Madden NFL 18 review: Continuing to move the chains

Since 1988, the Madden series has been the premiere (and now only) NFL video game. This year’s installment brings in new tricks, but is it worthwhile?

Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Platforms: PS4 (version reviewed), Xbox One
Release Date: August 25, 2017

The near-end of summer is certainly one of the best times of the year. As the leaves begin to change color and chillier weather becomes prominent in some places, so too begins another year of American football. Whether it’s at the high school, collegiate or professional level, excitement for the sport hits a fever pitch when the NFL preseason gets going; and it’s supplemented every year with a new Madden NFL title.

One of the most-advertised changes this year is the use of the Frostbite Engine, created in-house by famed EA developer DICE. With its inclusion in the FIFA series last year, it was only a matter of time before Madden got the same treatment. It’s brought an overall improvement that is obvious in some places, but not so much in others. The lighting system, for example, shows a massive improvement from previous entries that further adds to the pleasing aesthetic quality of the game. It really helps with the daylight and even the visual aspects of the weather system as well. From sloshing around in the rain to creating footprints in the snow, it all looks about as legit as you can get.

Stadiums and architecture are the biggest benefactors to the move to Frostbite though, as they’re displayed with the best detail and accuracy ever seen in the series. Some of the shots from outside the stadium as the game begins, or fireworks going off as the home team scores are just really cool to see and add even more depth to the overall presentation anchored by the fantastic commentary of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis, who return for their second year in the booth.

The action on the field, however, looks a bit more of the same. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as a huge graphical leap should not have been expected in an annual franchise even with the move to Frostbite. That said, the amount of detail that went into certain players looks awesome; to the point where many other players end up looking plain by comparison. Hair also looks much better and flows with players in most instances, specifically with dreadlocks on certain players that look the best they ever have in Madden.

Non-playable models on the sidelines and in the stands still don’t look that great and are noticeable now more than ever. Some coaches look just like they did last year and come with the same stiff-looking animations and all. There are also a few texture and clipping issues that are noticeable if you’re looking very closely, but that isn’t something too uncommon in this series, or games like this in general. All in all, Madden NFL 18’s graphics package has a few familiar hiccups but takes good steps, albeit incremental, in further capturing an authentic NFL experience.

That last statement could also be said about the gameplay experience this year, though there are a few wrinkles worth mentioning. Madden NFL 18 offers three styles of play in Arcade, Simulation and Competitive. Arcade is more of a speed-based, big play and big hit style as the title would suggest with few penalties to keep things moving. Simulation is pretty much the default Madden experience from past games, while Competitive is the eSports standard for online head-to-head. All of these can be played offline and locally for practice or fun, and each offers up subtle differences in how to approach a game. Arcade is definitely the most different of the three, while Simulation and Competitive have subtle differences between them like the speed of the kick meter, for example.

Target Passing is the big, new, offensive feature, and it’s a tricky one to get a hold of. It’s done by holding one of the trigger buttons to hold a quarterback in place while moving the left stick to choose where specifically the ball is going to go. The feature is only limited to a primary receiver (the red route on passing plays, which you can now change just before the snap) and is a pretty difficult mechanic to learn at first. However, if practiced long enough, it could be a deadly weapon for gunslingers and scramblers alike.

Unfortunately, “Longshot” isn’t a great first step due to some marring inconsistencies.

Blocking on offense has gotten a big improvement, too. It’s a huge advantage for the running game or those who like to sit back in the pocket, and specific members of the front seven can even be targeted if coming on a blitz. Marking them will ensure that the offensive line picks them up, but choose wrong and it won’t take long for a quick linebacker or unblocked defensive tackle to quickly snuff out a play.

Defense doesn’t see nearly as many changes or new mechanics this time. Tackling looks improved and the Ball Hawk feature from past entries has been given some subtle improvements that could encourage more secondary play. Unfortunately, that’s about where it ends. Those aforementioned offensive blocking improvements are almost too good, with even some instances of pancaking leaving plenty of room for scrambling quarterbacks or quick running backs.

Fortunately, it looks like the development team got notified of this and a particular bug on Twitter and an incoming patch should fix it. Hopefully, this will also come with some secondary tweaks, as zone defenses got absolutely carved up in my experience. Certain routes even fooled the most elite cornerbacks every single time and became easily exploitable. With an ear toward the community and room for improvement, it looks like Madden NFL 18 can get better if the powers that be continue to listen to their player base and if said base remains vigilant.

Of course, just getting on the field is only part of the experience. This year, Madden introduced a story mode entitled “Longshot” following a disgraced former college quarterback named Devin Wade on his journey to the NFL. It’s an ambitious move for this series, but certainly not the first time sports games have delved into having serious plots that involve athletes. Unfortunately, “Longshot” isn’t a great first step due to some marring inconsistencies. One thing they did get right was creating characters that are easily likeable, whether it’s Wade’s quirky best friend and main wide receiver or the gruff, take-no-attitude coach that helps him along the way amongst others (including a few NFL cameos) that make for a nice cast.

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What’s wrong here is that the plot is fairly straightforward and predictable up until around the latter parts of the third act, which could be bothersome for those who can’t get invested in the characters. There’s also not a ton of actual gameplay compared to quick-time events and the dreaded dialogue wheel that I swear is going to be in every EA-published game one of these days. It’s understandable that there have to be more storytelling elements to move things along, but it just feels unbalanced and lacking in ways to engage its audience.

The cutscenes are even pretty inconsistent, with some looking like you’re watching a nicely-done CGI movie and moments where Wade is staring blankly at times where he should be conveying emotion in a sea of blurry textures and other odd facial animations. The ambition behind doing a mode like “Longshot” is shown in spades, but the execution stumbles in creating something truly worthwhile in the 4-5 hour experience. Maybe a sequel next year can improve things, but only if it doesn’t impede a solid gameplay experience.

Thankfully, Madden NFL 18 has plenty of other ways to play once the story is over, or even if it remains untouched. Madden Ultimate Team once again reigns as the premiere extra mode and gets some tweaks this year. There’s now a level system that opens up exclusive packs and challenges, and every game within the mode helps gain XP. There’s also a bigger emphasis on Solo Challenges with a higher reward for completing each of them that can earn currency toward more packs and specific cards auctions. Having to go back to the menu to access the next one in a given ladder is a pain though, as it should be just a button-press away; but this is more of a minor inconvenience if anything.

Related Story: Madden 17 Simulates Ahead To The 2017 NFL Season

All online modes are back with the inclusion of MUT Squads, a 3v3 mode where one user’s offense and another’s defense are combined with a third’s stadium and uniform sets to create a team. Everybody gets in on the action on every with the exception of quarterback and kicker, which is exclusive to the offensive captain. While competitive at the core, Squads is a really fun return to online co-op play that can be enjoyed with a pair of friends who are also into MUT or through matchmaking if flying solo. The gameplay mode formerly known as Draft Champions is now MUT Draft, adding in five extra rounds for a total of 20. It’s still fun to test out cards that you’ll likely never get and climb either the online or a CPU ladder. Unfortunately, there’s still no local draft option, so no bringing friends over to draft just yet.

Rounding out the options are Connected Franchise Mode, which doesn’t get many changes outside of the addition of the famous Big Board for draft prospects and being able to start up the mode right from Play Now at any point during the NFL season. The mode is still good, make no mistake, but additional newer features to get people interested would have been nice. All of the familiar online modes returned and had no connectivity issues at the time of this review.

Next: Madden 18 ratings: Kickers showcase the best of the rest

Mercifully, the Gatorade Skill Trainer is also back and is fantastic for newer players getting the hang of things or veterans wanting to brush up on their skills through The Gauntlet or other drills. It even has a “Help! I’m New To Madden!” section that teaches the basics of not just the video game, but football in general. To cap things off, all of the modes and features are housed in a much snappier and pleasing menu UI and features a soundtrack with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Logic topping a very listenable playlist.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.