Madden NFL 18 Reviews
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.
While some of "Longshot" equates to creditable narrative, its tone deafness has to be dealt with in the next Madden, the landmark 30th anniversary.
Finally! A football game that literally anyone could play, but that does not mean everyone will enjoy it.
Madden '18 is a solid annual update that continues the franchise's good form as of late.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
EA Tiburon has improved on last year, and Longshot is one of the finest additions to the series in a long time.
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
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.
Overall, this is a really great Madden release with a few errors that need fixing.
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.
An intensely personal story mode, graphical upgrades, and frequent updates make Madden NFL 18 one of the series' best games in recent memory.
Although it can't shed all of its perennial problems, Madden 18 increases its draft stock with some high-quality off-season picks.
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.
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
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.