Madden 20 officially launches Friday with Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes on the cover. 

Technically speaking, the latest in the grand NFL series from EA Sports is out in the world right now on PC via Origin Access, which is giving players a taste of the extensive on-field gameplay changes, highlighted by Superstar X-Factor, among other details. 

First up, as always, comes the conversation about player ratings. These are the top 10 overall players in the game as of this writing: 

• Khalil Mack, 99
• Bobby Wagner, 99 
• Aaron Donald, 99 
• DeAndre Hopkins, 99
• Luke Kuechly, 98
• Julio Jones, 98
• Antonio Brown, 98
• Patrick Mahomes, 97
• Von Miller, 97
• J.J. Watt, 97

It shouldn't come as any surprise to find out those players are poster boys for the new superstar system. Alongside lowering ratings across the board to help the NFL's best players have bigger impacts on games, the superstar feature gives just 50 of the best players exclusive traits. 

These range all over the place and have profound effects on gameplay. Some pass-rushers shed their blocks faster if they win at the point of attack. Some of the game's best wideouts (fans know the ones) win more often in single coverage on passes all over the field. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, as an example, has a chance to pressure quarterbacks even when he's engaged by a blocker. Some linebackers have a better chance at interceptions on contested passes. 

Examples abound, but the point is simple: EA Sports wants player ratings to mean more than ever and the superstars to actually feel like they have game-changing impacts. In prior releases, players of all sorts of ratings could seemingly do any of these things randomly. 

Keeping the focus on the field, a general fluidity pass has the game feeling better than past iterations, with blockers doing a better job of sticking on their assignments, which in turn bumps the feel of the running game. This improved trench play means a better-feeling pass rush, too. 

Under center, the unique feel of each quarterback in the league continues to emerge also thanks to the implementation of real-world release mechanics. Not every quarterback winds up and releases the ball the same, so players will now have to accommodate for this on a team-to-team basis. 

From a broad features perspective, the big fish is Face of the Franchise: QB1. There, players can create a quarterback and tackle a fun pre-draft process as an NFL hopeful. It's not as in-depth as cinematic offerings like Longshot of past years, but it does weave a pre-draft tale that sets up a solid create-a-player experience. 

A post at EA.com explained some of the other wrinkles present: 

"As you live your superstar story, Madden's new Scenario Engine generates personalized playable scenarios, events, and dynamic challenges that tell the tale of a unique NFL career. Adding to it, in Face of the Franchise: QB1, like in Franchise mode, you choose your Archetype: Strong Arm, Scrambler, Improviser, Field General. Superstar abilities are tied to the Archetype you pick. Levelling up your archetypes unlocks different abilities."

Call it a bold, though likely oft-requested, addition to Madden. Experiencing the pre-draft process as a passer in the College Football Playoff and then at the combine, is a fun way to start a franchise mode. Implementing a way to keep things fresh as the years pass and defining an archetype should help the mode's longevity. 

While the popularity of modes varies on a player-by-player basis, Ultimate Team is understandably up there and received some love, too. 

Mostly, the Ultimate Team changes seem to fall under the quality-of-life umbrella. A new difficulty modifier means players can tackle challenges at their own pace and know what level of rewards they will receive. Challenges can now also be streamlined without exiting them back to menus. And a better roadmap of objectives means players won't waste their time tackling unnecessary things based on what their individual goals might be. 

To sum it up, Madden 20 goes big on altering gameplay for the better. Considering that's the most important aspect of a football game before anything else, the potential player base should be happy to see the emphasis.

Superstar outliers should now have a bigger impact than ever just as they do during broadcasts, which creates a big splash where the on-field side of Madden was starting to feel a little too familiar.