Madden 24 Review

Written by Guggs

With the NFL season just a few weeks away, EA have released their next entry in the Madden series. There’s fresh hope among the community that the usual new lick of paint, updated team rosters and tweaks to gameplay are enough to push Madden in a new direction, but is there enough added this time around to make it stand out from its predecessors?

Each year, EA throws buzzwords at us as they introduce the latest improvement to the title. For those playing on Xbox Series X, Madden 23 had FieldSENSE, a new gameplay system that equipped players with more control on the gridiron than ever before. Madden 24 arrives with the “all new and improved” FieldSENSE 2.0. The system has now been tweaked to give more control than ever before. The new animations and tighter gameplay physics certainly help capture that big match feeling, but the new SAPIEN Technology is the standout feature. Using skeletal technology, players feel more like their real-life counterparts, making things feel more realistic and polished.

It didn’t take long to notice the new features working together. I could feel the weight behind some of my defensive line’s crunching tackles, and I was amazed to see smaller players would target larger players’ legs to stop them from gaining yards, rather than unrealistically attempting the standard waist-high tackle. However, player-controlled actions aren’t the only new improvements making their way to the field. AI opponents now play with a higher level of intelligence and repeatedly picking the same offensive play will no longer work, forcing you to get more creative. At the same time, unrealistic interceptions and sloppy defensive decision-making have also been dialled down. When combined, these features give an individual feel to each position not previously seen in Madden, and you’d struggle to find this level of identity across any current sports game.

Madden 23’s skill-based passing also receives a slight freshen-up. It’s now more responsive and intuitive. Both returning methods are finally polished enough to be viable choices if you’re looking for a more controlled method to skewer your opponent’s defensive line. ‘Placement and Accuracy’ is a risk vs. reward option, giving you complete control of where you play your pass and how much weight you put behind it. The timing element here makes it a difficult mechanic to learn. However, it can prove punishing, as inaccuracy and getting your timing wrong will often result in a turnover. 

If you’re struggling with accuracy, you might opt for ‘Placement and Power’. This option removes the accuracy element of the pass, instead leaving you to rely on your Quarterback’s in-game stats for success. This option forces you to focus on the power of the throw and leaves you to decide whether using a bullet or lob pass will yield success. When you’re throwing the ball anywhere between 10-40 times a match, it’s important that the basics work properly, and they do. For players struggling to learn these passing methods under the pressures of a match situation, there are mini-games and a practice arena to experiment in. The option for Classic Madden passing is also available, meaning no matter your level of skill, there’s an option to suit you.

Everything on the screen flows seamlessly, but that doesn’t mean Madden 24 is without its issues. The play feels heavily weighted towards a running game, and I often found my players bouncing off Cornerbacks and pulling away from Outside Linebackers with relative ease. This resulted in me gaining crucial yards that, in all honesty, I didn’t deserve. There were also one or two instances where animations were glitchy, including my Quarterback’s arm becoming twisted and contorted. However, outside of these issues, everything looked and felt great.

With everything feeling so good on the field, it’s a shame that things off it don’t match the same standard. Buggy, unresponsive and often laggy menus make trying to progress in game modes such as Franchise and Ultimate Team a chore. Having to repeatedly press a button for a menu to respond (if it chose to at all without having to exit the game entirely and re-loading) became tedious. On a few unfortunate occasions, this carried across into matches. While picking which play to run with my offense, I was left furiously tapping at my selected option as the in-game clock counted down, only to draw a blank. This frustration was only compounded when I attempted to play online, often resulting in long drawn-out periods between plays and being unable to run the play I wanted and had tried to choose. This disrupts the pace and immersion of the entire experience, and although I have no doubts this is something that can and likely will be fixed in future patches, to see the game launch with these issues is disappointing. Everything you’ve come to expect from a Madden game is here, along with one or two surprise returns.

The Micro-transaction-heavy Ultimate Team mode boasts the same card collecting and adds a new Competitive Pass, allowing you to earn rewards as you level up; these range from customisation options to in-game currency, which you can use to strengthen your team. Although Ultimate Team across EA’s sports titles are often the source of debate, there’s a real sense of reward if you’re willing to put the time in. It’s possible to earn enough in-game currency to put out a team that’s capable of competing with others online, but for those who primarily play Ultimate Team, the urge to part with cash to get ahead early on may be too strong. One thing that stood out to me in Ultimate Team was how stable playing online felt. Playing before the release date meant that not all the online elements of the game were well-populated, but the matches I found were responsive and error-free, this included when playing against people on different platforms, a new feature added to this year’s MUT. I was particularly impressed with this as my opponents were on the East Coast of the United States while I was playing from the United Kingdom.

Franchise Mode returns with previously unseen levels of depth and detail. This is a great choice for those wanting to take a break from the action on-field and try their hand at management. Whether you’re using the overhauled trade system to get the line-up you want or setting up drills to improve your players in the reintroduced training camp, these new levels of management and control are likely to please experienced players, but for those new to the mode who want to dip their toe in and try to learn the other side of the game may find themselves left quickly overwhelmed.

Although game modes have remained largely unchanged, the returning and updated Superstar mode is the best that Madden 24 has to offer. After creating your custom player and starting unsigned, you’ll find yourself playing a variety of position-specific drills to help discover your place in the upcoming draft. These drills and a variety of mini-games are vital for your player’s growth and to see which path you’ll set out on as you attempt to nail down a starting position for a top NFL team. Do well, and you’ll be considered a top 10 draft option, giving you more opportunities with bigger teams. As you progress, seasonal missions and objectives give you the chance to unlock customisation options. The better you perform, the bigger the opportunities. A series of excellent performances can see you end up with missions from sporting giants Nike and Adidas. These customisation options aren’t just for your single-player journey. Superstar Showdown is an experience like that of NBA 2K’s ‘The Park’ that allows you to take your player online to play in 3v3 or 6v6 online matches. Teaming up with others to earn XP that converts to skill points is a nice change of pace from solely playing through the single-player league campaign, and it’s this variety that helps make Superstar Mode a standout option.

With current-generation editions in previous years described as “lacklustre” and “underwhelming,” there was pressure on EA to deliver their most polished version of the series to date, and on the field at least, it’s something they’ve done successfully. You can still argue that there isn’t enough here that pushes the series to new heights, and you’d be right. Despite Superstar Mode being a must-play and tweaks to presentation making the game day experience feel bigger and more important than ever before, ultimately, it’s disheartening to see one of the world’s biggest sports games not realising the potential that lies underneath.