Those looking for a single-player experience inMadden NFL 21will find it in the Face of the Franchise mode, where players get to suit up and play controlling an avatar to guide their NFL legacy. But, much like the real game, it’s not as simple as slapping on a helmet and walking onto the field. There are challenges and tricks to the mode that, if gamers aren’t ready for, will result in either a bad career or a boring one.
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Nobody needs spoilers to get a few tips about what to do. There are dialogue options, but they represent the illusion of choice and do not change the outcome. With that in mind, then it really all becomes a matter of tailoring the experience to the player’s goals. This list will help lay the groundwork for any player to make sure they get what they want most out ofMadden NFL 21’s Face of the Franchise.
Updated on December 14th, 2021 by Hodey Johns:This might seem like an odd time to update last year’s Madden game, but players are finding that they enjoyed last year’s experience more than the current iteration. Maybe it’s the story, or the gameplay, or the college experience, or even just that the game is cheaper than the current one, it’s a hot topic. With fresh eyes viewing these recommendations, it felt like a good time to take another look. To help readers scan for the information they want, sections have had bullet points added so that the player can get the information they need with a strong reduction in the amount of commentary.
12How To Play For A Specific Team
Although this decision does not occur until near the completion of the Face of the Franchise story, players who want to play for a certain team need to make a change before ever entering the mode itself.
Unpatched, the game will not ask which team, rather it will get this information from the player’s profile. Therefore,players that want to appear on a certain team should select that team as their favorite in their profile. Go ahead and change it back after this part of the plot has occurred.
A patch made it so that a team can be selected manually, but offline players should heed this warning. This confusing process should be one ofthe changes made betweenMadden NFL 21and22.
11Look Good, Sound Right
Players will get an opportunity to change their character later on, but every important cutscene is going to happen with this face, tone, and body. Taking the default person might be easy, but it isn’t pretty and the voices, while all great, fit certain personalities better than others.
The whole point of Face of the Franchise is to add a role-playing experience to football, so take some time here. There aren’t as many options as, say,Skyrim, but there is enough here to at least be proud during the cinematic moments.
10Choose Style Carefully
None of these selections are bad, but they will change the starting attributes of the player. For those who want to make the switch to running back later, going withLamar Jackson or Russell Wilsonis fine for now, but this ability will be replaced later.
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Those who aren’t confident at the combine might want to take a serious look atTom Bradyso there won’t be any funny business with the input timing. For those looking to light up the scoreboard during these pre-NFL games,Patrick Mahomesis great too.
9Make Choices For Role Playing Not For Personality
Personality does have an effect on the game, but it’s not one that matters in Face of the Franchise.Certain personality traits alter jersey sales and can bring in more income for team owners in Franchise mode.
As someone playing a specific athlete, this means nothing since money only matters for the front office. Choose the option that appeals to the storytelling and don’t worry about any boosts to personality traits.
8Win The Games
This sounds like a no-brainer, but there is a lot of bad advice out there. Some might try to game the system and lose on purpose to try and get a more favorable draft team or a new cutscene. There are some minor differences, but it’s not worth tanking stock.
By letting fate decide the team played on, there is a chance that the athlete can be on a better team by falling to the end of the first round. But there is an equal chance of falling to the next round (or lower) and still being picked up by an unfavorable team. Just win, be recognized as one ofthe best quarterbacks in the nation, and don’t waste hours replaying the mode.
7Unlock The Right First Ability
The first superstar ability players will have access to comes up as part of a dialogue choice and it’s timed, so it’s good to know what these abilities will do beforehand to avoid a rushed decision.
Like the archetype choice earlier, gamers will be able to change it, but not immediately. It’s much smoother to just get it right the first time.Not all X-Factor choices are created equal, depending on the desired style.
6Unlock The Right Second Ability
Just before choosing which college to lead to victory, players will be confronted with yet another timed choice that unlocks an ability. This remains just as important as the choice lasts through the entire journey.
These abilities are unlocked based on in-game success, so they aren’t automatic, but they are handy. Players will get these abilities unlocked during the game when they are “in the zone” and playing well.
5Go To The NFL Right Away?
For players who are interested only in playing quarterback, feel free to refuse Tommy’s request to come back for the next season. With any amount of skill, the national championship goal has been accomplished and it’s time to start a career.
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However, those who declare will not get the opportunity to play running back or wide receiver in the NFL and be drafted in later rounds.Gamers that decide to play another year will be able to choose any of the three positions and increase their stock, so think it over. An extra year could be exactly what the player needs toget the eye of NFL scouts at running back for 2022.
4Surviving The Year As A Running Back Or Wide Receiver
As a receiver, players have almost no ability to decide who the quarterback throws to and running backs will be stuck behind a college-level offensive line. But there are ways to improve the odds of success and getting featured.
As a running back, call for plays that take time to develop and avoid going straight ahead as blockers tend to whiff their assignments up the middle.
As a receiver, call for plays that have a high chance of beating the cornerback, like deep balls or slants. Player-controlled units shake their defensive assignments better than CPU-controlled units, so the routes strongly favor the QB throwing to the player’s character.
Remember thatreceivers improve as the season goes on. The running backs are the same. So it might feel like a grind, but after the extra year in college, players will have the stats they need to compete at the NFL level.
3Perfect The Combine
For the 40 yard dash, the buttons do not change and there is no reward for clicking faster, only a penalty for clicking the wrong button or letting the timer expire. So take this nice and easy.
For the skills portion, the player’s stock increases every three successful drills. There are ten total, so it’s alright to mess one up. However, those who mess up two sequences should quit and restart just to be safe.
