Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2020 has been out for about two weeks, and I’ve had the chance to put multiple hours into the new Canuck Play product.
I’ve messed around with the logo editor, Canadian Football Rules, and the big attraction, their College Dynasty mode. I was thoroughly impressed with the product that has been produced by this small Canadian company, after the very shaky launch. Here is my Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2020 Review.
Customization
Where do I even begin? The ENTIRE GAME is customizable. You’re able to re-create real college football teams and put them in the game. You’re able to create your own college football team and turn them into a dynasty. Do you think you’re a real play designing genius?
Well, you can put that to the test! You’re able to create your own offensive and defensive plays and see if you have what it takes to lead your team to a championship with your playbook. You can put yourself and your friends on one college team and have a fantastic time.
The customization and almost endless possibilities make it impossible for the game to get boring. Customization was a significant selling point, and it is meeting and exceeding expectations.
College Dynasty Mode
We’ve been waiting over half a decade for a real college football video game, and now it’s here. Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2020 brings back the joy and pains of building a college football dynasty.
Recruiting is an exciting and enjoyable experience as it is much more advanced and in-depth than just hitting a button three times and then not finding out more about a specific prospect.
In Maximum Football 2020, you can see a player’s grade, 40-yard dash time, bench press, vertical jump, and their interest in your school. You have to learn what’s important to a prospect and then try to sell them on it.
If pro-development, coaching resume, and fandom are key selling points for your school, it’ll pay off when you learn that a prospect values that when making a decision. Also, players can hang up on you if you’re trying to spam hard sells to get them to commit. Recruiting is a real balancing act and requires much more thinking than Madden scouting.
Gameplay
I will admit that the gameplay leaves a bit to be desired. It takes quite a bit of getting used to it. I completed only 4 of 20 passes in my first ever college game. However, in the second game, I had a better idea of what to expect.
This isn’t like Madden; you can’t bullet pass everything. You NEED to take advantage of touch and lob passes to move the ball down the field. Physics-based gameplay sounds good and works alright, yet it doesn’t look all that smooth, especially in replays. User play on the defense isn’t clean either. I still don’t know if it is possible to get a user interception, but my defensive line is always feasting on the opposing quarterback.
It should be noted that the game isn’t “broken.” The gameplay feels off because it is entirely new to almost everyone playing. After taking time to get used to it, it’s not as bad as it looks.
Multiple Rule Sets
The final part of my Maximum Football 2020 review will revolve around a unique feature, multiple rule sets. Maximum Football allows you to have Play Now games with NFL, CFL, and college football rules! You’re even able to start a college dynasty with Canadian Football rules.
The small features go a long way for me, the little attention to detail and features that most would overlook as insignificant. Canuck Play gives fans every opportunity to play the game we want and the way we want to play it.
There are even options for how the refs will throw flags. Do you want a game where damn near anything goes? You can have that! What a by the book game with multiple penalties? The opportunity is there. You have the agility to play the game your way. Some might overlook these features, but they’re such superior quality of life features.
Should You Buy?
Ultimately, you should buy the game. The customization is unrivaled. EA doesn’t give a crap about franchise mode or the diehard Madden fans who love their core game mode. Canuck Play cares about their community, and community feedback is what drives the game’s development. They have put out multiple patches fixing issues that the community found within the game.
