NBA 2K24 isn't even out yet, but we've already seen the effort Visual Concepts put in compared to what EA Sports Tiburon did for Madden 24. The newest NFL simulation game from EA Sports once again failed to live up to the expectations from fans and critics alike.

We know the NBA 2K games aren't perfect, either, but when comparing the two it's like platinum vs. copper. That's because 2K Games understands their target audience better than EA Sports does.

So what's Madden 24 doing wrong that NBA 2K24 does right? Let's give three examples to explain why.

Madden 24 Vs. NBA 2K24 – Presentation

Madden 24

Perhaps the biggest problem plaguing Madden games outside of gameplay is presentation. When you boot up a career, or the new Superstar mode, you get very few opportunities to do things off the field. You select certain events to boost your skills, but you don't even see them unfold at all.

For example, Madden 24's Superstar Mode started off strong. You got cutscenes with your agent, met real NFL stars, participated in the Combine, and attended draft day. However, after just a few short weeks in your first season and you notice less and less interaction with the world around you.

Additionally, outside of the live-action show from Ryan Clark (which feels like a poor-man's version of The Extra Point Show), there's substance. Madden 24 contains no pre, mid, or post-game interviews, no opportunities to train or hang out with teammates, or even meet with your own agent.

Overall, the only form of interaction off the field comes in the form of social media pages. That's it. What happened, EA? Madden games used to have great presentation. Madden 07's Tony Bruno Radio Show and plethora of newspapers (both local and national) alone put Madden 24 under the water.

Even when finishing a mini-game drill, which EA Sports boasted about all throughout the game's development, you don't even get a cutscene. It would be nice to see your Superstar dap up your teammates, or see a coach celebrate or freak out depending on the results.

Bottom line, Madden 24's presentation reeks of copy & paste tactics that add nothing new to the experience.

NBA 2K24

Instead of explaining Visual Concept's approach to presentation, allow me to just share a clip with you:

During these interviews, your player makes decisions, which shapes how certain aspects of his career turns out. This creates a level of uniqueness so that each player gets a different experience. Sometimes you get the chance to be cocky, humble, bold, or straight up silly, and the best part is the choice is yours.

NBA 2K24 creates a more authentic experience by giving you more opportunities to actually live out the career of an NBA athlete. And with the new ProPLAY technology on next-gen, the experience only grows that much closer to the real deal.

If that clip wasn't enough proof, let's check out NBA 2K12 footage, a game released over a decade ago:

NBA 2K24 continues the tradition of having an in-depth story that truly follows a player's career. Additionally, the story changes every year. In this year's NBA 2K24, your MyPLAYER is the biggest prospect entering the league since LeBron James.

Some NBA 2K games even offered opportunities to hang out with teammates or league legends because why not?

How Visual Concepts' NBA 2K Creates A Better Gameplay Experience Than EA Sports' Madden Titles

It's hard to compare gameplay for two entirely different sports games. Additionally, preferring one game's gameplay over the other is entirely subjective. However, we still feel it necessary to mention a few things worth noting.

Madden 24

With every annual EA Sports game release there's bound to be massive bugs and glitches that hamper the experience.

One of the most recent examples in Madden games includes a glitch where a player fumbles a ball, only for no one being able to recover it. Another example includes players literally freezing after scoring or getting tackled. Additionally, the backs of coaches necks and heads seem to go sporadic at time for no reason.

Let this just be a taste of what the series offers. In our Madden 24 review, it took me three attempts to play one full-game of Madden without crashing. And we reviewed the game on PS5.

Overall, Madden 24 suffers in the polish department. How does it's competitor fare?

NBA 2K24

NBA 2K gameplay isn't free from glitches and bugs either. The last installment had multiple glitches that allowed players to reach level 40, increase their stats, or farm VC and more.

However, when it comes to the real gameplay experience, NBA 2K feels more polished. We don't see things like balls flying in the air randomly or players colliding awkwardly as often. In fact, if you look at NBA 2K gameplay over the years, you notice not too much changed. That's because Visual Concepts doesn't need to fix something that isn't broken.

While Madden suffers with the Frostbite Engine (built mainly for FPS games), NBA 2K releases with less issues on launch.

Madden 24 vs. NBA 2K24 – Prioritizing the Right Modes

Madden 24

Since introducing Ultimate Team in Madden 12 back in 2011, the series has never been the same. Look, we get that it makes EA Sports tons of money, but it's obvious that MUT is their top priority in development. When booting Madden 24 for the first time ever, the first mode highlighted for us was, you guessed it, Ultimate Team.

The problem with this, is that other modes in Madden suffer because of the lack of attention they receive. Remember when Madden let you create teams? How about the live-action shows like Extra Point? And remember being able to do simple things like look at retired player stats?

Oh, did you like those things? Tough break kid, here's a 97 overall Kenny Pickett. Now give us money to unlock better players for your team. That's what it feels like when playing a new Madden game.

Outside of the three new trade slots and improved scouting system, what else does Franchise Mode in Madden 24's offer? When you're not doing Combine drills or watching Ryan Clark, what does Superstar do so differently from Face of The Franchise?

Instead of putting more focus into these modes, we notice that most of EA Sports' time and effort is spent on the mode that fills their pockets.

NBA 2K24

NBA 2K24, like other sports games, does include an Ultimate-Team-esque mode called MyTEAM. To be fair, the mode is riddled with microtransactions that upset many fans. However, the difference is that Visual Concepts still prioritizes modes like MyCAREER, MyNBA, The W, and more.

Did you know NBA 2K24 allows you to play a franchise throughout multiple eras? Want to play as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade in the early 2010s? Want to go from reading newspapers, to a web 1.0 design, to the modern social media world we live in now?

NBA 2K24 even includes all WNBA teams, giving them their own dedicated mode in The W. Lastly, MyCAREER remains NBA 2K's most popular mode, meaning Visual Concepts knows what they should focus on.

We understand people like Ultimate Team, but it should never ruin the experience for other modes.

Madden 24 Vs. NBA 2K24 Verdict:

And those are three things we think EA Sports could learn from Visual Concepts. NBA 2K24 isn't out yet, so we don't know whether or not it's a good game. However, from what we've seen already, we see the amount of effort 2K puts into all their modes, gameplay, and presentation.

Who knows? NBA 2K24 could be good or bad. All we want to do is just show both the reader and EA Sports a few things they could use as inspiration to improve their game. The best outcome for all would be great sports games from both companies, creating and promoting more healthy competition.

While this may seem like a diss on Madden, we only just to motivate EA Sports to do better in the future.

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