The man who is rewriting all the records of the NFL, one of America’s most hated and feared players, the husband of gorgeous Gisele Bündchen, the number one enemy of Commissioner Roger Goodell, his arm on the field of mind Bill Belichick. All this is Tom Brady, for friends Tom “Terrific” or Tom “the Goat”, “The Greatest Of All Time”, the oldest friend of President Donald Trump and Man of the Emil Empire (aka New England Patriots), created and modeled on his own image by that beloved Bill Belichick.
Last year his favorite target in the end zone, the tight ending Rob Gronkowski (Madden NFL cover 17), was hit by the terrible curse that plagued EA’s NFL football series from about twenty- years. But, as in a fairy-tale tale, “The Gronk” brought home the ring thanks to the miraculous comeback from Patriots # 12 to the Poor Falcons (a real suicide). Will Tom Terrific also defeat the curse?
The Madden NFL 18’s great novelty is undoubtedly the Longshot mode, the “oval” response to the football trip proposed by EA itself in FIFA 17. If baseball is the national pastime, football is certainly the sport that more entices the public US. Football means Super Bowl. And football also means Texas, the state in which the interest in the oval ball is comparable to a religion, a bit like basketball in Indiana.
Not for nothing Devin Wade, the protagonist of Longshot, starts at a small town of the lonely star state in the company of his best friend Cole to attend the Combine, which is held annually in Indianapolis. This is an event where players who are candidates for the draft are measured, weighed, evaluated in athletic trials, studied and evaluated by the scouts and executives of all 32 NFL franchises. The Longshot mode allows the player to become familiar with the gaming mechanics (the new passage system, for example), while history offers a rich menu of redemption, social relationships, and existential dilemmas. All accompanied by a very “social” sauce, with a bit of country music and with that soul soul typical of the deep south of the USA.
It does not take much Longshot (less than four hours) but for intensity and emotion it is absolutely worth trying. In short, an interactive “movie” narrated in the perfect style “Friday Night Lights”, with lots of games to play and internal conflicts to face. Oscar-winning characterization of Jack Ford, coach of Wade, while will not miss nice cameo in the course of history.
One of the announcements announced at Madden NFL 18 is the transition to the Frostbite graphic engine. In this first “oval” incarnation, we did not notice any particular upheaval, nor did we rash our hair in front of new animations or polygonal models of players. Team presentations are spectacular and similar to reality, while new TV shots, especially on sidelines, are really exhilarating. Graphically Madden NFL 18 does not differ much from its predecessor: the game changes more in the level of playability.
Foreword: As a veteran of the series and passionate about MUT, I played all games at the All-Pro level. Of change, EA Tiburon has made it, some vivid, others a little less. First, the new Target Passing system is to be postponed to next year. Experienced during the Longshot mode, in my innumerable monologues with the walls of the house I have beatified the implementation many times by sanctifying the boys of EA Tiburon. How does it work? With the left trigger of the pad Tom Brady activates the situation, which freezes for a few moments while scanning the field in search of the free receiver icon. With the right analog stick you are preparing to launch the case to Gronkowski. At this point you have to “hit” the receiver by pressing the button at the right time. Well, good, good but not too!
Keeping on the warm front of the receivers, EA Tiburon has finally implemented a feature featured in the DEUN series dedicated to the NCAA football world produced by the EA itself. On the scrimmage line, in fact, you can make a series of adjustments on the tracks to follow for the various Antonio Brown, Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones and the beautiful company and the types of blocks to carry. Depending on the deployment of the defense, before snap you can decide whether to move the wide receiver internally or externally, exploiting possible mismatches in the pair with the defenders.
To give the QB time to scan the field in a matter of seconds, looking for an imperceptible movement of a linebacker, you need to have a very large offensive line. EA Tiburon has worked on the reactivity and ability of centers, guards and tackles to read the blitz. If you play with a fast and skillful QB in “broken game” situations, you will not have the trouble to complete some down with gains of ten yards before the defense responds in a timely manner. Even though the number of blocked steps has increased and the cover areas work better, Madden NFL 18 seems to have a “big play” preference. The completion rates of the various Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Dak Prescott are not super heroes of past editions: in some games they are even too realistic (around 60%), in some more incomplete it would not have broken…
The running game, the true Achilles heel of the series since the dawn, has been working better than in the past for some seasons. See “Beast Mode” pumping on the legs for extra gains on a few yards or admiring Leone Bell bouncing on opponent linebackers is a spectacular show! The “pocket” then moves more convincingly and protects even a little mobile QB.
Defensive intercepts seem to have decreased compared to last year, while cover areas work better but not in all parts of the field. In fact, the CPU occasionally has some inexplicable amnesia in managing the position and movements of cornerbacks. To penalize penalties as soon as possible: even by working on the sliders and despite the download of the patch 1.02, the interference is almost never whistled!
To make the experience as satisfying as possible, EA has introduced several game styles: Arcade, Competitive and Simulation. The first is voted on the spectacularization of the game while the second limits the missed balls of the receivers, the number of injuries and penalties (which are never whistled!) … and the third is virtually the same as previous versions of Madden NFL and points to simulation realism.
Franchise mode makes its return to Madden NFL 18, though triumphant is little: the word innovation does not seem to be part of EA Tiburon’s dictionary, at least as regards the management of its franchise. Playing online in co-op is surely the best solution, even if injuries that flag your team are definitely too much: it requires a nice patch! On the other hand, Play Now Live allows you to rewrite every week’s match and start a season from any day with updated rosters.
Decisively more appealing is the MUT mode that, on the back of his football counterpart, begins to make shrapnel too overseas. It has been reintroduced to play in co-op and has been added the ability to manage the team with three different friends! And yes, 3 vs 3 online challenges are possible: one manages the attack, the other defends and the third makes the coach. In short, amongst special teams, line men, uniforms and stadiums where to play the fun is certainly not. You can always upgrade your players with various upgrades, while team chemistry works in perfect FUT style. Playing three is on the fun card, but at times it can be a chaotic experience.
To pack figurine packets and collect coins to take part in auctions, completing countless weekly challenges, you can create competitive rosters even without spending one euro. Once you have completed the Longshot mode you will also be able to use the main characters of the story in MUT, and also some famous guest stars.
As far as broadcasting is concerned, Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis have returned again this year. Last year, the telecast was blown throughout the season through a series of upgrades. This year the situation has improved and overall is not bad. Last note about the official Madden NFL 18 soundtrack: I personally think it is inferior to the football produced by the same EA. Are you excited to know the big update currently? It must be a pleasant journey. Just buy cheap madden 18 coins on Madden-Store to start your wonderful experience.