The release of Madden 24 is approaching. EA Sports began sharing information on this year’s game back in June. If you missed some of the details, no worries.
I have compiled the 13 most crucial details on Madden 24 to bring you up to speed on EA Sports’ upcoming release.
1 – Madden 24 Release Date
The official release date for Madden 24 is August 18. However, those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will get three days of early access, making the game accessible on August 15.
2 – Madden 24 Pre-Order Info
The primary difference between pre-ordering Madden’s Standard and Deluxe Edition is the three days of early access and 4600 Madden points for Ultimate Team. Here is a graphic from EA that breaks down the pre-order offer:
3 – Madden 24 Cover Athlete – Josh Allen
After featuring Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes on the cover of Madden 23, EA stuck with the QB position for this year’s cover athlete, tabbing Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen with the honor.
Allen is the first Bills player in history to appear on the cover of the game.
4 – Madden 24 Ratings
This year’s game will launch with five players receiving a 99 overall rating: The Los Angeles Rams, Aaron Donald, Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, and the Dallas Cowboys Zack Martin.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers are the only teams with three players rated a 95 or above. San Francisco has 5 in that category.
You can see the ratings for every player in the game here.
5 – Cross-Play Has Landed With Madden 24
Cross-play lands with Madden 24, enabling users to play head-to-head against others on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Head-to-Head, Madden Ultimate Team, Superstar KO, and Superstar Showdown are the only modes in the game that offer cross-play options.
6 – More Improvements Madden 24 Franchise Mode
The rebuilding of Madden Franchise mode has been a multi-year project, but we are beginning to see real, tangible improvements to the series’ once-great feature.
The return of mini-games, customization, and improved trade logic are the areas that have seen the most attention. I’m not sure why EA ever removed mini-games, but it’s great to see these iconic features return to the game and incorporate some franchise mode relevance.
Rush and Attack and other mini-games now play a role in your training camp development. This approach is best if EA wants to make player development interactive.
On the customization front, the restrictions have been removed regarding relocation, and more city, logo, and team name options are available for the process.
We still need the ability to upload or create logos, but this is a definite step in the right direction. The improved trade and player personnel logic is another breath of fresh air, at least conceptually. We’ll need to get our hands on the retail version to determine if it works as well as it sounds in the trailer above and the developer blog on the subject.
Still, it seems apparent Madden Franchise is already, or very close to being, really good again.
7 – The Return of Superstar Mode to Madden 24
When we first heard about the return of Superstar mode, I wasn’t all that excited.
However, the developer blog and deep-dive video release have piqued my interest. EA game designer Isaac Etheridge breaks down the details in the video, making you want to create a character and hop right into the action.
EA is adopting the winning formula we’ve seen from other sports titles that have found success with career modes that evolve into live services.
EA will allow users to create players who play different positions, making it easier to team up with friends and find a role on any team. The single-player portion has intelligently abandoned the restrictive storyline approach while including the NFL Scouting Combine and the on-screen progression concepts that check the dopamine boxes that keep players returning for more.
If this feels the way it looks, Superstar mode could be one of the most successful additions to the series since Ultimate Team.
8 – Madden 24 Ultimate Team Updates
If you’re looking for new, groundbreaking ways to play MUT, it doesn’t appear we’ll see those additions in Madden 24. However, the information released on the mode suggests we’ll see plenty of tuning and quality-of-life updates (new onboarding system and restructured live events hub) to the series’ biggest cash cow.
Starting OVR ratings for champion cards will now be set at 87. Per the MUT blog, “this change will give us more ability to ensure that the player meta stays fresh and exciting.”
While Cross-Play is a nearly game-wide addition, it may be most felt in MUT, where users from the platforms mentioned above will be able to battle head-to-head.
For MUT, content is king, so the actual value of the experience will be known once we see what EA has planned for its live events, card series, and post-release features. Stay tuned.
9 – Madden 24 Gameplay – New Tackling Features
FIELDSENSE technology returns, but it is now in the 2.0 phase.
According to the deep dive blog from EA, the development team focused on three key areas: enhanced realism, smarter AI, and better animations, thanks to implementing the new SAPIEN technology.
The first aspect of FIELDSENSE 2.0’s impact comes in the second iteration of the Hit Everything system. Madden 24 will feature new catch tackles that offer branching options. There are also more animations aimed at aiding defenders in swatting passes and attempting to stop a receiver from making a catch.
EA has also added more animations for tackling. According to the blog:
“You’ll feel more control with greater differentiation of tackle types based on defender size and strength matchup against the ball carrier. The New Defender Advantage formula chooses tackles more dynamically based on the players’ ratings, size, speed, and momentum. Which results in the following:
- Removal of the concept of ‘Conservative Tackle’ A (On Xbox)/X (On Playstation) is now Wrap tackle and the outcomes are based on our Tackle Advantage Algorithm.
- Smaller defenders will now take out the legs of bigger ball carriers.
- Big Man Wrap tackles that wrap and drive the ball carrier back.
- Ex: Think of Vita Vea grabbing a running back and trying to run up the middle.
- All new scoop tackles are high-impact form tackles that pick the ball carrier off the ground.
- We added and adjusted 1700+ tackle animations to hit everything!”
These updates all sound so good. However, my experienced-gamer brain cautions me to wait to see if the gameplay comes off as clean as this is described.
10 – Madden 24 Gameplay – New Blocking Features
What about the blocking? Offensive line play has been the most challenging aspect of football gameplay for Madden to master.
Despite what some may believe, this portion of the sport is difficult to replicate. The level of if-then scenarios that must be accounted for, along with the randomness of human interaction and more, makes this quite the task to handle from a development standpoint.
That said, EA devs say: “Run Blocking got a significant upgrade because of both FieldSENSE and Foundational Football upgrades in Madden NFL 24. The run game is more physical due to Hit Everything 2.0! Keep reading below to learn how we made foundational football upgrades to make our blockers even more intelligent and devastating in the run game.“
As with all gameplay updates, the first accurate impression will be the state of things on launch day, but even that isn’t the end-all-be-all. Like every other title, Madden 24 will undergo a series of updates and tuning post-release.
11 – Madden 24 Gameplay – New Passing Features
There is a new jump and dive pass animation in the game. The dive pass makes me nervous as it seems like a very cheese-able animation, but we’ll see once the game is in the hands of millions.
There are also no-look passes, which feels unnecessary, but I suppose it is cool. Thankfully, according to a dev note, the effectiveness of the dive pass is being examined.
“While rare, the dive pass can lead to exciting moments for top tier stars like Patrick Mahomes,” per the blog.
“Players can attempt a dive pass when rolling out to the sideline and throwing short passes with a defender closely trailing (we made this update based on Beta Feedback). Our team is able to tweak and tailor these throws to ensure they only happen in proper situations. Jump passes happen when standing in the pocket and throwing short with a defender in front of you.”
On the more practical side, EA has adjusted the placement of slightly inaccurate passers to make them still playable in certain instances.
There are also a few new things regarding the catching system. Per EA, hundreds of new catch animations are designed to reduce the number of missed catches and allow receivers to catch passes more accurately in stride.
On the diving side, there are more dive catch animations as well. We might be set up for some memorable gameplay videos from this year’s game–for better and worse.
12 – Madden 24 Gameplay – SAPIEN Technology
The new skeletal emulation technology is designed to increase the player model and animation realism. In every video and image of Madden 24, the most notable changes can be seen with the offensive and defensive linemen.
More striking differences with other body types might be apparent through extended gameplay.
13 – Where You Can Find Pre-Release Gameplay
If you’re looking for an early look at Madden 24, EA recently published a graphic guiding its customers to the influencers authorized to post footage early.
Be on the lookout for a full review once I’ve had time with the retail version of Madden 24.
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