Madden 24 review

It’s that time of year where American Football fans get their chance to play the latest Madden and the same questions come around regarding what makes this year’s title better than the last?

Thankfully there are some excellent improvements to the game that well go over, there are also some bits that aren’t as great too however.

If there is one certain in any EA Sports title it’s that the presentation side of things is always top notch and that doesn’t change here. The build up to matches builds real immersion before the game, while the sights and sounds bring an authenticity to game. An all-new post-play engine brings the emotion of the NFL to life with realistic player reactions to the action on the field.

EA Tiburon have done a huge amount of work to bring over 1700 extra animations into the game as well as the introduction of EA Sports Sapien Technology, which sees new skeletons for player models built from the ground up ensures a new level of animation fidelity, smoother movement, and more realistic looking bodies. You can see the improvements on the field as you now rarely see those weird body clashes that we’ve seen in the Madden and FIFA series. Catches feel more authentic too.

There are lots of welcome AI changes, Defenders now pick on repeated plays and adjusted their movements to read short passing plays better. Running backs make more intelligent runs allowing them to find more lanes and create better space. Quarterbacks have been overhauled to make their actions more realistic and make better decisions.

Another big change comes in the form of Skill Based Passing, when you first load the game you’ll be introduced to the new passing controls and given a choice of style you would like to adopt. The new new passing mechanics aim to offer a more dynamic and realistic passing experience by providing players with better control over their throws and more options to execute various types of passes.

Ultimate Team makes an obvious return with the biggest change coming  in the form of more year-round content, including 7 full seasons,  two more than last year – that span the entire NFL season and extends past the Super Bowl right up to the release of the next Madden. There is also a revamped welcome to new players thanks to Introduction mode, thankfully veterans of MUT can skip!

Franchise mode has had some positive changes, with improvements to trades and future drafts. Contracts have also had an overhaul to make things more authentic. There are a host of new commissioner settings, including the ability to toggle off home field advantage; adjust draft class strength, trade difficulty, and the impact of free agent motivations. Mini Games have also made a return, as you prepare for each match you can access these games to improve your team. The Mini games include a some great challenges to help you improve your skills across a range of disciplines.

Superstar returns to Madden 24 in a new form, consisting of Superstar The League and Superstar Showdown, replacing Face of the Franchise and The Yard. It’s here where you take your player on a career-spanning journey to gain entrance to the vaunted 99 Club. You’ll face off against other Superstar players in 3v3 and 6v6 matches in Showdown, and customise your avatars with exclusive Superstar cosmetics. You’ll use weekly training drills and choose daily tasks to improve your player. You can also accept VIP and Superstar Events such as choosing a shoe brand to rep such as Air Jordans and Adidas. It’s a great mode for casual players or those not interested in Franchise mode.

Crossplay allows players to go up against opponents no matter what platform you are on, the online matches I played were seamless and I managed to connect easily with PS5 and PC players. Once the servers had settled down after launch I didn’t notice any lag, although I took a few beatings!

My biggest issue in the game is off the field, in the menus of all places. Now I’m the sort of person who loves a well laid out menu accompanied by some entertaining backgrounds and transitions that pop. For some reason Madden 24 struggles to do the basics, with laggy responses to button presses and loading times that are far too long on a console as capable as an Xbox Series X. First impressions count and this sort of issues could really put players off.