Football, long-shots, and more!
November 2, 2017
Football, a game loved by many. (Though Soccer fans aren’t too keen on its name.) Many a person has tried to join the very exclusive club of the NFL, but not many make it. There are the people that don’t want their dreams crushed as they aren’t one of the 254 selected in the NFL draft, or they’re overlooked and can’t be one of the 3,500 successful candidates to the draft pool during the NFL combine. Then there are those that enjoy watching the game, perhaps even joining in a pickup game, but would laugh if somebody told them they would have a chance in the NFL. So, what do they do instead? (Along with the people that enjoy sports and video games)
Well, they buy a copy of Madden, the annual installment, Über successful sports video game juggernaut! But, is it worth it? Well grab some merch from your favorite team, and grab some popcorn, (No matter how overpriced it is, but I’m not an economics columnist, I’m a video game columnist, so talk to somebody else about that.) because I’m about to tell you if it’s worth $59.99, if it’s actually good, and why or why not it’s good. (no spoilers.
Is it worth sixty bucks? In this humble writer’s opinion, AB. SO. LUTELY. The game is jam-packed with content for any kind of gamer. Those who would want more of an RPG element to the game would be all over Madden Ultimate Team, a mode in which you are constantly upgrading a team of currently playing players, legends of the game, coaches, stadiums, play books, and jerseys! This mode is great because within this mode there are even more modes! There’s a solo challenge, a series of quick plays or small fragments of a game in which you have to complete 1 or more challenges against a computer in order to gain rewards such as the aforementioned players or coins, which are used to purchase card packs that contain the rewards I mentioned earlier. (I forgot to mention that everything is a trading card, until you start playing.) There’s MUT draft in which you can draft an amazing team of high overall rating characters. (Don’t get too excited, you don’t get to keep these players, though you do get some pretty sweet rewards if you finish the mode.) Then, there’s season mode, in which you put your team to the test against other players’ teams around the world. There’s also MUT Squad, in which you team up with 2 other people to take on an opposing group of 3.
But that’s not all, there’s Franchise Mode in which you can play as a player, in which you control one player that you can create or choose from players already in the NFL from game to game, you can play as a coach, in which you control an entire team and make decisions about signing players. And then you can play as an owner in which not only do you have the responsibilities of a coach, but you also have to maintain the stadium, prices of food, tickets, and memorabilia, and make sure the fans are happy.
If you just like playing a quick game of football whether it’s online or offline, then Play Now Live is just the mode for you! You can choose either to match up two teams to play against a computer, up to 3 other friends, or somebody else online, or you can choose a preselected matchup that reflects the games in the NFL for that week, and see if your play through reflects the game that week.(DISCLAIMER: There’s no system in the game that does this, what I meant by this is that if you keep the final score in mind of your game, you can compare that to how the game that week turned out.
Then finally, for those that want a Telltale Games or Mass Effect experience, they should try out Long-shot, which tells the story of Devin Wade, who was a star QB during high school, but failed to maintain that status during college, as he grappled with his father’s (Cutter Wade) death after a car accident. Now it’s your turn to control Devin’s actions as he works his way through the NFL Combine and beyond. (Note: This first part of the story has an interesting way to continue the narrative after the combine.) I’d recommend finishing the story, as you get some amazing Madden Ultimate Team rewards for finishing it.
Is it good? 2 Y to the E to the S YES! Everything is done phenomenally, from the way you build and play with your team in MUT, to the slight but significant variations to each way you can play in Franchise Mode, to the speedy and nearly flawless online modes, to the weekly roster and commentary updates, to the funny, touching, and decent voice acting of Long-shot, this game is an incredible experience I’d recommend to any type of gamer, it is perfect for anybody.
Though there are a few issues, even though you can download custom rosters, there’s no way to add them into Franchise Mode, alone with the fact that, while this isn’t completely true, MUT has a certain Pay to Win feel to it, there are also a few clichés in Long-shot.
But, overall, the game is an excellent experience. This game I highly recommend, and it’s great for any kind of gamer, young, old, long session, quick little session, noob, pro, it’s got a little bit of something for everybody. FINAL RATING: 4.5/5 3