NFL

Twelve Features that Need to be in Madden 18

Image courtesy of EA Sports/NFL.

Image courtesy of EA Sports/NFL.

Madden, Madden, Madden…

You were supposed to be so good last year! But you weren’t the game I thought you would be.

I’m here to help EA Sports.

These are the 12 features that need to be in Madden 18.

1. A FIFA Ultimate Champions-Like Mode

FUT Champions is a mode where, essentially, you play a lot of games and try to win as many as possible. The more games you win during a week or weekend, the higher the rank you’re in. The higher the rank, the better prizes you can earn. This can be implemented as just another way to play seasons in MUT or another way to play in Draft Champions. This can make way for a simple method to make coins, earn packs, or other collectibles as prizes in these tournaments. You can also trim the amount of wins needed than you need on FIFA 17. It also gives some sense of freshness to the game.

2. Create a Draft Class

This is such a simple feature to add. Just make it similar to previous Madden’s when you could download the class from the NCAA, and then allow the player to edit the draft class and put real players in. I feel like this feature has been forgotten and is making the game feel far behind other sports games.

3. Latency Detector

This is another simple feature that EA has implemented in FIFA that can translate to this game. When you go to an online match there is a couple of bars that show the strength of the connection. Green is the best while red is the worst. This way if you want to quit out of a game due to internet issues you can do it beforehand. Again, easy add.

4. Home-Field Advantage Factor

In older editions of Madden when you were at home there were special effects to the gameplay. These included routes having squiggly lines instead of straight and the away kicker given a shaky screen which made you actually feel the difference in playing at home and on the road. This needs to implemented into at least the Franchise Mode.

Speaking of Franchise Mode…

5. Trade Finder

I can’t think of a single recent sports game that doesn’t have a trade finder in their Franchise Mode besides Madden. This feature would be such a blessing. It would be easier to use Franchise Mode and have fun rebuilding teams instead of pulling your hair out just trying to trade a fourth-string CB for a draft pick. I don’t care what needs to be done to make this happen, but it has to be included.

6. FIFA Pro Club-Type Feature

If you’re not familiar with this feature, you pick a position and play that for the entire game. Now this is something extremely appealing because you can make your player (a skill player, not that the OL isn’t skilled or the kicker,) and then you would play games with friends or as a “Walk-on” similar to Pro-Am on 2K. You would gain experience or some form of currency to use to upgrade your player and make him better so you can take over the games. This is a mode I would gladly invest my time into and it could also tie into Career Mode which I’ll talk about later.

7.  Team Play

So basically Team Play was where you played with two other friends against a team of three and you all controlled people on your team with the ability to switch. Team Play was taken out for no reason and we want it back. This is yet another simple feature that NEEDS to be added, just ask the community.

8. Revamped MUT Promotions and Cards

We are constantly getting the same promotions year after year with the occasional new one that rarely comes back or comes back in some sort of reskin. I remember in Madden 15 and 16 there was 99 OVRs one month into the game. It was ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I love the occasional 99 set completion or limited time pull, but we don’t want to get flooded with it. There were these cards that were 99s and they were 7’7.” THAT WAS BLASPHEMOUS, as Stephen A. would say, It was annoying going up against these guys but having one was fun. Promotions like those were great but they were too plentiful. We need new promotions and a consistent basis of 99s and 98s.

9. Packs

Increase the Pack odds. Need I say more.

10. Revamped Gameplay

With the Frostbite engine gameplay, everything would be considerably better. Looking at stuff like Battlefield 1, the weather changes throughout the game. The Frostbite Engine has a physics system that factors in weight and height along with stats. Also there are features like jersey tugging, constant updates, and creation suites. Basically any EA game that uses the Frostbite Engine looks ten times better and also provides constant updates and fixes. But if they don’t use this to their advantages and screw this opportunity up then it’s a waste. This can also be used to fix those unnecessary glitches.

11. Gauntlet Rewards and Better Opening Sequence

So this isn’t much of a big deal but I’d like to see a better opening sequence that is fun and short to the point. Also maybe this could lead into Gauntlet. Completing the Gauntlet should mean something, perhaps a pack or a similar prize.

12. Complete Franchise Revamp (Non-Player)

Here is the big thing on this Franchise mode that needs to be improved. I feel like the damn thing hasn’t been touched since Madden 25. Dust off that Franchise sector of your team and listen to what I’m about to say. First, Relocation needs to be touched up and maybe helped by a creation suite, where you can make you team how you want. It also gives the player more freedom. Freedom is key. Second, concerning off field incidents, we know that football players tend to get in trouble sometimes. Suspensions of sorts should be implemented into the game. They could also include non-contact-on-field injuries. Third, make it feel real. These last couple of Franchise modes have been unreal because I can win it with the Browns and not have to worry about injuries or and other incidents. It’s too easy and simple. Add a little harmless but beneficial complexity.

Honorary Mention: Career Mode

Regarding Career Mode, I will go into detail in another article, but hint, hint, we NEED Career Mode. I’m begging you.

Leave a comment on what other games or sport topics you would like to see written about.

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