Madden NFL 18
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Rating Summary
Based on 60 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Score Distribution
Unscored Reviews
Top Critic
While some of "Longshot" equates to creditable narrative, its tone deafness has to be dealt with in the next Madden, the landmark 30th anniversary.
But what sets this Madden apart is the wide open arms it has for newcomers, which is something a lot of serious sports titles forget to include. If you have ever thought about dipping your toes into Madden but have been put off by the complexity, then this is the year to do it, you will probably never get a better chance.
Scored Reviews
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 is near perfection, and I couldn't be happier to continue playing this game.
Madden 18 offers enough of the same from a gameplay perspective to ensure that returning gamers will have more of what they have loved over the years, but there have been plenty of refinements made to ensure the whole experience feels fresh too. Tackles are more believable, the AI of your opponent more intelligent, the offense play more tactical – there are just a lot of little tweaks that come together to make Madden 18 feel superior to its predecessors, both from a gameplay perspective but also in presentation too. Add to that the absolutely brilliant Longshot, the addition of extra game modes, and the stunning visuals brought with the change to the Frostbite Engine and it’s easy to see why Madden 18 is one of the finest entries the series has ever seen. Each year, Madden takes a step closer to the pinnacle of sporting greatness and this year it’s no different – Madden 18 is just all out, action-packed sporting fun and a must buy for any American Football fan.
Top Critic
Madden 18 introduces some game-changing new features in Longshot and MUT Squads and they really usher in a new era for the franchise.
Top Critic
Madden 18 shines where it matters most: On the field. The transition to Frostbite is seamless, and the balance of the running, the pass rush, and coverage feels better than ever. By comparison, Longshot is a little rougher, but it's an interesting and ambitious first attempt. Between Longshot, the Frostbite transition, the more balanced gameplay, and MUT Squads, there's a lot to like about Madden 18. In a four year march that has seen steady progress with each iteration, this is the best upgrade yet.
Top Critic
Madden 18 is the best installment of the series in the last years. Very solid andwith stunning graphics thanks to the Frostbite engine. Great both for the veterans of the genre and for the newcomers.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 is one of the best Madden games I have ever played. It's accessible to new players and offers brand new experiences for seasoned video game football vets. There are some years when Madden just doesn't have the right feel, and I usually will be the first to tell folks to hold off on buying the game. But this is not one of those years. 2018 is coming, and Madden is ready to give you hours of awesome gameplay experiences.
Top Critic
EA Tiburon has improved on last year, and Longshot is one of the finest additions to the series in a long time.
Top Critic
'Madden NFL 18' is really two great games in one stellar package.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 is an impressive leap forward for the series. Not only is Longshot an ambitious and fantastically told story, it's one that isn't limited to pre-existing football fans. There's also more ways to enjoy the game than ever before, as there are several play styles that will mold the game into either a more realistic or arcade-like experience depending on what the user desires. EA Tiburon has set a new high bar for the series, that they'll have to work towards reaching every year going forward. For now, though, NFL fans can enjoy one of the best sports games that Electronic Arts has ever put out.
Top Critic
With a new engine and a new approach that welcomes players of all skill levels, Madden NFL 18 is quite possibly the best this football franchise has ever been.
Top Critic
Last year, I said that Madden NFL 17 was refined, yet was lacking something. Something that could shake the series up. Well, this year they took a gamble with Longshot and it paid off.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 brings a lot more improvements than not. The presentation of the game has been upgraded, though still scattered with some imperfections. Not many, but some. The improvement of Ultimate Team with the MUT Squad is a welcomed one and adds more depth and life to the mode. The addition of Longshot to the mix also brings a true campaign mode to the Madden franchise, which adds some value to the overall package. All in all, EA Tiburon continues to find new ways to improve their Madden series and so far, at least in the last few years, they're doing a good job of bringing worthwhile experiences to gamers. Definitely check this one out.
Top Critic
This is possibly the biggest update that a Madden game has ever seen.
Top Critic
If you don't know what you're doing, play Longshot and figure out if you're into it or not. Maybe go through some tutorials, maybe get a more knowledgeable friend to walk you through the basics, and play some couch co-op together. Once you get your feet wet, get into MUT Squads and let your buddies play offense and defense, while you pick head coach and continue learning. Or you're already familiar but you aren't great, so you set the game to arcade mode, play Longshot a few times, then build up your MUT game to a huge OVR rating. Or, of course, you're a huge Madden nerd and you're tweaking the minutia in the options for hours before you even start playing. Madden NFL 18 wants to be a Madden for everyone, and it's built to allow a player of any skill level to mold their experience around themselves.
Top Critic
An intensely personal story mode, graphical upgrades, and frequent updates make Madden NFL 18 one of the series' best games in recent memory.
Top Critic
Madden 18 is yet another triumph for the series, and this year's big success story is the game's Longshot narrative. It seems incongruous to be talking about heartfelt, well-acted storytelling in a Madden game, yet it's a perfect fit, hanging some drama off EA's rock-solid mechanics and fantastic visuals.
Top Critic
Madden 18 is a game that finally shows fans what the developers can do when harnessing the full power of the current generation of consoles.
Top Critic
The shift to the Frostbite Engine definitely lets Madden NFL 18 look fantastic, and Longshot makes great use of that to tell a short but powerful against-all-odds story. MUT Squads also opens up a new way to play with more than two players. But beyond that, the underwhelming feel of gameplay improvements and lack of much of anything new within Franchise, Madden NFL 18 sails wide-right in the final seconds. That said, being a much better-looking version of a solid football game with a great new story mode makes it at least a significant improvement, even if it's more incremental than we'd hoped from a new game engine.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 is a breath of fresh air in the franchise, highlighted with Longshot, a new engine, and more accessible game modes to round off the package.
When you reach the 4th down and nearing a touchdown, Madden 18 delivers, just. It’s got a fresh new look to it, great production value (as ever), an awesome soundtrack and a story mode that raises the bar.
Top Critic
Overall I was very impressed with the around 5 hour long story mode, and I hope to see it become a staple for the Madden series in future releases. It's story heavy and you should expect gameplay to light in this mode as story and narration is the number one focus in this mode as it should be.
Top Critic
The Madden series is iconic in the world of sports gaming. Regardless of your reason for playing, you can't go wrong with Madden NFL 18 because it's the ultimate NFL simulation experience on the market. This year's iteration brings dramatic changes in the form of an interactive movie, but there's something here for everyone, whether the interest is in MyTeam, online play, the MUT system, the competitive scene and community, or the superstar career mode.
Top Critic
Madden NFL18's gameplay is a small step forward for the series. It's a good football game, but not a masterpiece
Review in Italian | Read full review
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18, with its variety of new modes and features, has quickly become may favorite entry in the Madden series to date. MUT Squads and Longshot are both very engaging, and the new playstyles and target passing mechanics spice up regular games and Franchise mode. Though the transition to Frostbite wasn't flawless, as the game suffers from long loading times and occasional slowdown, gameplay and content wise, Madden NFL 18 is the strongest in the series, so I would recommend it to both avid football fans and those who have not picked up Madden over the past few years.
Top Critic
This makes this Madden feel more like a Madden for everyone, not just for those tournament and league diehards.
Top Critic
The best Madden videogame ever created.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
Madden 18's benefits don't immediately jump out at you, but they are worth exploring
Top Critic
Dene received a digital copy of Madden NFL 18 from EA for review.
Top Critic
This is a really good football game that you will probably enjoy, but you will also likely still have some gripes. Madden 18 takes noticeable steps in gameplay and depth, but it's still teasing us with true greatness.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 doesn't shake up its gameplay but the new story mode is a success.
Top Critic
Overall, this is a really great Madden release with a few errors that need fixing.
Top Critic
The refinements are enough to keep me interested, and the new engine makes the game look glorious. I really hope franchise sees a major overhaul next year, but for now I am happy to be plowing through defenses with Marshawn Lynch and dropping dimes with Derek Carr.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 is a solid sports game. It's an immersive experience that all kind of fans can enjoy. But, being honest, it doesn't offers much novelties from previous entries. The story mode is interesting and with a good script, although we wish it lasted a little longer.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
One more year of Madden NFL, with a lot of emphasis on its particular history mode, called Longshot and a intensification of the mechanics for the experts at the Madden Ultimate Team mode.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
Comprehensive, realistic and highly technical, Madden NFL 18 rises to the level of the best sports simulations games. Boosted by the Frostbite engine, the game is not only a visual feast but also offers quite a decent challenge for advanced players.
Review in French | Read full review
Top Critic
Madden 18 innovates in a lot of areas and while it fumbles with some of the modes, it manages to make up for it with incredible gameplay, visuals, and online play.
Top Critic
Finally! A football game that literally anyone could play, but that does not mean everyone will enjoy it.
Top Critic
Were it not for "Longshot" and MUT Squads, many veterans of the "Madden" franchise might have had a difficult time discerning last year's edition from this one. Thankfully, those two new modes pay off, making all the effort devoted to them worthwhile. They're joined by subtle but valuable improvements to gameplay that become apparent the more "Madden NFL 18" is played.
Top Critic
Although it can't shed all of its perennial problems, Madden 18 increases its draft stock with some high-quality off-season picks.
Top Critic
To the hardcore fan, Madden NFL 18 will be an inconsistent experience. For every change or improvement made in the form of Frostbite or MUT Squads, there's a raw aspect or a neglected aspect, such as the Franchise's inconsequential tweaks, the presentation shortcomings in Longhot or the irritating loading screens. If you are new to the franchise, on the other hand, this is a solid sports game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
I look forward to the fresh roster updates, appreciate subtle tweaks to a series that I have been playing yearly for more than twenty years and thoroughly enjoyed the two major modes additions.
Madden 18 is one of the most ambitious installments that EA sports have put out with Longshot being introduced into the fold. While I think there is plenty of room to improve in Longshot, I am excited to see Devin Wade's NFL career in the second installment. If you're franchise mode fan then you will probably be a bit disappointed, but Madden Ultimate Team is well worth your time investment.
Madden NFL 18 is a great game. In comparison to the previous Madden games, this installment has the most improvements in order to maximize the fun for its player audience. If your a fan of football and video gaming, this game is one to put on your to buy list.
Top Critic
'Long Shot' is one of the best things Madden players have seen in a while, and many players wanted it.
Top Critic
Most of the Madden 18 experience is exactly what you expect, but the twist is the new exceptional Longshot mode that proves sports can be an avenue for video game storytelling. Turn off false start, offensive holding, and instant replay; raise catching ability through the roof; and stay away from the slimy Ultimate Team mode. Do that and you'll have a good time with Madden 18. Go Bucs!
Top Critic
Madden 18 shines brightest with its new Longshot mode, but the lack of improvements elsewhere makes this year's Madden offering an incremental – but still highly-playable – update.
Top Critic
The question at the heart of a new sports game in an annualized series is twofold: What does it do for yearly players and what does it do for those who may have been away for a while? If you haven't played in a few years, this year's Madden makes for a good time to jump in with the most diverse game modes ever on offer.
Top Critic
Though the new Longshot mode is ultimately a disappointment and the gameplay hasn't changed much, Madden NFL 18 is still an excellent pigskin sim despite its lack of competition. Welcoming for newcomers and deeply detailed for die-hards, this year's edition of the long-running franchise is certainly not a Maddening experience.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 doesn't reinvent the sports game narrative, but it does enough to move the chains and inch a little closer toward the end zone.
Top Critic
Although the new Longshot mode shines, Madden misses the mark with a few of its gameplay additions this year—so if you don't immediately take a liking to them and choose to ignore them, the experience will feel a lot like last year's. Meanwhile, the additions to MUT feel unnecessary, and like a desperate attempt to get more people playing—and potentially investing in microtransactions.
Top Critic
Madden '18 is a solid annual update that continues the franchise's good form as of late.
Top Critic
Longshot is a promising start to story mode for Madden, and with polish could become even more special. In all, it's more Madden, but with a few flourishes that make it a decent time.
Top Critic
It's nice to see Madden NFL 18 taking risks and experimenting, with good results like the Longshot mode. Hopefully the franchise will continue to refine what works, and iron out some of the technical imperfections and lackluster game modes.
Madden NFL 18 is every bit as great as the last Madden was, but aside from its awesome story mode, there really isn’t anything new to talk about. If you’re a Franchise guy, it’s the same. If you like MUT, there are some new things sprinkled here and there, but it’s mostly the same. Madden is still Madden, and it’s not really a bad thing.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 isn’t the giant leap of the series, but I’m not entirely sure anyone really expects it to be. It is noticeably different than its predecessor, namely because of the Longshot mode. And while I didn’t walk away from the Longshot story a huge fan – it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re looking for something different in your Madden experience. However, if you just wanted more of the same, this isn’t necessarily a bad year to skip the game and save your money. That’s not to say the game is bad – it’s not. However, I’m not sure it does enough differently than it’s predecessor – and the things it does differently I’m not sure they do them well enough – to warrant a purchase day one.
Top Critic
But really the question should be what does the game add? Madden NFL 18 perhaps marginally improves on graphics that still feel stuck in the past, it introduces an ultimately flawed story mode and a gameplay mechanic that you're better off not using. All the while, it's most notable new addition, the “Play Live Now” feature, feels like you could get the same experience from a mobile phone app. Oh they have one of those, too, you say? Great.
Top Critic
Madden NFL 18 marks a second consecutive year of Madden football in a holding pattern. Features and additions to this year's game either just don't feel noteworthy, or miss the mark entirely.
