Madden NFL 1. 8 Review Game. Spot. After almost 3. G/01/videogames/detail-page/B002I0JZTW_img3.jpg' alt='Update Roster Madden 13 Ps3 Gameplay' title='Update Roster Madden 13 Ps3 Gameplay' />Madden NFL series is rarely surprising. Fans think they know what to expect each year a handful of small but meaningful mechanical tweaks, roster updates, and slight graphical bumps. Madden NFL 1. 8, however, is highlighted by one of the most significant additions in series history a full story mode and a new, much more graphically capable engine. And due in large part to the Longshot story, it is a marked improvement over the last several entries in the series. Madden has rarely tackled the personal side of football, choosing instead to present it as a chess like competition you are the coach and master, the players are your instruments to score. Of course, thats not how football is treated in the real world, so to see that change in Madden is intriguing in theory, and gratifying in practice. For the first time in Madden, Longshot actually references how much so many people invest in the sport, and how high the stakes are for them. For instance, main character Devin Wade, the star football player from his small Texas town, quit his college team after a family tragedy. You navigate through Wades attempt to return to football, traveling to the NFL Combine in order to impress scouts. Longshot is unexpectedly deep its a fully fledged, Telltale style adventure game with multiple endings, broken up by short moments of playing football. It presents you with decisions that affect both the people around you and the scouts perception of you. As with Telltale games, theres an illusion of greater choice that isnt necessarily there, but Longshot succeeds because it makes minor choices feel important. Do you reach for celebrity at the expense of Wades best friend, Colt Cruise Or do you carry him along at the risk of running afoul of your coach and scouts who think Wade depends on him too muchFor every moment that conveys Wades commitment, his inner demons, and his friendship with Cruise, there are corresponding moments of absurd spectacle. Wades journey from obscurity to superstardom unfortunately doesnt take place entirely in intimate, personal story beats a la Friday Night Lights, but rather in the spotlights of a ridiculously excessive reality show. Tv Antenna Design Software. During these sequences and the challenges it presents him with, Wade evokes annoyance, confusion, and anger at the gaminess of the reality show. The executive producer hits every trope of an over the top, ratings obsessed showrunner, and Wade grows disillusioned with the entire process. He was thrust into an absurd situation that was built to manufacture drama, so it makes sense that he would be upset. These story sequences and their associated mini games and challenges dont fit well with the core narrative of two small town football players trying to break into the NFL. Wade and Cruise dont need extra drama to make them care about the sport, so why does the story give us a reality show, as if to suggest that the stakes arent high enough already Longshot is saved, however, by the quiet moments of introspection and camaraderie. It soars when its characters speak honestly about their love of the sport, and it nails the sense that football offers something bigger a connection to a community, and a way to achieve greatness. Longshots numerous flashbacks to Wades time in high school and college show a relatable and deeply troubled character the commentators for Wades high school games banter about the players that they, of course, know personally and Wade, Cruise, and the whole state championship winning team are treated as heroes in their town for years afterwards. In spite of its issues, this first attempt at a story mode creates an excellent foundation for future iterations. An intensely personal story mode, graphical upgrades, and frequent updates make Madden NFL 18 one of the series best games in recent memory. Product Description. Take your team all the way in Madden NFL 17 and put yourself at the center of your teams Championship run. Lure the defense into a trap by. Metacritic Game Reviews, MLB The Show 17 for PlayStation 4, With expanded missions, exclusive rewards, and all new live content that responds quickly to reallife. Madden 13 has a game mode for everybody. We take a look at the available options and what type of gamer each one best suits. CCM Tips. Its cake versus ice cream for Splatoon 2s first Splatfest and were streaming all the fun live on our Twitch channel. Come and join the mayhemFurther, when youve finished Longshot, you can dive into Madden Ultimate Team to play through some of Devin Wades most memorable football scenarios. Madden Ultimate Team is undoubtedly Maddens deepest mode, which has received a suite of updates to make it even more appealing to players. MUT tasks you with building a fantasy team from player cards and yes, you can still buy packs of more powerful cards for real money. In Madden 1. 8, youll get player cards representing Devin Wade, Colt Cruise, and other characters from Longshot, and forming a Longshot focused MUT team will let you participate in around 3. Although these challenges are generally not much more than normal Madden scenarios with Longshot player models, theyre still entertaining enough to be worth playing. But the main draw of MUT is multiplayer and this year, you can team up with friends to take on others. Since Madden 2. 5 launched in 2. Madden 1. 8s MUT Squads finally reintroduces it. In the mode, one person plays as the offensive captain, one plays as the defensive captain, and one plays as the coach. Its a welcome addition that gives players more options if theyre not interested in the solo competitive MUT modes. On the field, Madden 1. The game is the first in the series to use EAs Frostbite engine, and as a result certain moments look nearly photorealistic. Stadiums feature minute details, while player models show everything from arm tattoos to jersey wrinkles. Stadium lighting is a particular high point for example, afternoon sunlight partly blocked by the stadium edges filters down onto parts of the field and realistically illuminates players as they run into the light. The developer also comes closer than ever to finally eliminating the trademark dead eyes of Madden players. Eyes still look inhumanly glossy, but at least they move and are more detailed, and faces are more expressive. The transition to Frostbite isnt perfect, though. Outside of stadiums, environments generally look bland and featureless, especially during certain segments of Longshot. Additionally, with more human like player movement comes some bizarre graphical bugs, such as a players leg clipping through his tacklers chest, or two players getting hung up on each other as they try to stand up. As with past Maddens, EA is trying to make sure that the game reflects real NFL events as much as possible, which means weekly roster and player stat updates. If a player is traded in real life, you can expect that to be represented in the game quickly. This year, EA has also added the Play Now Live mode, which has quickly become my favorite new feature in the game. This allows you to jump quickly into any of the weeks matchups, and both teams will reflect the actual lineups set to play. As a result, I was able to select last weeks preseason game between the Jaguars and Patriots, and it had already been set up with the correct time of day, stadium, and rosters. EA Tiburon has also introduced the ability to turn any Play Now Live game into a franchise, letting you jump into a full season immediately after completing a game. I was able to build upon my performance in that Jaguars Patriots game without having to set it up in the Franchise mode menus. Even though Franchise Mode hasnt received many updates from last years version, these starting points make it a whole lot easier and more enticing to play through an entire season. As I progressed through my season with the Patriots, accruing both successes and failures, I noticed that the commentators started referring to events that had happened in past games more so than in previous installments in the series. Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis debuted as Madden commentators last year, and their rapport was already great then. They have returned in Madden 1. Most notably, though, their commentary is full of context for both the game and the season. So, when my Patriots met the Dolphins in the Wildcard round of the playoffs, both teams with a 9 7 record, Davis and Gaudin discussed how the AFC East was a particularly weak division. They referenced the other teams in the playoffs and how they got there, and they called out events from earlier in the game.