A new Madden 24 video surfaced today on YouTube, showcasing a first-look at the gameplay. While Madden 24 is set to release in just over two weeks, fans can finally get a closer look at all the new features, animations, and playbooks.

The video matches two Madden NFL stars against each other. Playing as the Chiefs is Madden Ultimate Bowl Champion Dez. His opponent is CleffTheGod, playing as the Buffalo Bills. The match was obviously not a competitive one, but a game to showcase the improvements from last year's entry.

We'll discuss some of the major improvements, while also pointing out issues that have plagued the series forever. You can check out the video below:

Biggest Takeaways

Blocking

One of the biggest new changes to Madden 24's gameplay is the improvement of the Offensive linemen's blocking mechanics. For years, it was always impossible to get off a solid screen pass or run play without a lineman missing an obvious block. This took away countless touchdowns, first downs, or game-saving plays.

This issue finally seems to be addressed, as offensive linemen are much smarter about who and where to block. Dez showcases this example about 16 minutes into the video with about 2:24 remaining in the third quarter. He executes a simple screen pass to Isaiah Pacheco in which Guard Joe Thuney makes an excellent block, earning Dez a 15-yard gain.

However, there still seems to be much more room for improvement in terms of WR and RB blocking. At about 15:25, Cleff makes a pass to Dawson Knox, who has a clear route to the endzone, should James Cook make his block. Cook, for some reason, refuses to execute his block and gets in Knox's way. Cleff, being an expert in Madden, was able to adjust and still score, but it shouldn't have been necessary.

Additionally, the developers recently released a video showcasing the new blocking improvements. The video showed a glaring issue with the blocking mechanic in terms of WR blocking.  Again, while offensive line blocking has been improved, there's still work that needs to be done for receivers and half-backs.

Tackling

Wrap tackles finally replaced Conservative tackles. This is to help players who kept missing tackles, giving them a better chance to end the play without allowing a massive gain or touchdown.

With all the new tackling animations, Defensive backs are more likely to swat balls out of the way, break up passes, and just play better coverage overall. Any wild, unrealistic pass plays that occurred in previous Madden titles shouldn't be as apparent now as they once were.

Passing & Running

Outside of the controversial Patrick Mahomes dive pass, a few other things changed in the passing department.

The biggest change to passing is the High Pass being less overpowered than last year's installment. With 1:28 remaining in the 1st Quarter, Dez tries to throw high to Travis Kelce in the Endzone on fourth down, but the pass is broken up by Bills LB Dorian Williams.

Because a receiver is contorting their body in such a strange way, it should be more difficult for them to make such catches all the time.

This is because the developers want to balance the gameplay between running and passing. Recent Madden games prioritized the pass-game heavily, especially with all the new QB talent in the league (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Hurts, and Herbert). But with the new and improved blocking system, players now need to be good on all aspects of the offense.

Biggest Issues

Animations

Despite all the brand new animations, Madden 24 still looks very much the same. Player celebrations, tackling animations, and everything else doesn't look much different. Casual sports video game players won't really notice the new changes because they don't look different.

Visuals & Presentation

Visually, the game looks like Madden 23 but with a better scoreboard.

We're also concerned about presentation, which didn't look any different from previous titles. Coaches still have the same 10+ year old reactions, and we didn't get any glimpse of any presentation improvements.

Playbooks

Despite hundreds of new plays added across all 32 playbooks, the playbooks didn't seem too different. We still see players running with the same plays, albeit a few exceptions here and there. It may be too early to tell, but it seems that once again a few plays will be overpowered while the rest aren't.

Time will only tell when players find out which plays to use, how to abuse them, and ways to maybe prevent them. Soon we'll be back at square one, with people abusing Four Verticals, TE Attack, and a few other plays.

Madden 24 Release Date

The game ended with the at the two-minute warning, with Cleff winning 35-22. The two competitors noted the improvements to the blocking and playbooks, as well as general improvements to the run game and defense.

But we'll find out soon enough how much these improvements really impact a series that struggled to win the hearts of fans for over 10 years now.

Madden 24 releases Friday, August 18th for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via EA App, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Deluxe Edition Owners get the chance to play the game three days earlier, starting August 15th.

For more Madden NFL 24 news, visit ClutchPoints Gaming.