On Aug. 18 and Sept. 8 respectively, Madden 24 and NBA 2k24 were released to the world. Naturally, as someone who has played multiple games in the two franchises, I waited until they went on sale a few months later to pick them up.
Each game costs $70 for the current gen consoles (Xbox Series S/X and the Play Station 5), but neither are worth nearly that much. Waiting until they were around $35 each is the best decision any sports gamer could have made.
I played 2k23 and Madden 23 for a couple extra months and watched my favorite YouTubers play the new games in the meantime.
Personally, I mainly play the career modes of these two games, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. This was the main reason why I waited to buy them, because I don’t play $70 worth of the game, nor do I dump hundreds of dollars into Madden Ultimate Team or MyTeam.
2k24 was the first of the two I bought, and I picked it up during the week of Black Friday. I hadn’t watched any videos on the career mode, so I had no idea what to expect. Although my favorite aspect of most 2k careers, college, was once again not a part of the career, I’ve still enjoyed it up to this point.
The Badge progression system has caught some heat, but I think that 2k has finally fixed one of the worst parts of the grind. Badges either progress or regress based on what the player does from game to game, which makes it easier to know which badges are necessary for a build and which ones aren’t.
However, leveling up a MyPlayer is more expensive than I think it’s ever been. I’m currently a 73 overall just before the All-Star break (yes, I’m not very far into the game, but I’ve played enough to understand how MyCareer works this year), and it feels impossible to effectively continue moving up. It’s thousands of virtual currency to move from my current 73 overall to a 74.
While MyCareer isn’t as bad of a pay-to-win/pay-to-progress as the other modes, it’s still a lot of grinding that the typical college gamer who goes to class doesn’t have time to do before the next 2k drops.
On the other hand, leveling up in Madden 24 and effectively progressing is as simple as it’s always been. After one season as a running back, I sit at an 85 overall, and it hasn’t felt like much work. Granted, I spam run plays to reach 200-300 yards per game on pro, but at least I’m having fun.
I also recently made a quarterback build, but Madden has made it more difficult than ever to play as a QB. Without the correct attributes, the QB plays like Zach Wilson when he saw ghosts, and the wide receivers act like they lathered their hands in butter before the game.
However, I’ve enjoyed playing Madden 24’s “Superstar” mode as a RB more than I’ve enjoyed a lot of the recent Madden “Face of the Franchise” modes. Similarly to 2k, it once again doesn’t have my favorite aspect of sports games, being a college player and playing well enough to become a top-10 pick, but it’s still pretty fun.
I’ve also had a lot of fun with the Franchise mode in Madden 24, which is slowly catching up with 2k’s Franchise mode. Finally having a trade finder option, which may sound like a really small addition, has made the trading system in Madden miles better.
Franchise has also taught me that former Idaho Vandal Kaden Elliss, who plays for the Falcons, is a hit-stick fumble machine.
Overall, I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of these two games, and I think I’ve said “I hate this game” less times on average than I have in recent years. I still wouldn’t recommend paying full price for a Madden or 2k game ever again, but $40 or less is an okay deal.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jamesaldrich25