Madden NFL 24

New animations and improved AI make Madden NFL 24’s on-field action the best it's ever been, but everything that happens off the field is a slog of dated modes and laggy menus that brings everything around it down.

Madden continues to improve on the field, but surrounding that attribute with worthwhile modes or features still eludes the franchise.

But this season’s Madden could also be someone’s first, and the reason they become a die-hard fan of the franchise. Some of my most cherished memories are of playing an old copy of Madden NFL 04 with friends, sifting through franchise mode and drafting custom rosters without even playing a game until the crack of dawn. Every football fan has their favorite game, and will tell you that each year’s entry has flaws. Madden NFL 24 has flaws, as well, but it offers more customization than ever, even if it’s just barely more. I can’t wait to dive into Madden NFL 28.

No matter what nominally noticeable technical changes are happening under Madden 24's hood, they don't represent the gargantuan changes needed to bring the NFL series in line with various yearly sports game competition.

The improvements to the fundamental gameplay in Madden 24 continue to pay dividends with some of the most authentic football the series has ever seen. But, like an ill-timed penalty, the dreadfully slow menus and funneling toward tedious minigames wipe out any forward progress and move the series backward overall.

Madden NFL 24 is a good sports game, a playoff contender even – but you just never really get a sense this game is going to win the Super Bowl. That's the fundamental flaw here: it's a good effort from EA Tiburon with a lot of strong under-the-hood gameplay and presentation improvements, but the annual development cycle is preventing this series from really taking meaningful strides forward. Superstar, the reskinned Face of the Franchise, is fine for a few hours – and even Ultimate Team has improved to be more accessible overall. But cumbersome menus and a general sense of familiarity drop the ball, and prevent the release from reaching its full potential.

Madden NFL 24 also carries over a handful of bugs and visual glitches that were present not only last Madden, but the game that came before it. Bugs like the one where both teams appear frozen on the field during the cinematic view between plays, or where the camera isn’t showing the players despite them being at the line of scrimmage. It feels like such a slap in the face to the player and makes a strong argument that this franchise is long overdue for a reckoning. The real Madden heads out there will likely find Madden NFL 24 tolerable, but as a die-hard football fan, it sucks that we’re still doomed to this annual mediocrity.

Madden NFL 24 feels like the most complete game since jumping to this generation.

Madden NFL 24 is the best-looking game in the series with thrilling gameplay, but what holds it back is off the field. There seems to be something missing in this version of Madden as far as the game modes it has to offer. Does it make it to the Super Bowl? I’m not so sure about that.

Each year, I want to give Madden a chance and the benefit of the doubt. Each year since 2014 it has continued to disappoint me and feels like it is only getting worse. The game has become stagnant and outside of updated rosters and minor improvements to the graphics, Madden has done the bare minimum to stay relevant. Madden 24 tries to revitalize the franchise with a new precision throwing system, new celebrations, cross-platform gameplay, and the return of the training camp minigames, but at the end of the day, it is EA Sports putting a fresh coat of paint on something and calling it new.