EA Play 2019 is underway, and EA has detailed everything coming to this year’s entry in the Madden franchise.
A ton of new features are coming to Madden this year. Face of the Franchise is a brand new career mode that allows you to create your own character and play for a college team. The scenario engine brings dynamic challenges into the game that allow you to improve your character’s stats. A ton of new formations and plays will be added to the playbooks this time around, and these playbooks will be updated regularly to keep up to date with the NFL. As for Ultimate Team, ultimate missions help to organize the experience and make new items easily available to players. X-factor abilities allow certain players to perform better under certain circumstances, and these abilities are split into two categories: zone abilities and superstar abilities.
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To activate abilities, you have to complete certain prerequisites. Patrick Mahomes, the game’s cover athlete, must complete four passes before activating his zone ability “Bazooka,” which allows him to throw the ball further than anyone else in the game. These abilities are exclusive to the athletes that have them and cannot be swapped. Superstar players will not only have superstar abilities, but also unique animations. These animations will be updated throughout the year and the development team aims to add personality and character to the virtual athletes on the field.
It’s difficult to boil a player’s skill down to a single number, but EA has made an effort this year to ensure player ratings will be as accurate as possible across the board. Not only that, but a number of small gameplay tweaks have been made to make the experience more fluid and responsive, and a handful of new features like RPOs will make their debut in Madden NFL 20.
Madden NFL 20 will have a closed beta which will take place from June 14 to June 16. You can sign up for the beta on EA’s website here. Madden NFL 20 will be available on August 2, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.