Madden NFL 18 is nearly here, and for this year's installment, EA has made some rather big changes to the long-running sports franchise. Among them is the new Longshot mode, a "cinematic" new story campaign that puts players in the role of Devin Wade, a former standout high school quarterback, as he struggles to make it to the NFL.
Reviews for Madden 18 have begun appearing online, and judging by the game's early reception, it looks like the new features EA has added have helped make this year's title one of the standouts of the series. We've collected a sampling of reviews below; for a wider look at what critics are saying, head over to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic.
"Overall, Madden 18 marks an unusually large shakeup in a series that, due to its annualized releases, rarely features much more than small, iterative changes. The Frostbite engine allows the game to reach new levels of realism in its visuals, and EA has put a lot of effort into constantly evolving the game to keep it in line with real-world events. But it is the Longshot story mode that defines Madden 18. Some of Longshot is unnecessary spectacle, but its lasting value comes from the humanity that it brings to the game. The moments of vulnerability and sincerity between Devin Wade and Colt Cruise during the story are worthy of celebration and give the overall game a weight that Madden hasn't had before. And if that's not enough to entice you, it's also simply a terrific football game." -- Alex Newhouse " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
IGN -- Review in Progress
"Ask Tom Brady and Matt Ryan what they think about halftime adjustments. Those adjustments, major or minor, are the key to winning any football game--and that's exactly the kind of change Madden NFL 18 has made to EA's series. Madden is coming out of the locker room with more than an adjustment to its gameplay and story mode; the development team just stormed back onto the field with a new engine, improved gameplay, and a story mode finally worth giving a damn about." -- Dustin Toms " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
US Gamer -- 4.5/5
"More than ever, Madden NFL is a demanding but fun simulator that accurately represents the real-life sport, and is capable of draining dozens if not hundreds of hours of your time. The jury is out on whether Longshot will be a long-term success; but with the transition to Frostbite and the rock-solid play on the field, Madden 18 has to be considered among the upper echeleon of sports sims." -- Kat Bailey " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Polygon -- 8/10
"Longshot leans hard on all the archetypes of sports mythology, from beat-up pickup trucks and earnest sidekicks to twangy high school coaches and Hall of Fame cameos. But in its heart is a hero both supremely abled and uncertain of himself. And only Madden NFL, which for 30 years has done more than any other work of sports media to make the jargon-laced concepts of American football concrete and understandable, could make that conflict authentic for the user." -- Owen S. Good " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 3.5/5
"It's hard not to think of Madden 18 as merely Madden 17.5. This is in no way as big of an improvement as last year's effort was compared to Madden 16; annual sports franchise-itis (it's a mouthful) looks to be setting in. It might not be terminal though. Longshot shows signs of a highly-promising, creative future, even if the gameplay is in danger of turning stale. It's a slight shame that the considerable effort the team at EA Tiburon has put in for its story mode has seen the on-field action lose some of the spark that it dazzled us with so readily last year." -- Bradley Russell " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Game Informer -- 8.25/10
"Madden 18 is missing a host of fixes, wishlist staples, and improvements, but it doesn't have to appease to have worth. It captures the joy that I find in playing video game football even after all these years. That's not just a love of the sport with a license slapped on it; it's the continuing refinement of gameplay and modes that still has the ability to surprise and excite." -- Matthew Kato " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
The Pokemon World Championships are currently being held in Anaheim, CA. As we head into the last day and the final matches, the official Pokemon league revealed interesting stats about the top players' Sun and Moon teams.
The most popular Pokemon in the Day 2 matches was new Legendary Tapu Koko, unsurprisingly; it has been dominating the 2017 competitive scene since it began. Just behind Tapu Koko, though, is first-generation fire dog Arcanine, and behind Arcanine is the most surprising pick: Snorlax.
Arcanine has been relatively popular in the Pokemon video game championships (VGC) for a while now thanks to its ability Intimidate, which lowers the opposing Pokemon's attack stats. Snorlax, however, hasn't been considered a good competitive choice since around 2012 and is making somewhat of a comeback.
Snorlax is a popular pick due to its ability to take hits and recover health in order to stay on the battlefield for a long time. This year, players are teaching Snorlax different moves than when it was last on the scene, namely Facade, which increases in power when Snorlax is affected by certain status conditions. This is a good counter to the popularity of inflicting status, which is one way players hope to chip away at bulky Pokemon like Snorlax.
Other first-generation Pokemon were given new life in the competitive scene this year thanks to their Alola forms, a new addition in Sun and Moon. Ninetales' ice- and fairy-type Alola form is far more useful in battle than its traditional fire-type version, and even Meowth's evolved form, Persian--which was never used in competitive battle before--is showing up on championship teams.
We have 5,000 beta codes for Raiders Of The Broken Planet to redeem on PS4. The codes are region locked to NORTH AMERICA only. To receive an Xbox One code instead, visit here.
This is an instant win and you will receive an email with the code within 24 hours.
Beta starts on August 19, 2017 at 9:00am EST and ends August 20, 2017 at 7:00pm EST. The beta continues every weekend at the same time and you will still be eligible to play with your code.
Enter below:
About Raiders of The Broken Planet
In Raiders of the Broken Planet, humanity have reached a new world, a broken planet on the far side of the universe. The humans, stranded on this planet, are now at war with each other and its indigenous population over control of its incredible power source, Aleph. Become a Raider and join the battle both on and offline in awesome 3rd person brawler-shooter gameplay. Customise your character's combat style in unique ways with special collectible cards and use Aleph in order to power special abilities. In multiplayer, Raiders of the Broken Planet sets itself apart with its innovative Antagonist system. Choose to play as part of a four-person Raider team or choose to become the Antagonist and play against the Raiders team on your own with the help of an army of AI controlled soldiers at your back.
We have 5,000 beta codes for Raiders Of The Broken Planet to redeem on Xbox One. The codes are redeemable worldwide. To receive a PS4 code instead, visit here.
This is an instant win and you will receive an email with the code within 24 hours.
Beta starts on August 19, 2017 at 9:00am EST and ends August 20, 2017 at 7:00pm EST. The beta continues every weekend at the same time and you will still be eligible to play with your code.
Enter below:
About Raiders of The Broken Planet
In Raiders of the Broken Planet, humanity have reached a new world, a broken planet on the far side of the universe. The humans, stranded on this planet, are now at war with each other and its indigenous population over control of its incredible power source, Aleph. Become a Raider and join the battle both on and offline in awesome 3rd person brawler-shooter gameplay. Customise your character's combat style in unique ways with special collectible cards and use Aleph in order to power special abilities. In multiplayer, Raiders of the Broken Planet sets itself apart with its innovative Antagonist system. Choose to play as part of a four-person Raider team or choose to become the Antagonist and play against the Raiders team on your own with the help of an army of AI controlled soldiers at your back.
With the official release of Ark: Survival Evolved coming up soon, lead designer Jeremy Stieglitz has been busy responding to fan questions on Twitter. Two topics that recently came up were the Xbox One X and potential cross-play support between Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
On the subject of the Xbox One X's horsepower, Stieglitz said Ark can run at the equivalent of "Medium" or "High" settings on PC. It can run at 1080p/60fps (Medium) or 1440p/30fps (High), and it sounds like developer Studio Wildcard may offer an option to switch between them.
On Xbox One X, ARK runs at 1440p 30 FPS, with settings approximately equivalent to "PC High"
And speaking about cross-play between Xbox One and PS4, Stieglitz said Studio Wildcard has this up and running internally, and the issue now is Sony will not allow cross-play (via NeoGAF).
At E3, PlayStation executive Jim Ryan said one reason why Sony isn't allowing cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One is because the company is concerned about the safety of its users. If Sony allowed PSN to connect to an outside network like Xbox Live, Sony would not be able to fully control the experience. This could potentially put its users, in particular children, at risk, Ryan said.
We have it working internally, but currently Sony won't allow it :(
Ark's official release date is August 29 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Keep checking back with GameSpot, as we'll have more on the game in the lead-up to release.
Uncharted is being made into a movie, with Stranger Things and Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy attached to direct, with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland playing a young Nathan Drake. Now, Levy has discussed the film in more detail, saying he and writer Joe Carnahan are trying to make "an Indiana Jones-type" franchise for the audience who didn't grow up with Indiana Jones.
"For me, it was the fact that the game is awesome--the spirit of the game, with its action set pieces, its imaginative settings, and above all the kind of rogue swagger of Nathan. Those are things that I think make for a great movie," Levy told Nerdist, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
The Uncharted movie won't be a direct adaptation of any of the games, which is probably for the best, as Levy acknowledged this can be a troubling and difficult route to take. Levy had an "aha" moment for the story when speaking with Holland.
"He kind of put it really succinctly in saying, if we do the origin of Drake--Tom Holland as younger Drake--that is something that we haven't seen as the plot of game 1, 2, 3, 4," Levy said. "We've seen a snippet of an origin of Sully and Drake meeting in the past, but here's maybe an opportunity to do a treasure-hunting action movie with attitude, with a protagonist and chapter of the protagonist's life that you can't get for free at home by just playing the game."
The Uncharted series is know for its huge set pieces, and overall you can expect the film to attempt to embody the "spirit and the tone and the attitude" of the game series, Levy said.
There has been some controversy over the Uncharted movie. After a script was completed, game developer Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann later denied a comment from Carnahan suggesting the developer was happy with the movie. Druckmann said Naughty Dog had not seen the script and that he wished Carnahan would "stop implying that he has our support."
The next Uncharted game, The Lost Legacy, comes out on PS4 on August 22. Unlike the mainline series, The Lost Legacy stars Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in a story involving the Tusk of Ganesh. GameSpot's review scored the game a 9/10.
Mass Effect: Andromeda developer BioWare has issued an update on the game, saying there are "no planned future patches for single-player or in-game story content." The statement effectively confirms the studio will not make any more technical changes to the way the campaign runs. Additionally, it will not release any DLC to address some of the loose narrative threads that fans were hoping to see resolved.
Most notable among these unresolved plot points is the fate of the Quarian Ark, which BioWare has said will be explored in comics and novels, along with other stories set in the Andromeda galaxy.
"Early in development, we decided to focus Mass Effect: Andromeda's story on the Pathfinder, the exploration of the Andromeda galaxy, and the conflict with the Archon," reads a statement on the game's official website.
"The game was designed to further expand on the Pathfinder's journey through this new galaxy with story-based APEX multiplayer missions and we will continue to tell stories in the Andromeda Galaxy through our upcoming comics and novels, including the fate of the Quarian Ark."
Mass Effect: Andromeda had a rocky launch, with a litany of bugs and graphics issues drawing heavy criticism from its players. In the months following, BioWare released patches to remedy many of these, the latest of which was on August 1. This, BioWare said, will be the last update for the campaign.
Looking ahead, BioWare's said its "multiplayer team will provide details of their ongoing support and upcoming content, including new multiplayer missions, character kits, and what's in store for N7 Day" in the coming weeks.
To prepare for an exciting weekend of wrestling in Brooklyn, New York for Summerslam and NXT TakeOver--WWE and 2K Games held a special pre-party celebrating the upcoming release of WWE 2K18. Focused on all the latest happenings in the wrestling world, the talent--including Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Braun Strowman, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Roode, Dean Ambrose, and 2K18 cover star Seth Rollins--took the time to mingle and interact with those in attendance.
While this was a party, some wrestlers jumped at the opportunity to keep the spark in their rivalries going. Tag-team partners Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose confronted current Raw tag-team champions Sheamus and Cesaro, which ended in a tense altercation--chairs were flying and water bottles were thrown--with security having to separate both teams. Soon after, several wrestlers--including Snoop Dogg, who went by DJ Snoopadelic for the party and performed later in the evening--made it onto the red carpet to chat and pose for photos. GameSpot spoke with several wrestlers of the WWE about 2K18, how it's developed over the years, and what they're currently playing while on the road.
Kurt Angle, General Manager of Raw
GS: I had the opportunity to check out of the game, it seems to have focused more on emulating the style and presentation of the live shows. Are you with impressed with how detailed it is in replicating the real thing?
Kurt Angle: It seems like every year they get more and more of a feeling to real life with it. Every year, they manage to outdo themselves with the videogame. It's really cool to be a part of it. If you would have asked me a few years ago that this was going to be a thing, then I would have said "no way in hell". But here I am, you know doing the red carpet for it. It's pretty amazing.
Since you're the GM of Raw, you must have a lot of say when it comes to how your brand is presented in the game.
KA: I wish we did, man. But really, it all comes down to Vince McMahon and the creative team at WWE and also the team at 2K Games. It's a collaborative effort, and they make the games look good.
Jinder Mahal, Current WWE Champion
What was it like seeing this iteration of the game for the first time? Were you pleased with how they presented you in game?
Jinder Mahal: It's very impressive, I've seen myself in the game--I've got like the six-pack abs with the chiseled arms [he flexes], my masculinity was there--but the one thing that is missing is me on the cover with the WWE Universal Championship. That's one thing they can improve.
So what exactly was the process like of actually getting you into the game? Were you involved in the motion-capture?
JM: So I just did the facial and body scanning, no mo-cap as that was done in L.A., but it's just so cool to see yourself. You know, unlike action figures and other toys, videogames don't really get old or worn out, so in a way you are like immortalized.
Are you able to play many games these days?
JM: I actually haven't, and I haven't been playing any since I was a kid, but I used to play Crash Bandicoot a lot and I've heard some amazing things about the new game that came out which is like a remaster?
Yeah, it's a remaster of the first three games.
JM: Oh, it's same ones? I'll try them out, especially now that it looks better. That's great, I definitely gotta try that out.
Alexa Bliss, Current WWE Raw Women's Champion
From what you've seen of the game, are surprised to see how much of it as become so accurate to the real thing?
Alexa Bliss: Oh absolutely, Xavier Woods and Bayley were playing it backstage as AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe, and to see the graphics and how accurate everything is is just amazing. Even the signs in the back were super accurate, super detailed--games have come so far, and I think 2K has been at the forefront of that. I've been impressed with how they managed to bring it all together.
Do you play many games nowadays?
AB: I used to play videogames a lot. Growing up, my dad and I used to play Xbox and Playstation games all the time, but a game I did get recently was Crash Bandicoot. Which is a lot harder than I remembered, like way harder, it's kinda crazy. But also, I did get a Nintendo Switch, which is also fun.
Are you liking the Switch so far?
AB: Yeah, I do love the Switch a lot. Seth Rollins was actually the one that talked me into getting one. Because I saw him playing it on a plane, and I was like what is that? And he said "Nintendo Switch, best thing ever", and so I got one.
How do you find the time to play these games?
AB: It's mostly just on planes nowadays, because we're mostly on the go. When we're not in the ring, meeting media, or going home, we're just working out. But when you do get that free time to just unwind and decompress, I just play Mario Kart on the Switch.
Do you have another favorite that you're playing on Switch?
AB: I did just get Zelda on the Switch. I heard so much about it, about how much time people wasted in it. Like they live on Zelda.
I know people that put in over two hundred hours in the game.
AB: Like seriously, it's crazy. When I heard how many hours you can put into it, I was like "I'm gonna play other games first" before I try Zelda and then commit to that. So I've just started to get into that, and it's been amazing.
Braun Strowman, Challenger for the WWE Universal Championship
Games have evolved a lot over the years, and now we have the next WWE looking more close to the real thing, and of course you're in it. What's your reaction to seeing yourself in a game like this?
BS: It blows my mind by what they're capable of doing as far as animation and other stuff, and then to even turn it into a videogame--I remember the days of Pong, and Oregon Trail in elementary school, where you had to plug a floppy disk into a computer to turn it on. But now, you travel around and play with others around the globe along with your friends in game that looks so realistic. It's awesome, technology is a cool thing. I did a lot 3D rendering work with the team, they had us go in this crazy booth where they take thousands of pictures of us from every angle, and they had us do all these crazy pictures of us with weird and strange facial expressions. And without a doubt, that's why it turned out so well.
Dean Ambrose mentioned he wasn't much of a gamer in recent years. Are you able to play much these days?
BS: I play here and there, not so much as the other guys. I'm more of a first-person shooter guy. I have a really short attention span, so it's gotta be really good. The last game I got really into was Black Ops 3. What was that like two years ago? That shows you how much interest I have in games. I try to play with these guys, they set up stuff in the locker room--I'm terrible at them though, and they beat me up in them and that just makes me mad. And then I just want to smash the TV over their heads.
Bayley, Former WWE Raw Women's Champion
Is there something in particular that's impressed you about this game that you've seen?
B: I've seen only the short previews I saw backstage, and all the stuff they're releasing online--I saw the SAnitY [NXT wrestling stable] entrance they released on Youtube, and every year they just impress me with what they can do. Just how much better it gets with entrances, and the actual guys' look, the details of our faces. They really just get all the tiny details, like you're inside the game. It's just really cool.
Are you able to find the time to play anything? If so have you played anything good recently?
B: Yeah, I do. It can be tough to find the time, but I did just get the Crash Bandicoot trilogy re-release, like I was so good when I was a kid--but now I suck. I can't even remember what to do with some of the obstacles in the game to collect the fruit--and I was always thought they were just apples, but they're not. When I go home, I'm just gonna try to beat that again. Because I was so good when I was kid.
Samoa Joe, Challenger for the WWE Universal Championship
The WWE games have come a long way over the years. Can you talk about what you like most about the games in recent years?
SJ: I'm just really impressed with the technology that goes into these games. The way they're able to skin these characters and present them in the game, along with just the building of the architecture themselves. Anything they do, it always ends up looking really, really nice. They did a hell of a job.
What's the one game that you've been playing during your off time?
SJ: I've been playing a lot Fortnite lately. It's really nice, when I get off the road, I just can just relax and play this. It's got like the perfect balance to it, where I can just unwind and be technical at the same time. It's great.
On that note, our interviews came to an end. Check out our gallery below for more pictures of the event, and to see who else swung by. And for more info on WWE 2K18, check back with GameSpot for more coverage of the game.
[UPDATE] EA has now officially released the Starfighter Assault trailer, following the leak earlier this week. A gameplay demo for the mode is expected at Gamescom next week.
The original story is below.
Ahead of an expected official reveal at Gamescom 2017 next week, a trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II has leaked. It shows off the game's space battles, one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel. What you're seeing is not gameplay but was captured in-engine, so keep that in mind when looking at the impressive-looking footage.
Also, Yoda as a fighter pilot? This looks great.
You can find the video on the internet (via Eurogamer), and when the official version is released next week, we'll post it on GameSpot.
Battlefront II's space battles are being made by Burnout developer Criterion. Other EA-owned studios DICE and Motive are also working on the game. Unlike the 2015 original, Battlefront II has a campaign, which Motive is developing.
Battlefront II is scheduled to launch in November for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with an open beta coming in October. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
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