Madden NFL 24 jogs my memory of the Marvin Lewis-coached Bengals. Lewis led Cincinnati’s soccer group to essentially the most wins of any coach within the historical past of the franchise, and so they made the playoffs seven occasions throughout his tenure, together with a stretch the place they made the playoffs for 5 straight years. They by no means received any of these playoff video games, although. Not one. Some of the losses had been shut. Some had been heartbreakers that the Bengals gave away. Lewis’ groups had been nearly at all times good, or at the very least first rate, however they had been by no means ok – and after some time it turned clear that they by no means can be. Three years after his departure the Bengals would play within the Super Bowl, led by a brand new head coach in Zac Taylor and the just lately drafted Joe Burrow. It’s superb how shortly issues can change within the NFL when organizations resolve to attempt one thing new.
Like Lewis’ Bengals, Madden NFL 24 is sweet, or at the very least first rate, however by no means fairly ok to make it really feel like a profitable yr for this collection. After one thing of a gentle reboot final yr, Madden NFL 24 is concentrated totally on refinement, whereas trying to deal with a number of sore spots amongst followers in what has been extensively known as a “make or break yr.” And whereas a number of notable enhancements have been made, it nonetheless looks like what the collection has been identified for lately: a fantastic on-field expertise desperately trying to find a method to make the whole lot else work. Unfortunately, whereas can see flashes of greatness and the play is normally satisfactory, it’s arduous to shake the sensation that issues received’t get meaningfully higher till someone at EA provides EA Tiburon the money and time to make some severe, significant adjustments.
Let’s begin with the good things. One of the most important enhancements is to FieldSENSE, the place the prevailing Hit Everything system has been mixed with new animations that take participant dimension and power under consideration. EA Tiburon claims it has added or adjusted greater than 1,700 sort out animations, and I imagine it, as a result of the brand new animations look incredible. There are new contested-catch animations, wrap-up tackles, and my private favourite, scoops, the place giant defensive gamers will decide up offensive gamers by the legs earlier than slamming them again right down to the sphere. Football is a violent sport, and the brand new animations depict that in ways in which really feel real looking. When a giant hit occurs on the sphere you’re feeling it, similar to you do while you see it throughout a sport – simply, you understand, with out the bizarre guilt about whether or not you need to take pleasure in watching it or not.
You get fewer of these “Oh, come on! You might have caught that!” moments.
This yr additionally brings enhancements to the Skill-Based Passing system, including new animations that higher characterize the situations gamers are in when catching passes. My favorites are the brand new diving catches, which look spectacular and make these seemingly out-of-reach balls extra prone to be caught. It additionally means Madden NFL 24 is best at monitoring participant momentum, so hitting your receivers on the proper level of their routes is extra necessary – they should have sufficient time to show upfield or juke defenders. These are nice adjustments; you get fewer of these “Oh, come on! You might have caught that!” moments, and performs simply feel and look extra genuine while you see them executed.
As an added bonus, extra improvisational QBs – like cowl star Josh Allen and everybody’s favourite Kermit the Frog impersonator, Patrick Mahomes – are extra possible to make use of leaping and diving passes to make performs when the state of affairs requires it. Combine all of this with the redone participant skeletons and participant fashions that (nearly, sorry Cam Heyward) at all times seem like they’re stepped off the gridiron and onto your TV display screen, and Madden NFL 24 is definitely the best-looking and best-animated the collection has ever been. It’s a genuinely spectacular accomplishment, and it feels such as you’re at all times on the verge of seeing one thing extremely cool go down – similar to the actual NFL.
This yr’s version additionally refines post-play reactions from gamers, and as soon as once more, they give the impression of being wonderful. You’ll see them do kamehamehas, recreate the Spider-Man pointing meme, cheer, hold their heads, the entire 9 yards. I’ve put practically 40 hours into Madden NFL 24 since its launch, and I’m nonetheless seeing new reactions. Refs are even again on the sphere this yr (after being bizarrely absent for the previous few) and we’ve bought each female and male officers this time. Yes, there’s the odd janky animation when gamers collide, however they’re fairly uncommon. Madden NFL 24 completely nails the on-field presentation.
EA has made noticeable enhancements to the AI.
EA has additionally made noticeable enhancements to the AI, with the most important in all probability being to AI blocking. Part of that is due to the enlargement of the FieldSENSE animation system, which is being utilized to blockers for the primary time. Now, blockers are differentiated from each other and can make higher choices when blocking. That means extra double-teams, extra chip blocking, and extra working collectively to push the pile, which in flip means a greater expertise within the run and passing sport. This is a kind of inside baseball (soccer?), under-the-hood adjustments that new and extra informal gamers in all probability received’t discover, but when taking part in earlier Madden video games has ever had you screaming “why would you do that?” at your offensive line like I’ve, it’s a right away enchancment.
It’s simply one of many many revamps to Madden’s AI throughout the board. Another place you’re prone to discover it’s in opposition to the AI quarterbacks, who will use extra audibles and scorching routes and play extra like their real-life counterparts. That signifies that gamers like Patrick Mahomes usually tend to dial up large, highlight-reel-worthy performs in anxious conditions, operating QBs like Lamar Jackson will attempt to escape the pocket beneath strain, and extra cautious quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins will examine the ball down. But it’s not simply quarterbacks: run defenders will acknowledge in the event you name the identical play a number of occasions and hit their gaps extra shortly, secondaries will play quick crosses and slants extra aggressively and responsively, and operating backs are higher at discovering holes, utilizing cutback lanes, and navigating house.
All of this provides as much as a Madden the place AI gamers are concurrently a lot smarter, but in addition extra able to making believable errors if that’s what their real-world counterparts would do. You’re extra prone to see clutch large gamers, purpose line stands, breakout runs, and the whole lot in between. It makes for a extra thrilling, extra real looking sport, and the very best on-field expertise I’ve had with Madden in a number of years. Note, although, these upgrades are nearly all tied to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC variations. If you’re taking part in on last-generation consoles, you’re out of luck.
And then you definitely get off the sphere, and that is the place issues begin to collapse.
And then you definitely get off the sphere, and that’s the place issues begin to collapse. The first place you’ll discover that is within the menus, that are among the laggiest I’ve ever seen in a online game. It’s not an issue all over the place – the primary menu tends to work fairly effectively – however get into Ultimate Team or Superstar and issues take completely ceaselessly to load. Even exiting a mode and selecting one other one can take a number of seconds, which looks like means too lengthy for this type of factor.
Madden NFL 24’s menus even have an enter lag downside. Sometimes it takes a number of seconds on your picks to register… in the event that they do in any respect. This means deciding on the choice you need a number of occasions, and in a number of instances, deciding on one thing you don’t need by chance. This is a minor downside in the event you go into Ultimate Team while you needed Franchise Mode, nevertheless it’s an actual challenge when it occurs in-game and also you name a play you didn’t imply to. It’s rarer while you’re on the sphere, nevertheless it does occur. Even in the event you’re simply taking part in solo, it makes altering your lineup or opening packs in Ultimate Team a chore, and selecting your choices in Superstar or Franchise mode take for much longer than they need to.
The issues persist while you lastly get into the mode you need. One of essentially the most touted additions to Madden NFL 24 is the return of minigames, which have been absent since Madden NFL 13. There are 26 minigames in complete and so they’re… fantastic. Some of them, like Rushing Attack, which fees you with taking management of a operating again and scoring as many touchdowns as doable, are a number of enjoyable, and it’s straightforward to see why followers needed it again. Others, like Backfield Survival, which provides obstacles on the sphere and asks you to run across the discipline for so long as doable with out getting sacked, are goofy enjoyable that aid you construct Stick abilities. But a number of them simply really feel pointless.
Yeah, Passing Skeleton will educate you the right way to shortly determine the open receiver, however since one of the simplest ways to win is to construct your multiplier by finishing passes, it shortly devolves into simply throwing quick passes. Target Passing, then again, teaches you completely nothing and is totally maddening (no pun supposed). The purpose is to make use of your receivers to line up your throws to interrupt targets scattered throughout the sphere, however even with the precision go mechanic added final yr, it feels extra like a crapshoot than a check of precise talent. Worse, a lot of them are simply variants that do issues like add extra defenders or put you at a special place on the sphere. Cull the variants and also you’re down to only 15 distinctive minigames, and several other of them put on out their welcome in a short time.
I by no means needed to play it once more, however I did not have a lot alternative.
The actual downside is that these min-games are actually the way you construct participant abilities in Franchise, Training Camp, and Superstar modes. That can be fantastic in the event you might do them as soon as after which hold re-using your highest rating, as you may with older coaching choices, however you may’t. If you need the complete advantages you’ll should play them each time. By the time I completed Superstar, I might do the Passing Skeleton mini-game in my sleep. I by no means needed to play it once more, however for the reason that different choices to degree up my created QB had been variants of Target Passing, a mini-game I hated, I didn’t have a lot alternative if I needed to degree up at an honest charge. It sucked.
Speaking of Superstar, it’s again because the substitute for Face of the Franchise and it’s additionally…fantastic. You can create a QB, HB, WR, LB, or CB, and information them from the Combine – pretty generic mini-games you’ll play as soon as and by no means see once more – interview with groups, and get drafted. There’s a quite simple storyline right here, however nothing about it’s as attention-grabbing as what Longshot and even Face of the Franchise did a couple of years in the past.
The Combine is form of enjoyable, nevertheless it’s a one-off, and when you’re into the season it performs out as a reasonably commonplace profession mode the place your character, the Madden Chosen One, tries to information their franchise to the Super Bowl and earn the coveted Madden 99 Overall score. It’s uninspired however fantastic, although it has its share of issues. Playing something aside from a QB means your profession is commonly out of your management, and the entire thing is fairly generic.
The most attention-grabbing factor in Superstar is Superstar Showdown, which replaces The Yard. Here, you may take your avatar on-line and compete in 3v3 and 6v6 video games in an area. It’s a neat novelty, however like all however a couple of of the minigames, it wears off pretty shortly.
Other modes have seen updates, too. Franchise sees the return of Training Camp, which makes use of the minigames and allows you to prep your group for the season. It’s a pleasant addition, however you solely spend a little bit time in it every season. Otherwise, the additions are principally quality-of-life adjustments – extra commerce slots, commissioner settings, coach expertise timber, new relocation choices, and so forth – that don’t do a lot to deal with Franchise’s largest downside: how barebones all of it feels as a result of lack choices loved by the franchise modes in sports activities sims.
Madden NFL 24 is very similar to Madden at all times is.
Beyond that, Madden NFL 24 is very similar to Madden at all times is. There’s Ultimate Team, in fact, and the mixture of challenges, on-line play, and group constructing might be enjoyable even in the event you don’t open your pockets the way in which you’re pushed to, fast play, the Pro Bowl (which is buried in fast play and simply missed), Madden’s wonderful Skill Trainer, and so forth. If you’ve performed Madden previously few years, you’ve seen all of it earlier than.
And that’s Madden 24’s largest flaw, actually. Once you step off the sphere, it’s simply plain boring. There’s a number of good on-field additions this yr, and the cross-platform implementation EA has added works splendidly, as does the sport’s netcode (I performed a near-flawless sport with somebody on the opposite aspect of the US), however except you’re in love with the act of taking part in Madden, there’s simply not a lot right here to reinvigorate it. Madden desperately, desperately wants a ground-up refresh, and you may inform EA Tiburon is making an attempt, however the yearly nature of the collection, and the sheer dominance of the money-printing Ultimate Team over the whole lot else, means a number of these adjustments are like placing a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound, particularly when the UI is that this painful to navigate.
Madden NFL 24 makes a number of much-needed enhancements to the on-field expertise because of incredible additions to animations and AI, nevertheless it nonetheless suffers from the identical issues it at all times has when you get off the sphere: the whole lot right here is simply carried out higher in each different sports activities sim, even the opposite ones made by EA, and this yr’s tweaks simply aren’t sufficient to make up for the collection’ continued feeling of sameness and lack of progress. To proceed the metaphor, Madden looks like an honest however not nice soccer group: content material to coast. If it had been in the best division I might see it sneaking into the playoffs, or overperforming in an excellent yr. But it’s the form of group that sometimes will get eradicated within the first spherical. The on-field sport is likely to be the very best it’s ever been, however there are too many off-field points right here to disregard, and with every passing yr it feels increasingly like they’ll by no means be fastened. Perpetually, Madden looks like it may very well be a contender with time and the best adjustments, however proper now it looks like an also-ran. And you don’t win the Super Bowl like that.
