Madden 18 Review

As both a video game and Football fan, Madden has always been my go to Sports game. The likes of 2K, Fifa, and The Show have seemed to pass the football simulator in terms of quality these recent years, but with no other football game on the market (Rest in peace ESPN 2K), Madden is the only place I can go to get my virtual gridiron fix, and I can say that for the most part, I’m pleased with this year’s installment. The game looks better then it ever has and the inclusion of surprises like “Long Shot” have made it a very enjoyable experience, but the lack of innovation towards gameplay and franchise mode have me disappointed. Madden 18 is a solid football experience, just don’t expect it to change the game significantly from last year.

Madden 18’s presentation is next to none and it’s probably the best game I have ever played on this generation next to 2K. EA’s decision to move the game’s engine to “Frost Bite” shows best in the environments and player detail. Stadiums look amazing, with lighting based of the time of day, weather, and other factors make the field and environments pop. Player details, especially faces and jerseys, are leaps and bounds above last year’s game. Watching Von Miller exit the tunnel into Sports Authority Field and show off a fan-pleasing dance to the cheering crowd looked so good that it gave me goosebumps upon first viewing. Small things like grass stains, paint traded helmets, and the steam emerging from player’s helmets during cold games look better than ever, and create an amazing level of emersion. If you are looking for a game to show off your new 4K TV or Xbox One X, you couldn’t do better than Madden 18. The commentating from Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis recycles a lot of lines from last year’s installment, but it’s still impressive to hear them comment on recent NFL news with frequent commentary updates. They do an alright job, but I still miss Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.

Saying “Madden looks good” is pretty old news at this point, however, and just like last years’ game, it feels great to take the field and hit the gridiron,  even if it doesn’t seem different from last year. The ability to change gameplay between “Arcade”, “Competitive”, and “Simulation” is probably the largest addition. Games on Arcade mode reminded me of old school madden; high scoring, incredible plays, and big hits. When playing on this mode don’t be surprised to see multiple turn overs, scores reaching the upper 50’s and many, many fake punts. This is a perfect mode to play with a group friends who just want to have a good time and experience those “jaw drop” moments every few plays. Competitive sets every team on the same level and focuses more on stick skills and player ability. I can see this being used by the eSports community, but not much else. My personal favorite, Simulation, has team’s skills and players come into effect. The first game I played between the 49’ers and Broncos had Denver’s pass rush devastating San Francisco online, much like you’d expect it to. In fact, your O’line feels important for once in Madden and you won’t succeed in the likes of franchise mode playing in simulation unless you have some good protection for your quarterback. Gameplay editions like target passing feel tacked on and useless, in fact I turned the feature off after trying it. The good thing is that the improved ball control and tackle battles presented in Madden 17 last year look and feel even better now due to the increase presentation. Over all, this is the Madden you know and love and with the addition of multiple ways to play, you can love it in a plethora of ways.

Madden 18’s new single player based story mode, entitled “Longshot” is the biggest surprise to come out of this year’s edition of the franchise. Games like 2K and Fifa have attempted this before but due to some amazing performances from the likes of Academy Award winner “Mahershala Ali”, Long Shot is arguably the best sports game to implement a story yet. Setting you in the shoes of former high school quarterback star, “Devin Wade”, trying to claw his way back into a Football career, the game made me care about the characters and the struggles they were enduring. It doses something that only the best sports documentaries and films can do, humanize athletes. Thanks in part to a dialogue system similar to EA’s other titles such as “Mass Effect”, we are forced to make split second decisions that can impact Devin’s future and career. It captures the pressure and trials someone in the NFL would endure. As fans and writers of sports, we judge the actions and performances of our athletes without considering the reasons and stories behind their choices. Longshot shows that every player has a story, and navigating your way through the spotlight in their shoes may not be as easy as we believe. Longshot is a good introduction to Madden and Football itself, but it’s also emotionally engaging and challenged me in more ways than just throwing a perfectly thrown corner route. I would have never expected to consider the story in a madden game being one of the best I have ever played, but Longshot is just that.

Outside of Longshot, the only other single player option is the Madden staple of “Franchise Mode” and this year’s version is disappointingly similar to last’s. The inclusion of auto contract signing, scouting, cuts, and a draft board don’t really elevate the experience, just make it easier and feel like features that should have been present in last year’s game. The customization in building a new stadium, relocating a team, changing its logo and colors are all still lacking, as there are only preset designs you can select from, ruining the emersion of running my own football franchise, and the same pricing, experience, practice and free agent’s systems remain unchanged from last year’s version. That’s not to say Franchise Mode is bad, it’s still my favorite way to play Madden. Everything works and it’s still exciting to build your favorite team and take them on a super bowl run, but if you where expecting major improvements in the presentation and feel of franchise, be prepared to be disappointed.

Madden Ultimate Team, or MUT, feels like the feature that has experienced the most innovation from last year, and this makes sense seeing how it’s the only mode that includes Micro-Transactions so EA would want to put a good majority of their work into this feature to increase their cash load. Gone are things like contracts, so when opening packs your chances of receiving players has increased. The ability to play cooperatively with your friends, combining your squads in the new “MUT Squads” is a lot of fun, and has led to some really great moments I have experienced online. Everyone plays a different role, running the offense, defense, or being the head coach, and the only way to succeed is to communicate and truly combine forces to balance one-another’s strengths and weaknesses in both team and skill. I have never been a huge fan of MUT, but I can foresee many long nights with my friends trying to build our teams to glory thanks to this new feature due to the corporative team nature I usually experience in MMO’s or RPG’s like Destiny and The Division that is present in this mode.

Madden 18 is a solid and immersive football experience with additions like Longshot and the move to Frost Bite helping it differentiate from last year’s installment and adding a few surprises. Just don’t expect to be blown away with improvements to Franchise Mode or gameplay. Over all, this is the Madden you know and, if love, will continue to do so. If you were a fan of Madden 17 and are ready for more, this is worth the pick up. However, if madden was never your thing, this game won’t changes your mind and you may be better off paying less for an older installment if you are looking for some gridiron excitement this fall.

Score 8/10

Written by Connor Hoehn