Madden, one of the highest selling sports video game franchises, released Madden 24 on August 15th, and since the release has been one of the most popular games but the question is, is the game worth the expensive price tag?

Madden Ultimate Team

Madden Ultimate Team, by far the most popular mode as in any other sports games, is one of the coolest modes and Madden 24 makes it even better than before! Ultimate Team is where you create your NFL Dream team using players who play currently and who also played in the past. On top of that you can compete online with other players who love this game mode. I haven’t personally played this mode because you have to pay for Playstation Plus in order to play online but, I have heard great things about this mode.

Franchise Mode

Franchise mode is also extremely popular, especially with all of the new updates. With franchise mode you can play as your favorite team and become the head coach to help lead your team to a Super Bowl! The best part of this mode is that you have full control of how your team is managed from placing players on the trade block to then completing trades and following up on injury reports, in franchise mode you get the full head coach experience. My rating is a 9 out of 10.

Superstar Mode

With how popular Madden is, you have to have a mode where you can become your own player in the NFL, and that is where Superstar mode comes into play! This year’s mode is new and improved with you as the player being more involved in the combine process. Now you can play minigames that help boost your draft stock such as 40-yard dash, bench press, broad jump, and 3 cone shuttle. What makes this mode even better is that if you aren’t happy with your initial score you can redo the minigames until you are number one or satisfied. You can also customize everything about your player such as the way he looks, the type of cleats he wears, the style of helmet cage he wears and many more things. My only criticism is that you can only pick from 5 different positions to be drafted such as quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and cornerback. Outside of that small issue I give this mode a 9.5 out of 10.

Madden Curse, is it real?

The Madden Curse, it is an on-going joke amongst Madden cover athletes and Madden players. The Madden Curse is the the curse list of all the Madden cover athletes who have had great seasons prior to being on the cover and then once on the cover, either become injured or just have the worst season ever. There are many great players who have been cursed such as future Hall of Famer Tom Brady who after he was on the cover of Madden 18 lost the Super Bowl to Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles, all time rushing yards leader as a quarterback, Michael Vick who was on the cover of Madden 04 and ended up playing 5 games that year due to a broken fibula then ended up in jail 4 years later, and then there is this year’s victim, Bills QB Josh Allen, who came off of an MVP caliber season last year and just isn’t the same Josh Allen the NFL knows. In conclusion the Madden Curse is real unless you are Patrick Mahomes.

Overall I would give this game an 8.5 out of 10. I like how much more EA was able to incorporate more participation in the combine as you create your own NFL Superstar. The best part of the new updates is the new cleat and helmet styles you can use as your own player. I also really like how much more they have added to Franchise mode.

I think that this is the best installment of the Madden franchise (granted this year’s tech is better than ever) and I would recommend this game to any football fans who are looking for a new way to get involved in football. 

I do have one small critique and it is the lack of position choice in superstar mode. If EA could give the players more options when it comes to choosing your player type in-game instead of just the same five positions as year’s past.

The biggest question is: Is the Madden Curse real or are these players bad follow-up seasons just a coincidence?