GameCenter - November 2017 - 44

UNCENSORED EVALUATIONS FROM THE GAMECENTER EXPERTS

GAME OF THE MONTH

BUY NOW

FAC T FILE
PUBLISHER E A SPORT S
DE VELOPER E A TIBURON
PL ATFORMS XBOX ONE, P S 4
RELE A SE DATE 08.25.2017

MADDEN NFL 18

FROSTBITE MAKES THIS SEASON
THE SERIES' MOST REALISTIC

early updates of sports games fall
into two categories: incremental
updates that offer roster changes and
a few gameplay tweaks, and major overhauls.
Madden NFL 18 definitely falls into the latter
category, though some updates succeed more
than others.
The Madden NFL 18 move to EA's DICE's
Frostbite 3 engine is obvious the minute you
turn on the game. Larger, more detailed character models take to a field featuring sharper
textures, while more subtle lighting highlights
their uniforms and gleams off their helmets.
Visually stunning in every way, Madden 18
comes closer than ever to the promise of photo-realism in sports games. Impressively fluid
animations sacrifice nothing to the game's
overall excellent controls. Clearly, game designers have taken advantage of this powerful
new engine, which also runs games such as
Star Wars Battlefront II, Need for Speed: Payback
and FIFA 17 and 18. If you're a fan of amazing
graphics, you'll want to play this game.
The overhaul doesn't stop there, though.

For the first time in the series, Madden 18
features a true story mode, Longshot. This
single-player campaign follows a once-promising recruit as he prepares to make a comeback
and enter the NFL draft. It seems like fairly
standard stuff, but the execution shines.
The well-chosen cast delivers on a solid
script and creates compelling characters you'll
care about. The motion-captured animations
take full advantage of the Frostbite engine's
power, making for some beautiful cutscenes.
Longshot really succeeds because players
become emotionally invested in the fate of the
lead character, Devin Wade. Throughout the
campaign, players make RPG-style choices that
affect Wade's draftability and social standing.
These choices drive the story and, combined
with the result of the games played during the
story, determine where Wade ends up.
When you finish Longshot, you'll receive a
nice reward for your Madden Ultimate Team
(MUT), which includes a number of specific
single-player challenges as well. MUT features
only modest changes, but there's still plenty of

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BY MARC CAMRON

depth for those interested in hybrid fantasy/
reality football.
One final new mode, Play Now Live, offers
deeper interaction during the ongoing season
than previously available. Weekly updates will
allow players to both predict and change the
outcomes of games and in-game situations.
Play Now Live provides a bit of amusement,
but it isn't as fully realized as the Longshot
mode. It will be interesting to see how these
updates affect it as the season progresses.
The rest of the game is largely untouched.
There's a tweaked mechanic here and there
- such as the new Target Passing, which isn't
quite ready for prime time - but most of the
gameplay, as well as the progression through
the Franchise mode, remain the same as last
year's version.
That shouldn't dissuade you from picking
up a copy of Madden NFL 18, though. Between
the updated graphics and the Longshot mode,
players can have plenty of new experiences
here. Madden might be the only game in town,
but it's a great one.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GameCenter - November 2017