I use off-line franchise and the game is fantastic!!! The gameplay is as good as Madden 23, got more options on trades, adding the the option year for rooks is great!! Taking out the auto reorder on the depth charts is good, lot more gameplay animations, I have no complaints. In game scoreboard could be larger. Took me a minute to find the play clock, the clock is missing in the end zones? Currently in week eight season one.
I'll admit I'm happier with franchise than I've been in a few years, besides the bugs. But compare it to madden 08 franchise mode and its no where near as good. If you aren't old enough to have really played it I'd say go back and look at it how much more realistic some things were. Players value's changed based on draft/bust status, franchise icons, team distractions, players would holdout, preseason battles would help determine cpu's depth chart, they had the mini games, suggestions on who to cut etc.
I usually play franchise by myself, and the CPUs make dumb unrealistic moves like keeping a 34+ year old with a ton of cap space and letting their 25 year old franchise QB walk in free agency
