Madden NFL 18 is a superb sports game, with the major drawback being how closely it resembles Madden NFL 17. The new Longshot story mode is an excellent addition, and the Frostbite engine has brought stunning visuals and a refined animation system that feels more authentic than last year. This, coupled with key improvements across all game modes, adds up to another excellent American football game that should keep NFL fans hooked for another year.
At the heart of this drastic step change is Longshot, the game’s new cinematic story mode that follows the example of FIFA 17’s The Journey in taking the repetitiveness of a sporting career and turning it into fully fledged story filled with multi-dimensional characters.
Powered by the Frostbite engine, Longshot puts you in the shoes of Devin Wade, a quarterback trying to achieve his dream of reaching the NFL. After a great high school career, Wade failed to impress in college and tries to make up for a disappointing college career at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. At the combine Wade is offered an opportunity to take part in a reality TV show called Longshot. As Wade attempts to become the “Longshot” you will guide him along the way by choosing his path at designated points in the story. You will also play as Wade during the course of the story mode. Longshot is a nice addition to the Madden franchise. All sports games are starting to go with the cinematic single-player story modes, so it only makes sense for Madden to throw their hat into the ring.
Unlike The Journey, which quickly fires its protagonist Alex Hunter to the upper echelons of the game, players spend several hours of gameplay simply trying to earn Wade some redemption after his college exit, and opening the door for a return via the NFL Draft.
It is a thoroughly enjoyable new way to play Madden, but it also serves as a beginner’s guide to the sport – a dramatic introduction to its lore and finer points that once inducted to, spark a new appreciation for the sport. Longshot feels off-kilter as you indulge in sudden, lengthy portions of familiar gameplay that pull you out of the story. You choose plays and throw, play defence or pass the football. At its most intriguing, you have to remember how to call a long play, portion by portion, showing that you require intelligence as much as athleticism to succeed as a quarterback.
Madden NFL 18 is out now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For Xbox gamers, you’ll currently need an Xbox One S and a TV that supports the HDR10 standard. The Xbox One X will also support HDR when it lands this November. If you want to buy excellent players in MUT mode after the release of Madden 18, you can choose buy cheap Madden 18 coins on madden-store.com. You won’t want to miss them.