Three Features We'd Like To See In 'Madden 18'

With the NFL draft having just wrapped up, NFL fans are now moving to the next big event on the preseason calendar: speculation about Madden 18, the latest title in the long-running Madden series.

Developer Electronic Arts gave the first official reveal for the 2018 version of the game Friday, announcing that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would be the cover athlete for Madden 18. It’s the first time Brady has been on a Madden cover and his second for a football video game title. As NFL reporter Dov Kleiman noted, Brady was last on NFL GameDay 2003. Last year’s Madden cover featured teammate and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Read: Tom Brady Announced For Madden 18 Cover

EA hasn’t yet revealed much about the upcoming game, but between Friday’s trailer and details from the game’s Amazon listing, here’s what we’d like to see in Madden 18:

Better Defensive And Offensive Artificial Intelligence

EA’s press copy for Madden 18 is relatively boilerplate, but on the game’s Amazon page, three unspecified mentions pop out: the game’s features will include Target Passing, Coverage Assignments and Coach Adjustments.

Madden 17 ’s improved coverage system more accurately reflected how cornerbacks and linebackers actually play zone coverage, as the computer’s behavior shifted depending the exact play call and position. However, players could still occasionally mess up their assignments and completely fail to make a play on the ball due to glitching and poor detection.

Similarly, nailing down offensive line play continues to be a process for EA — plays where linemen are simply aimlessly standing in place while your quarterback gets sacked easily take players out of the game. Continued player AI improvements are always standard, but EA will hopefully make them a priority this year.

Improved Graphics

One of EA’s big selling points for this year’s Madden is its move to the company’s Frostbite engine. While its previously powered first-person shooters like the Battlefield series, EA previously made the same jump to Frostbite with FIFA 17.

Read: Madden 18 Release Date & GOAT Edition Revealed With Tom Brady As Cover Athlete

The analysts at Digital Foundry did an in-depth analysis of the differences between FIFA 16 and FIFA 17. With Madden 18 being the first year of a major architecture transfer, it’s unlikely we’ll see major game-shifting updates to the series right out of the gate, but updates like improved character models and general graphical upgrades are an undeniable plus.

A Proper Single-Player Campaign, Story Mode?

As standard as much of EA’s teaser trailer was for Madden 18, a teaser near the end is worth raising an eyebrow towards. After the in-game previews, the trailer shifts to a dramatic scene where a man is staring at Lucas Oil Stadium from a rain-soaked window, complete with a dramatic voiceover.

As fleshed out as the game’s Franchise mode has become, the Madden series has traditionally lacked a narrative single-player campaign. While you can create a custom player and control them through their career, it’s often grafted onto the standard simulation aspects of Madden’s franchise features. In contrast, games like the NBA 2K series have featured extensive career modes that track your player from their college days through their pro career. We already know that Madden will borrow the same engine used by the FIFA series, but if it also borrows the soccer franchise’s well-received The Journey single-player mode, it’d be a well-received way to freshen up the NFL series.