Madden player ratings are notoriously contentious -- but what about the game itself?
The iconic franchise remains virtually synonymous with football gaming, but these days it may be living more on reputation -- and favorable market conditions -- than actually serving up hours of fun to legions of gamers.
Madden 21, the latest installment in the long-running series, has been widely dismissed by fans and critics alike for bugs and glitches that at times render the game nearly unplayable.
According to the review aggregator metacritic, experts had given the PlayStation 4 version of the game an average mark of 62 out of 100, a middling figure to be sure, but nothing compared to the dreadful 0.3 out of 10 the game had received from users by Tuesday morning.
That mark is the lowest user rating registered by metacritic for a PS4 game since Warcraft 3 flopped earlier this year.
It's not hard to see why fans appear ready to use the game as a coaster or a frisbee. Gameplay is seriously wonky in several places, as video grabs show.
Some of the hilariously bad programming results in lines randomly disappearing from the field, receivers and defensive backs juggling passes on their helmets for half the length of the field, and notably muted Super Bowl celebrations.
Forbes gaming critic Brian Mazique gave the game a 6.25 upon initial review, saying post-release updates would be critical to iron out bugs, and the game's overall experience was held back by "neglected features" and "stagnant and/or underdeveloped concepts."
His criticisms jibe with the gripes of many users from recent years, who say the game's developers have gotten complacent on account of their exclusive arrangement with the NFL.
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