Did Madden 24 Fix Franchise Mode? A Deep Dive
Did Madden 24 finally deliver the franchise mode experience that fans have been craving for years? The short answer is: it’s complicated. While there are some improvements and welcome additions, lingering issues and persistent bugs prevent it from being the complete overhaul many were hoping for. Madden 24 franchise mode offers a mixed bag – a step in the right direction, but still a long way from true greatness.
The Good, the Bad, and the Buggy: Analyzing Madden 24 Franchise Mode
Let’s break down what Madden 24 gets right, where it falls short, and the ever-present specter of bugs that plague the experience.
Improvements and Additions
Training Camp Returns: The return of training camp is a definite win. The mini-games provide a fun and engaging way to develop your players and boost their stats. The inclusion of target passing, field goal accuracy, and trench battle mini-games adds welcome variety to pre-season preparations. This is a step towards adding more depth than just simulated training sessions.
New Offensive Formations and Plays: The addition of over 70 new offensive formations and 500+ new plays across all 32 NFL teams adds much-needed variety to the gameplay. This allows players to craft more unique offensive strategies and tailor their playbooks to their team’s strengths. This addresses a common criticism of previous Madden titles, where offensive play felt stale and repetitive.
Improved Graphics and Player Models: Madden 24 boasts improved graphics, with more realistic player models and updated visuals. While not a groundbreaking leap, the visual enhancements contribute to a more immersive experience. Movement feels a bit more weighted and realistic, thanks to the updated mechanics and animations, like diverse tackle types and a momentum system.
Flexible Franchise Game Mode: As with previous iterations, Madden 24 offers a flexible franchise game mode, allowing you to take control of any team and build them into a Super Bowl contender. The core gameplay loop of scouting, drafting, developing players, and managing your team remains intact.
Lingering Issues and Shortcomings
Weak Week-to-Week Presentation: One of the biggest criticisms of Madden’s franchise mode continues to be its weak week-to-week presentation. The game struggles to capture the narratives and storylines that unfold throughout an NFL season. Players are often left to use their imagination to fill in the gaps, as the game provides limited, under-highlighted information and presentation. The lack of depth in storytelling diminishes the overall immersion and excitement of managing a franchise.
Shallow Scouting: While scouting has seen minor tweaks, it still lacks the depth and complexity of other sports games. The information available on prospects often feels generic and uninformative, making it difficult to truly assess their potential. The scouting process needs a significant overhaul to provide players with meaningful data and strategic choices.
Lack of Innovation: Ultimately, Madden 24 franchise mode feels like an incremental update rather than a revolutionary one. While the additions are welcome, they don’t fundamentally change the core experience. The mode is still missing key features that fans have been requesting for years, such as deeper staff management, more realistic player progression, and a more dynamic free agency system.
The Bug Factor: Draft Class Glitches and Other Issues
The biggest source of frustration for many Madden 24 players has been the persistent draft class glitches. The article mentions that imported draft classes in franchise mode could cause player models for all incoming players to look the same. Another bug mentioned is the player’s height changing to 0’0” after editing a player from a downloaded draft class. These issues highlight the ongoing struggle with bugs in the game.
A Rough Fix?
One suggested solution is to manually edit each individual player. This underscores the fact that these glitches often necessitate tedious workarounds.
Madden NFL 24 continues to disappoint some fans by including the same bugs from previous entries, revealing a lack of improvement year to year. The game has been review bombed by players due to glitches and technical issues.
Conclusion: A Step Forward, But More Work Needed
Madden 24 franchise mode is not a complete overhaul, but it does offer some improvements over previous iterations. The return of training camp, the addition of new offensive formations, and the visual enhancements are all welcome additions. However, the weak week-to-week presentation, shallow scouting, and persistent bugs continue to hold the mode back. While it’s a step in the right direction, EA Sports still has much work to do to deliver the ultimate franchise mode experience that fans have been waiting for. The hope is that future updates and iterations will address these shortcomings and finally realize the full potential of Madden’s franchise mode. Remember that you can learn a lot about games and how people learn through them at the Games Learning Society: GamesLearningSociety.org.
FAQs: Your Madden 24 Franchise Mode Questions Answered
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about Madden 24 franchise mode, providing additional insights and information.
1. Has the draft class height glitch been fixed in Madden 24?
While the patch notes mentioned a fix for the player height glitch, some players still report encountering issues. The suggested fix is to manually edit the affected players. This is a workaround, not a permanent solution.
2. Is franchise mode good in Madden 24?
“Good” is subjective. Madden 24’s franchise mode has improvements, but significant flaws prevent it from being truly great. It offers a decent experience, but falls short of its potential.
3. Is there a franchise mode in Madden 24?
Yes, Madden 24 features a franchise mode where you can manage and control an NFL team.
4. What is new in Madden 24 franchise mode?
New features include the return of training camp with mini-games, 70+ new offensive formations, and 500+ new plays. There are also slight improvements to the graphics and player models.
5. Why was franchise mode gone in Madden 23 for some players?
A server and database issue caused the corruption and loss of online franchises for some Madden 23 players. EA eventually released a fix to recover some of these franchises.
6. Is Madden 24 improved compared to Madden 23?
Madden 24 offers some incremental improvements over Madden 23, including better graphics and more realistic player movement. However, many core issues remain unaddressed.
7. Does difficulty affect XP in Madden 24?
Yes, Madden NFL 24 includes difficulty sliders that affect player development, including how XP gain drops off as players age and the likelihood/severity of regression.
8. Can you relocate teams in Madden 24 franchise mode?
Yes, you can still relocate teams in Madden 24 franchise mode, but the process and options are largely unchanged from previous years.
9. What is the 5th-year option in Madden 24 franchise?
The 5th-year option is available for first-round draft picks. It allows you to extend their rookie contract for an additional year.
10. How many seasons can you play in Madden 24 franchise mode?
You can play for a maximum of 30 seasons in Madden 24 franchise mode.
11. Can you play as a coach or owner in Madden 24 franchise mode?
Yes, you can choose to play as a coach or owner in Madden 24 franchise mode, each offering different responsibilities and gameplay focuses.
12. Has EA fixed Madden 23 franchise server issues?
EA Tiburon delivered a fix for the Madden NFL 23 server issue that corrupted franchise save files.
13. Is Madden 24 a “make or break” year for the franchise?
While that statement may be an overstatement, it expresses some of the frustrations fans have had with a lack of improvements in recent years.
14. What are the biggest bugs currently affecting Madden 24 franchise mode?
The most prominent bugs currently affecting Madden 24 franchise mode include the draft class player model glitch and other issues that can corrupt save files.
15. Will Madden 25 have franchise mode?
Given the history of the Madden franchise, it is highly likely that Madden 25 will include a franchise mode. The extent of improvements or changes remains to be seen.