Another Review Article Of The Game Madden NFL 18

American football, although slowly gaining in the world an increasing number of fans, is still an incomprehensible and exotic sport for many. And there is no reason to be surprised. The rules of football can be explained even by an amoeba in less than a minute, which can not be said of one of the national disciplines of the United States. Hence, there is little interest in games about pushing the egg-shaped ball.

 

"Madden NFL 18" is the first football title on the eighth generation of consoles operating on the Frostbite engine.

 

 

Let's start with what should interest everyone thinking about trying their hand at virtual American football. Finally, a well-structured tutorial appeared! It has been divided into basics and more advanced topics, we will find here a little theory and practice with exercises.

 

Electronic Arts also decided to give the opportunity to choose the style of the game. From now on we can opt for Arcade, Simulation and Competitive. As you can guess, the first is the most arcane and effective, the game is to some extent simplified, and the virtual judges do not notice the shortcomings, they are more lenient. Simulation is the closest to the previous "Madden" style and experienced players will surely find their favorite style here. The last mode has been reserved for the biggest sweepers and the e-sport community.

 

Another new feature is the story mode, created on the model of the "FIFA" series. "Longshot", because it was so titled, tells the story of a talented young man who gets a chance from fate to get to the NFL league. However, before he comes to the stadium in front of several dozen thousand fans, he will have to prove his skills in the football talent show.

 

I have to admit with sadness that the story told in "Longshot" is horribly worn, full of stereotypical figures and unbelievable events. The main character is a black boy from Texas, whose first coach and mentor was his own father. The sudden death of a parent puts a shadow on a promising sports career, and the last attempt to climb to the top and a chance to play in a professional team is the aforementioned television show.

 

Of course, the gallery of cliche figures is much bigger: a sly producer of the program, a fair assistant trying to do something good, the best friend of the main character... We also have compulsory flashbacks and a trip to "comfort hearts" to soldiers stationed in Iraq.

 

The whole adventure with the story mode lasts several hours, choosing appropriate dialogue options, making decisions about how to behave in specific situations, and once in a while we will be able to play a short game or face some challenge. Nicety including for a penny and equally well this module could be called "Madden NFL Longshot: A Telltale Games Story." To make matters worse, the graphics in the cutscenes look very average, which surprises, given the fact that the whole game is racing on the Frostbite engine.

 

Fortunately, the rest of the game presents a much higher level. As a standard, we can play a match with any team, but we can also use the Play Now Live mode. It allows us to "play" selected matches from the last week or play a match against the upcoming queue. What is a breath of freshness is the regularity of fresh issues spoken by commentators. Thanks to this, the feeling of realism is increased.

 

Starting a career, we can decide on the roles of the coach, player or team owner. In the first case, our tasks will include (apart from directing each player on the pitch), among others signing and negotiating contracts. The player mode gives us the opportunity to create your own alter ego and put it in your favorite team. Winning, completing the challenges set by the game and completing weekly trainings gives us experience points which we invest in the development of our athlete. The most complex one, because it has been extended with financial issues, is the owner mode. Here, in addition to the entire sports layer, we decide, for example, about ticket prices or stadium expansion.

 

Since our last contact with the "Madden" series, the "feeling" of the players has improved significantly. New motion animations and refined control mechanics cause the players to move very smoothly on the turf. All situations where there is a contact between characters are better implemented - the unnatural behavior of physics algorithms can be observed less frequently.

 

Playing matches in "Madden NFL 18" gives a lot of fun. Arcade mode is a great solution to start with. It makes it easier to get familiar with the game, to feel its tempo and nuances in controlling the players. After a few hours, however, I recommend going to the simulation, because then the game begins to force us to think more tactically and at the same time becomes more technically demanding.

 

I have some objections to the artificial intelligence of the players. This is particularly visible in the career mode, where we direct only one athlete. For example, by giving the ball to the recipient, located at the side line, they can often run for cars instead of gaining yards. It's even worse when running gears, where the player with the ball runs into the crowd of defenders mindlessly instead of avoiding them.

 

The use of the Frostbite engine has positively influenced the look of the game, although there is still some work ahead of the creators here and there. The players are modeled very realistically, the coaching staff and all the staff spinning around the pitch, as well as the supporters in the stands are made very correctly. However, the shots on the stadium leave a bit to be desired. Sound and journalistic comments are made correctly and it is difficult to pin down here.

 

Any fan of American football who likes to play is condemned to the "Madden NFL" series. There is no competition, fortunately the creators try to polish their title every year. If you have not yet had the opportunity to play the US national virtual sport, the latest edition is the best solution - a transparent and extensive tutorial combined with training plans, as well as differentiated modes of play make every person with a bit of perseverance learn to enjoy the fun "Madden NFL 18".