’t try and charge you extra for.
10-7 and a spot in the Wild Card Round
All in all, then, I’d say Madden NFL 27 is a very worthy entry into the series. Again, it’s been a few years since I properly sunk my teeth into one of these, so mileage for more regular players may vary. But, for a return after 4 years away, I’m delighted to say it’s worth my time. I’ll absolutely spend more time on my various career modes. Only time will tell whether the depth I’ve been so pleased with lasts beyond a season or two, but really am on board with what’s in front of me here. So yeah. Thumbs up.
Madden NFL 27 is available now on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
All images captured by Thomas Willoughby
Featured Image Credit: EA Sports
Thomas Willoughby
NFL ANALYST
THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER
