Those looking for a single-player experience in Madden NFL 21 will 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 of Madden 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.

12 How To Play For A Specific Team

Madden NFL 21 Play For Favorite Team or Regular Draft
  • View profile
  • Select a "favorite" 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 of the changes made between Madden NFL 21 and 22.

11 Look Good, Sound Right

Madden NFL 21 Character Creation Screen In Face Of The Franchise
  • Adjust bars in the player creation until the face looks right
  • Listen to each voice before choosing

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.

10 Choose Style Carefully

Madden NFL 21 Choosing Style In Face Of The Franchise
  • Running backs and wide receivers should choose Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson
  • Quarterbacks should choose Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes

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 with Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson is 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 at Tom Brady so 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 Mahomes is great too.

9 Make Choices For Role Playing Not For Personality

Madden NFL 21 Making The First Personality Choice In Face Of The Franchise
  • Ignore personality traits when making decisions and answering questions
  • Choose the option that feels right

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.

8 Win The Games

Madden NFL 21 Replacing Tommy In High School
  • Draft position is nearly impossible to determine
  • Winning games makes for a better story
  • The announcers will talk about the college results in the NFL

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 of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and don't waste hours replaying the mode.

7 Unlock The Right First Ability

Madden NFL 21 Face Of The Franchise Choosing First Ability
  • The first ability selection is timed, know what to choose ahead of time

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.

  • Escape Artist – Increased speed rolling outside of the pocket.
  • Lofting Deadeye – Perfect accuracy on all lob and touch passes (except for cross-body and high-low throws).
  • Conductor – Make hot route and blocking adjustments twice as fast (does not include audibles).
  • Safety Valve – Any targeted running back has an increased catch rating when they are open.

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.

6 Unlock The Right Second Ability

Madden NFL 21 Face Of The Franchise Choosing Second Ability
  • The second ability selection is timed, know what to choose ahead of time

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.

  • Pro Reads – Defensive pressure is ignored and the first open receiver is highlighted.
  • Gambler – Increases throw speed and defenders cannot intercept passes.
  • Blitz Radar – Highlights all blitzing linebackers and defensive backs.
  • Freight Train – Increased chance to break tackles.

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.

5 Go To The NFL Right Away?

Madden NFL 21 Deciding To Come Back And Play
  • Quarterbacks can choose to stay or go
  • Running backs and wide receivers need to stay

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 to get the eye of NFL scouts at running back for 2022.

4 Surviving The Year As A Running Back Or Wide Receiver

Madden NFL 21 Clemson's Defense Celebrating A Big Play
  • Call for sweeps as a running back
  • Call for deep routes and sharp cuts as a 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 that receivers 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.

3 Perfect The Combine

Madden NFL 21 Bracing To Run In The Combine
  • Quit the game immediately when getting a slow time in the 40 yard dash
  • Quit the game immediately when making two mistakes at the skills combine
  • Re-enter the game to restart the combine fresh
  • One mistake in the skills portion does not damage draft stock

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.

2 Check The Objectives

Madden NFL 21 Face Of The Franchise Initial Objectives
  • Check the Rise to Fame menu before every game
  • Check the drive objectives during the game (pause to check)

After the draft, some story points take place along with a path to the Hall of Fame measured by a legacy score. These will affect the "plot" framing device and the interviewer treats the player like they were successful in accomplishing their goals.

Sometimes, playing an amazing match isn't enough, the game gives more legacy points for behaving in a specific way. To end the journey as the best athlete the NFL has ever seen, be sure to check these objectives before and during every game, then knock them out.

1 Do Not Revert Back To Franchise Mode

Madden NFL 21 Franchise Mode Starting Page
  • Avoid the "Classic Franchise" choice
  • Classic franchise removes the role-playing dialogue and chocies

After getting drafted, players have the chance to revert to Classic Franchise mode. This is the equivalent of playing The Witcher 3 without any plot or Mass Effect: Legendary Edition without choices and cutscenes.

Classic Franchise mode is notoriously underwhelming and Face of the Franchise, while it is certainly light on the story, is, at the very least, not devoid of it. The interviewer will ask the player how they recovered from career-threatening injuries, won Super Bowls, and more. It feels like a truly immersive gaming sports career instead of just a few repetitive in-game catchphrases from the announcers.

Madden NFL 21 was released on August 28th, 2020, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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