With the NFL season on the horizon, another game in the Madden franchise comes with it. “Madden 24” released on August 15th. This year, Electronic Arts Sports (EA Sports) promised a bigger and badder Madden that returns to the way of old. The question is: does it?

Right of the bat, the game play works. The engine feels great, and it looks very nice. The face scans of the players are quite accurate and the stadiums are great, too.One promise was Superstar mode would return. Overall, it works very well and returns to what made the game fun. I do like the addition of training camp and starting at the combine. Franchise mode feels largely the same. I like the addition of more trade slots and relocation options. These new features make the mode more interesting, and adds some much-needed freshness.

However, there are certain things that just make little sense. For some odd reason, EA took away most of the coach’s clothing choices. All that’s left are a polo shirt, and a long sleeve shirt. In the franchise mode, relocating a team moves them instantly. EA promised that every aspect of relocation will be up to the players. However, in reality, you get very few choices. When you do move, the team name is picked, the jersey is picked, and the field design is made. There is little else besides that is customizable, which is very disappointing. Within the on-field gameplay, I feel the passing machines really aren’t all that great, leaving a lot to be desired.

Overall, Madden continues to just not hit the mark. In my opinion, I feel that it’s time for the NFL to sell its rights again. 2K Games, who release the annual NBA games, could be the studio to change the trend, but we will see.