From the first game back in 1988 to the current date, the series has come so far from its humble beginnings as an aerial view pixel game, to the beautiful work of art we get to play now, which almost looks like you are staring straight at the TV. The only difference is you are controlling the plays and you are scoring the touchdowns. Electronic Arts has brought another great Madden title to our screens, with Josh Allen, the Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, being the picked player for the cover of the game.

For anyone new to the series, Madden NFL follows the National Football League, which is primarily played in the United States and Canada. Like in the NFL, the game consists of picking plays on both offensive and defensive runs, and if you are lucky enough in the offensive, and make a break, or set your quarterback up to put the ball in the correct place, you will score a touchdown.

EA has added a new system to Madden NFL 24, the SAPIEN system. They have overhauled the skeletal system of the players so they look and move fluently, which I’m super impressed with. They have also updated FieldSENSE more from last year, which has enhanced the games even more. With all the updates for how the ball and players behave, the new AI technology has added another level to the game, such as the defensive line learning what you are doing if you keep doing the same play time after time.

Quick Play is back again for those times you just want to sit on the couch and play with whatever team tickles your fancy. There are a couple of different options built into this, such as playing against the AI, which always makes me feel like an absolute beast at the game but that comes to an abrupt end when I jump into the other mode, Online play, which makes me feel like I’ve never played the game before. The competitive nature of online gameplay goes off the scale, and my skills go down the drain. You also have the option of local play, letting you play against your friends and family, and my partner made me feel like I was Tom Brady, so that session didn’t last long.

Ultimate Team is back and bigger than ever with seven seasons planned, two more than last year’s title, which should also bring us into the next year’s release of the game. If you have never touched Ultimate Team before, you can go through the tutorial which helps you into Ultimate Team, but if you are a veteran of the mode you can skip this and jump straight into the action. Crossplay has also been added to Ultimate Team, so Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and PC will be able to play, but for those of you who get access through the marketplace, you’ll miss out on this feature. Unfortunately, I don’t know enough NFL players, but judging from the stats, I pulled some awesome cards, so I’ll have to keep you updated on how the team goes during the season.

The one game mode I’m never great at but love is Franchise. The developers have added more features and made it easier to hunt around, which is something a lot of the community requested after the previous title. You can jump into a Franchise either solo or with a friend, and it’s based heavily on Trading, Relocation, and Salary Cap Management, with the actual gameplay taking a back seat. You need to make sure you are managing everything like clockwork or you will crash and burn very quickly.

The Yard and Face of the Franchise have been replaced with a new game mode, Superstar. This mode allows you to create a superstar player and get drafted into the NFL. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into any of the teams I hoped I would, but regardless, I still managed to get into one as their Quarterback, but you have the option of trying to any of the positions available. There are also activities built into the game mode where you can expand your superstar’s skill set by doing training when you are allowed. At the end of each game you jump into, you are graded on your performance, and it was good to see where you needed to improve to get a better performance the next game.

I ask myself each year before jumping into Madden games how they could possibly make the graphics in the title better, and each year they manage to do just that. The character models look absolutely stunning with the attention to detail, and EA is stopping at nothing to push the limits of the power of the current generation of consoles. The transitions from the game to the cutscenes were buttery smooth, and seeing things like the players standing next to their profiles with the commentators talking about them kept making me think I was watching the NFL.

I had almost forgotten it was a game. The only comment I will make negatively is that in some cutscenes, players would sometimes clip into each other a little bit, and this dragged us back into the gaming mindset, ruining the immersion a little. I’m sure this is something that can be fixed in a future update, as it didn’t seem like a massive thing.

I sound like a broken record in my reviews when I speak about how far audio in sporting games has come, but the best way to describe this game is that it felt like I was sitting in front of the TV, an ice-cold beer in hand, and just listening to the commentary team. It didn’t feel like a game with how they were speaking, and when the game seemed to change quickly, they would change their attitude and amp the crowd up with their commentary.

The audience sounded like it filled the stadiums, and the noise they were making made you feel like there were actual people there cheering you on to win the game. The game felt so immersive and made you more excited to make that line break and score a touchdown. Small things, like a snippet of music playing when you scored the touchdown, made it feel so much more real. This excitement continues as you scroll the menus, with awesome music that many would recognize by some big-name artists like Wiz Khalifa and Marshmello. It keeps you amped to get back into the game and keep the plays happening.

The controls feel much the same as in previous years, but like the old saying goes “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” and I couldn’t agree more. With games like this, a lot of players don’t want things to become more and more advanced as it takes away from the magic of actually playing the game. You can select how technical you want the gameplay to be, with options to have it feel like more of a simulation, or stick with the original arcade feel to the game. It’s designed really well for new and returning players of the series, with the simulation-style controls being really fluid and well mapped, and this is also the case with the more arcade-feeling controls – you can get the ball to the quarterback and then press something like X to put the ball where you need to put it.

Regardless of whether you’re a returning fan of the series or someone who is looking at jumping onto the Madden bandwagon, this is the title for you. There is so much strategy required in the game, forcing you to make the correct plays so you can get those touchdowns. Each year the series gets better and better, and the developers don’t leave a stone unturned.

Written by: Hayden Nelson