Madden NFL 18

Last updated

Madden NFL 18
Madden18GOAT.jpg
Xbox One "G.O.A.T. edition"
cover art featuring Tom Brady
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series Madden NFL
Engine Frostbite 3
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Xbox One
ReleaseAugust 22, 2017
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player,
multiplayer

Madden NFL 18 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League, developed and published by EA Sports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The 29th installment of the Madden NFL series , the game features New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the cover, the second straight year a Patriots player has had the distinction, following tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Contents

It was released worldwide on August 25, 2017, while those who pre-ordered the "G.O.A.T. Edition" were able to play it three days earlier and access their copy on August 22, 2017. It is the first game of the series since Madden NFL 06 not to be released on Xbox 360 and the first game since Madden NFL 07 not to be released on PlayStation 3, [1] [2] and also the first game in the main series to be available on only two platforms since Madden NFL '94 .

Gameplay

Madden NFL 18 is the first game in the series to use the Frostbite engine. [3]

While the Madden series has typically featured a Superstar career mode, Madden NFL 18 introduces a story mode known as Longshot, the first such mode in the series. [4] Longshot follows Devin Wade, a quarterback from Mathis, Texas, as he tries to reach the NFL, and includes high school and college football games (the first appearance of the latter in an EA Sports game since 2013, when EA ended the NCAA Football series), as well as the NFL Scouting Combine. [5] [6] [7] The player's decisions and performances in the game determine Devin's career path, as dialog trees are used to help him make decisions. [8]

Madden NFL 18 also included many subtle game-play changes. One of the major changes was a new element to the overall difficulty of a game, introducing "game styles". [9] Game styles were an attempt to create a more enjoyable experience to the player, allowing them to choose (excluding Madden Ultimate Team solo challenges) one of three game styles to fit their enjoyment. The first game style was arcade mode, which was made for players who like an easy experience. Arcade mode made the game much easier for the user. The second game style was simulation mode. This game style was an attempt to make the game-play feel like an authentic NFL game. [9] This brought the difficulty up from arcade mode but wasn't as intense as the third and final game style, competitive. This was created for the hard-core Madden players, making the AI incredibly skilled, and making game-play incredibly difficult. [9]

More minor game-play changes included the addition of Target Passing, a new game-play element when attempting a pass. The goal of this new feature was to give the user more control over the game and have more confidence in the pass going where it was intended to go. [10]

Other changes/additions included the creation of MUT Squads, [11] and coaching adjustments in-game. [12]

Longshot plot

Quarterback Devin Wade, along with childhood friend and wide receiver Colton "Colt" Cruise, visits Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Regional Combine. There, Devin's performance catches the attention of TV producers Ross Fountain and Julia Vasco, who want him to be the star of a series titled Longshot, which would follow the story of a player with low odds of making it into the NFL and turn him into an NFL Draftee, receiving the assistance of coach Jack Ford, the host of the program. Devin and Colt leave without an answer to think. On the drive home, Devin reminisces about his successful high school career before his struggles at the University of Texas, which he left after just four games following his father's death in a car accident. To Devin, Colt, and Julia's surprise, Ross arranges for three other quarterbacks to compete with him on the show. Although Jack urges Ross to select another quarterback due to Devin's inability to call plays, Ross forces Jack to choose him for his better marketing potential and guilt trips him by mentioning Devin's deceased parents.

Annoyed by what he considers boring television, Ross arranges an exhibition game for Devin in front of NFL scouts, scheduled to take place in two weeks. Devin is worried about the game, but Colt, who has been invited to the NFL Super Regional Combine, decides to join the show and help him. At a press conference the day before the game, Devin's confidence is shattered by questions about where he had disappeared after his Texas career. Devin asks Ross to postpone the game, but he and Julia are fired. Jack attempts to persuade Devin to stay, but he and Colt drive home.

In Texas, Colt tells Devin he is tired of helping him only for him to quit whenever the situation proves to be too difficult, sparking an argument. Devin starts working at his friend's construction business, where his coworkers and former Mathis teammates remember their high school days. That night, Devin is still working against his friends' interests as a Mathis High School football ceremony is taking place. Colt arrives and makes amends with Devin. After the ceremony, Julia visits the two and convinces them to rejoin the show.

Returning to the Longshot studios, Devin reunites with Jack and apologizes for leaving, while Jack does so for failing to properly train him. At the meeting, the president of the TV network that Longshot is on declares Ross' onscreen behavior inappropriate and leaves his fate in the hands of the player. Following said meeting, Jack introduces Devin to his good friend, former Miami Dolphins great Dan Marino, who further coaches Devin. The two visit a military base in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where Devin was stationed after enlisting in the Army following his time at Texas. There, Captain McCarthy explains how he helped Devin rediscover his love for football.

For the Legends Game, Devin's team is to progress through five challenges, with the first three based on moving the offense downfield from certain starting yard lines in an allotted time frame. In the fourth, Devin has to complete a scoring drive without throwing a pass to Colt. For the final challenge, rain falls on the stadium as Devin faces a 3rd and 15 situation, an atmosphere resembling his final game at Texas. After scoring, Devin is greeted by the cheers of Longhorn fans, having finally redeemed himself.

Devin and Colt's NFL futures vary based on the player's behavior in the Legends Game. [13] There are three possible endings related to the Draft: Devin gets drafted by his favorite team (which the player picked earlier in the game), Colt gets drafted by Devin's favorite team's rival and Devin is undrafted, or Colt and Devin both get drafted by the same team. [14] In the former, Devin is selected in the seventh round, but Colt is not drafted. Devin tries to encourage him, but Colt tells him to enjoy the feeling. Devin leaves the house and shouts in glee before stopping to remember his childhood.

In the undrafted ending, Colt is drafted in the sixth round but apologizes to Devin out of disbelief. As the seventh round concludes, Devin is not drafted and leaves the house, where he vents his frustration and sits on the porch. A flashback to his childhood days with his father takes place, where Cutter tells him while victory does not always occur, if one gives it their best, they have the right to feel like a winner. However, Dan calls Devin to announce two teams have expressed interest in signing him as an undrafted free agent: his favorite team and Colt's team. After telling Colt of his new team, the two celebrate.

The third secret ending can only be achieved if one plays out the story with the aim of improving Colt's draft stock as well as Devin's and plays out similarly to the undrafted ending, but instead of Colt being drafted by Devin's favorite team's rival, he is instead selected by Devin's favorite team outright, and instead of Devin leaving at the end of the seventh round, he leaves after Colt is drafted, and after the flashback, instead of Dan Marino calling Devin, Devin is called by his favorite team asking him if he'd like to join Colt on the team. Devin accepts, and he and Colt celebrate.

Standing on his porch, Devin receives a text from Jack, who congratulates and thanks him for allowing him to be his coach. Devin returns to his room and looks at his Texas cap on the desk, telling his father he finally had something to be proud of before placing his NFL team's cap with it.

Development

Like Madden NFL 17, EA did not hold an open vote for who would appear on the cover, but personally selected and announced New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in May 2017. EA Sports marketed the game with a trailer featuring Brady's entrance to Super Bowl LI. [15] Madden NFL 18 was released on August 25, 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. [16] [17] [18] It was first game in the series not to be released on Xbox 360 since Madden NFL 06 and the first not to be released on PlayStation 3 since Madden NFL 07. The soundtrack for the game, which features 40 songs, includes Stormzy, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Imagine Dragons, Steve Aoki, Waka Flocka Flame, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Big Boi, Killer Mike, and ASAP Rocky among others. [19] The original score of Madden NFL 13 composed by Colin O' Malley can also be played in the menus via the EA Trax option.

Written by EA Sports creative director Mike Young, [13] Longshot is split into three acts, the first discussing the Regional Combine, while the second and third follow the Longshot TV show and Devin's return, respectively. [20] While Longshot is comparable to story modes in other games like NBA 2K 's MyCareer and FIFA 's The Journey, Longshot is different in that the protagonist is not a rising star in their respective sport, but is instead a fringe player. Young described the story as like a "playable movie", rather than a "career mode with cutscenes". [4]

To develop Longshot, EA Sports used motion capture on the actors. Devin is portrayed by JR Lemon, a former Stanford Cardinal football player and member of the Oakland Raiders, while Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali plays Devin's father Cutter. Colt is played by Scott Porter, a cast member in the TV series Friday Night Lights and ex-high school football player. [21] Ross and Julia are portrayed by Ricky Wayne and Marem Hassler, respectively. [22] Rus Blackwell plays Jack; [21] Bill Cowher, who was originally considered for Jack's role, [23] along with former players like Marino, Chad Johnson, and Larry English are also involved in the story. [21] United States Army soldier and former Texas Longhorns long snapper Nate Boyer appears in the story as Captain McCarthy. [22] Like Boyer, Devin is a Texas Longhorn and soldier, which Boyer pointed out was a coincidence; an ESPN documentary about the long snapper was also named The Long Shot. [13] Unlike other characters, Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan appear in the game as live action analysts for the fictional Real Football show, [24] as do players Kirk Cousins and Josh Norman in Twitter videos.

NHL player Theoren Fleury and Phil Deschambault wrote the song "Longshot" for the story. [25] Colt also writes and performs the song in the game. [8]

Reception

On Metacritic, Madden NFL 18 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for both the Xbox One and PS4 versions despite also receiving "generally unfavorable" ratings from users.

The new game mode Longshot, however, was met with a mixed reception, with some calling it "game changing" and praising the story, while others referred to it as an "ambitious disappointment" and criticized the lack of actual football gameplay in the mode. [31] [33] In its 8.6/10 review, IGN wrote: "The shift to Frostbite doesn't refresh Madden NFL 18's gameplay much, but Longshot is a memorable single-player mode." [34] EGMNow gave the game a 7/10, writing: "Although the new Longshot mode shines, Madden misses the mark with a few of its gameplay additions this year—so if you don't immediately take a liking to them and choose to ignore them, the experience will feel a lot like last year's." [29]

Accolades

Polygon ranked it 49th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. [36] The game won the award for "Best Fantasy Team Mode" at Game Informer 's 2017 Sports Game of the Year Awards, [37] and was nominated for "Best Music Supervision in a Video Game" at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards, [38] and for "Sports Game of the Year" at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. [39] Longshot was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2017. [40]

Related Research Articles

Madden NFL is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018. Since 2004, it has been the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast. As of 2013 the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.

<i>Madden NFL 2003</i> 2002 video game

Madden NFL 2003 is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. The 14th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game features former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to have EA Trax, the Mini Camp mode, and to feature Al Michaels as play-by-play announcer, who took over for Pat Summerall. Although it featured the expansion Houston Texans and the relocation of the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC, it was actually the second to do so. The game was released on August 12, 2002 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The PlayStation version also includes the Sega Genesis version of John Madden Football 93.

<i>Madden NFL 06</i> 2005 video game

Madden NFL 06 is an American football video game released in 2005. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for color commentator John Madden.It is the first Madden game for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360 and was a launch game for the 360. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is on the cover.

EA Sports College Football is an American football video game series developed by EA Sports in which players control and compete against current Division I FBS college teams. It served as a college football counterpart to the Madden NFL series. The series began in 1993 with the release of Bill Walsh College Football. EA eventually acquired the licensing rights to the NCAA name and officially rechristened the series with the release of NCAA Football 98.

<i>Madden NFL 08</i> 2007 American football video game

Madden NFL 08 is a 2007 American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It features Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young on the cover; San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish-language version. This was the first Madden game made for 11 different platforms, it was released on August 14, 2007, for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. There was also a version for Mac released on September 1, 2007. This was the last version of Madden to be released for Microsoft Windows until Madden NFL 19, and the last video game for the GameCube produced and released in North America.

<i>Madden NFL 10</i> 2009 video game

Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. The 21st installment of the Madden NFL series, it is the first game to feature two players on the cover: Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, who played against each other the previous season in Super Bowl XLIII. It was released in August 2009 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 and BlackBerry, and for the iOS on September 9 through the App Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry English</span> American football player (born 1986)

Larry English is a former American football player. He played college football as a defensive end at Northern Illinois and was selected by the San Diego Chargers as an linebacker in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

<i>Madden NFL 11</i> 2010 American football video game

Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, BlackBerry, and iOS platforms. The PS3 and Xbox 360 demos were released July 27, 2010.

<i>Madden NFL 12</i> 2011 video game

Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and Asia, September 1, 2011 in Australia, and September 2, 2011 in Europe. It was available on August 27, 2011 to EA Sports Season Ticket subscribers for a three-day trial. It was the last Madden NFL game to be released on the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 2.

<i>Madden NFL 13</i> 2012 video game

Madden NFL 13 is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. EA's Chief Creative Officer, Richard Hilleman, said that defense would receive various changes in mechanics and controls, one of the first known changes in the game. The 24th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game was released in 2012. For the first time in the series, the game was officially released in Brazil, due to the explosive growth of the sport in the country. This was the last Madden game to be released on the Wii, the first and only to be released on the Wii U and PlayStation Vita, and the final in the series to be available for non-mobile phone handhelds and Nintendo systems. It was the first game of the series since Madden NFL 2002 to not feature EA Trax and instead only had instrumental music, which was met with criticism.

<i>Madden NFL 25</i> 2013 video game

Madden NFL 25 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in August 2013. Instead of numbering it Madden NFL 14 with the year like in previous versions, the "25" in the title refers to the 25th anniversary of the Madden NFL series. The eighth-generation console versions of Madden NFL 25 are the very first games to run on EA Sports's Ignite game engine. However, the seventh generation versions still run on EA's previous game engine, Impact. The seventh-generation versions featured former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders on the cover, while the eighth-generation versions featured Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, and were released as launch titles for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2013.

<i>Madden NFL 16</i> 2015 video game

Madden NFL 16 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Madden 16 introduced the new game mode "Draft Champions" to Madden. The game was released on August 25, 2015. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are based on Madden NFL 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Boyer</span> American football player (born 1981)

Nate Boyer is a United States Army Green Beret, football player and actor. After serving six years and multiple tours for the Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Boyer played college football as a walk-on at the University of Texas despite never having played a down of organized football in his life. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

<i>Madden NFL 17</i> 2016 American football video game

Madden NFL 17 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. As the 28th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game was released on August 23, 2016 and features New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on the cover. It was the last Madden NFL game to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are based on Madden NFL 25.

<i>NHL 17</i> 2016 video game

NHL 17 is an ice hockey simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It is the 26th installment in the NHL game series and was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles in September 2016.

<i>NBA Live 18</i> 2017 basketball video game

NBA Live 18 is a basketball simulation video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports, featuring James Harden of the Houston Rockets as its cover athlete. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 15, 2017. It is the 21st installment in the NBA Live series and the follow-up to 2015's NBA Live 16 after EA took a year off between games. Though it received criticism for its gameplay, the game was praised for improvements over recent installments and became the series' highest-rated game since NBA Live 10 according to Metacritic.

<i>Madden NFL 19</i> American sports video game released in 2018

Madden NFL 19 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed and published by EA Sports. An installment in the long-running Madden NFL series, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on August 10, 2018, the first time it released for the latter since Madden NFL 08.

<i>Madden NFL 20</i> 2019 video game

Madden NFL 20 is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. The 31st installment in the long-running Madden NFL series, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on August 2, 2019. It features Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the cover athlete. Mahomes became the second player after Rob Gronkowski to win a Super Bowl the same season they were on the Madden cover, and the first player to win the Super Bowl MVP while doing so, thus breaking the "Madden Curse", a curse where the cover athlete ended the season early due to injury.

<i>Madden NFL 21</i> 2020 American football video game developed by EA Tiburon

Madden NFL 21 is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. It is an installment of the long-running Madden NFL series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 28, 2020, and for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 4, 2020. It features Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as the cover athlete, and Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis as its in-game commentators. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay but criticized its technical issues, while player reception was negative, with many heavily criticizing the lack of innovation.

<i>F1 2021</i> (video game) 2021 video game

F1 2021 is the official video game of the 2021 Formula One and Formula 2 Championships developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports. It is the fourteenth title in the F1 series by Codemasters and the first in the series published by Electronic Arts under its EA Sports division since F1 Career Challenge in 2003, after Codemasters was acquired by Electronic Arts just a few months before the trailer was released.

References

  1. "Madden NFL 18 – Football Video Game – EA SPORTS Official Site". easports.com. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. "Madden 18 – Official Teaser Trailer – YouTube". Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2017 via YouTube.
  3. "Performance enhancers: Madden NFL 18 will run on Battlefield's Frostbite graphics engine". VentureBeat.com. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (June 10, 2017). "Madden NFL 18's story mode is designed to be a 'playable movie'". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  5. "Taste amateur football glory with 'Madden 18's' 'Longshot' mode". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  6. "'Madden NFL 18' to introduce story mode, feature new play styles | Sporting News". sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  7. Good, Owen (June 10, 2017). "College football comes back in Madden NFL's new story mode". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Myers, Maddy (August 25, 2017). "Madden 18's New Story Mode Is Actually Pretty Touching". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 "Madden NFL 18 Game Styles". EA SPORTS. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  10. "Madden Mechanics: Target Passing". EA SPORTS. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  11. "MUT Squads – Madden NFL 18 – EA SPORTS Official Site". easports.com. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  12. "New Features and Modes – Madden NFL 18 – EA SPORTS Official Site". easports.com. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 Lilley, Kevin (August 18, 2017). "Army plays supporting role in 'Madden 18' story mode ... and so does a former Green Beret". Army Times . Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  14. "Madden 18 'Longshot' walkthrough and guide". Polygon. September 19, 2017. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  15. "Tom Brady stars in Madden 18 trailer - ESPN Video - ESPN". Archived from the original on May 17, 2017.
  16. Mazique, Brian. "'Madden 18' Cover Athlete, Release Date, Pre-Order Details, New Features And EA Access Announced". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  17. Makuch, Eddie (June 10, 2017). "E3 2017: Madden 18 Trailer Reveals "Longshot" Story Mode Featuring House Of Cards Actor". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  18. "Buy Madden NFL 18 – Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  19. "Turn Up with the Madden NFL 18 Soundtrack". EA Sports. August 2, 2017. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  20. Cryer, Hiyun (September 1, 2017). "Madden 18 Longshot Story Mode Walkthrough – How to Get Drafted, All Correct Answers and Choices". USGamer. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 Smith, Joel (August 22, 2017). "Madden NFL 18's Longshot Proves to Be a Real Touchdown". Operation Sports. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  22. 1 2 "Meet the Cast of Longshot". EA Sports . August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  23. Good, Owen (August 27, 2017). "How Madden's Longshot turned down a future Hall of Famer, and got its best character". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  24. Vazquez, Suriel (September 4, 2017). "Madden 18's Longshot Made Me Care About Football". Game Informer . Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  25. Schlager, Brandon (August 26, 2017). "How Theo Fleury made it into 'Madden NFL 18'". Sporting News . Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  26. "Madden 18-Xbox One". Metacritic. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  27. "Madden 18-PS4". Metacritic. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  28. Arnold, Cory (August 31, 2017). "Review: Madden [NFL] 18". Destructoid . Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  29. 1 2 Carsillo, Ray (August 16, 2017). "Madden NFL 18 review". EGMNow . Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  30. Kato, Matthew (August 17, 2017). "Madden NFL 18: A Tale Of Two-Halves". Game Informer . Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  31. 1 2 Kozanitis, James (August 18, 2017). "Madden NFL 18 Review – Marginal Improvements Don't Cut It Anymore". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  32. Newhouse, Alex (August 18, 2017). "Madden NFL 18 Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  33. 1 2 Russell, Bradley (August 16, 2017). "Madden NFL 18 review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  34. 1 2 Toms, Dustin (August 23, 2017). "Madden NFL 18 Review". IGN . Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  35. Good, Owen S. (August 18, 2017). "Review: Madden NFL 18". Polygon . Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  36. "The 50 best games of 2017". Polygon. December 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  37. "The 2017 Sports Game of the Year Awards". Game Informer. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  38. Waters, Michael (February 9, 2018). "Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  39. Makuch, Eddie (January 14, 2018). "Game of the Year Nominees Announced For DICE Awards". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  40. Makuch, Eddie (January 11, 2018). "Best Video Game Writing Nominees Announced, See Them All Here". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.