Madden has always been the best of both worlds to many gamers: a combination of sports and gaming. It puts players in the driver’s seat and brings them from armchair sports commentator to virtual owner, coach, and player. Didn’t like the way the last super bowl ended? Put the Falcons and Patriots against each other once again. Want to play as one of the greats? Play as Jerry Rice or Deion Sanders in an Ultimate Team. For the football aficionado, Madden has it all and then some.
While Madden is known for its football fan paradise, it also holds a dark curse that the games have become known for: “The Madden Curse.” The story goes that any player that graces the cover of the game will undergo a misfortune in the next season. Michael Vick, Rob Gronkowski, Donovan McNabb, and Shaun Alexander all graced the front cover of the game and suffered severe injuries in the following years. While it has not hit everyone, this legend has unintentionally propelled Madden to greater popularity.
Madden 18, released in August, took a different turn than its predecessors. The installment decided to put a new story mode front and center. Longshot tells the story of a college football player who is trying to make it to the pros, and it is the job of gamers to get him there. From significant NFL and Hollywood cameos to a sentimental story that players can quickly get invested in, Madden 18 is a new take on the series. Along with the new storylines, there are some cool features about this game. Here are 15 awesome things you did not know you could do in Madden 18.
15 Step Into The Endzone Like A Legend
There have been some strong feelings on both sides of the end zone celebration argument in the real-life NFL. Rules have gone from stringent to a little more lenient in recent NFL seasons. If you are one of those people, who think players should let it rip and dance to their heart’s content, hop on Madden 18 for some fun! Players can showboat and enjoy touchdown celebrations before they even get into the end zone. On the Xbox and PS4, if players get their button formulas correct they can high-step into the end zone just like Mr. Showtime himself, Deion Sanders, former Atlanta Falcon and Dallas Cowboy running back. Plus, who doesn’t want to taunt the other team a little bit with some showboating action?
14 Take Devin To Franchise
Devin Wade and Colt Cruise are main characters in the Longshot Mode of the game. If gamers play through the entirety of the story mode, it would be hard not to have the ability to play as these guys. Some have even commented that it is not fair to not be able to see them go all the way to the NFL. Well, through some steps they are available in Franchise mode. All the player has to do is either select a default undrafted mobile QB or speed wide receiver, and they will appear as characters gamers can play as. The cool part, all their stats are there. Once someone beats Longshot mode, they can then play as different versions of these characters.
13 Take Your Interception Rating To 100 percent
It’s two minutes left in the game, and you need to make a play on defense to get the ball back in your QB’s hands. The offense thinks they have you on the ropes, but their QB throws it to a receiver in your vicinity. How do you ensure that you pluck this thing out of the air to stop their drive? In Madden 18, there is a way to dominate these situations. In the settings, players need to turn on Auto Strafe and Ball Hawk. When the throw comes to a close receiver players, need to time it correctly and press triangle and hold L2 . This should get players in front of the other team’s wide receiver and intercept the ball the majority of the time.
12 Keep Up With A Major Mover And Shaker
Ross Fountain is a television producer in the Longshot story mode of Madden 18. He produces a reality show and is supposedly tasked with bringing fame and fortune to his athletes. However, players can choose to fire him because he puts to much pressure on the lead character, Devin Wade. But what happens to this overzealous guy after the game? There is a website in the game called www.fountainsofwisdom.com here the voice actor who plays Fountain set up a motivational speaking website for people to by his satirical book and hear his tips on becoming a dominant television executive. Fountain’s inclusion in the game is a throw off to the popularity of reality shows, and how it is almost a requirement for athletes any other celebrities to jump into the genre.
11 Beat Those Solo Challenges In Record Time
Regardless of what anyone says, no matter how hard the boss or challenge is, there is always a weakness that can be exploited. Madden 18 fans have talked about how hard it is for them to pass the solo challenges. They are time-consuming and typically have outrageous tasks that players need to stick to like holding a team to 75 yards for an entire game for example. There is a glitch to beat this. If players allow the opposing team to score a touch down at the beginning of the game, and get field goals throughout, the yardage will not count against them. At that point it is mainly a matter of running out the clock. Be careful, because this one could have been found by developers and patched.
10 A Glitch Can Help You Block Punts With Regularity
You know you have the other team on the ropes when you block their punt and run it in for a safety. This can be challenging to pull off without incurring a penalty or just missing the kick entirely. Well, there is a punt kick glitch that requires some skill on the part of the player in Madden 18. First, the other team has to be within the five-yard line of their end zone or else the glitch will not work, and then if players pick the fastest athlete on the team to play with, players should be able to block punts at least 60 percent of the time. Like with all glitches this one could have been found by developers and patched so tread lightly.
9 Prevent Those QB Scrambles
It is one thing to have a skilled running back do what he needs to do to run all over the defense, but it is another when a slow QB decides he wants to make a statement and make a run for it. Well, Madden has you covered to prevent this. This trick has been in Madden games for awhile, but many are just discovering this straightforward method. If a QB is heading to their right side to try to do a sneak scramble, all the player on defense has to do is hit the right stick as quick as possible and the closest defender will speed up to take down the QB. This makes it almost impossible for a QB to run all over the team.
8 Play As One Of The Greatest Dolphins Ever
While playing as new guys can be fun, there is something to be said about putting on the jersey of some of the most legendary and famous athletes of all time. After players beat the Longshot game mode, they have a choice of some talented veteran players they can unlock. Dan Marino makes a cameo in the game as a mentor and brother figure to Devin throughout his journey. His appearance in the game was also an allusion to his inclusion as a playable character for Ultimate Team. He is one of the secret unlockable players after gamers beat the story mode. Mr. Marino, a former quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, never captured a Super Bowl ring in his career, please do him the honor he rightfully deserves in Madden 18.
7 Keep Those Veteran Players A Little Longer
In the real world, there will come a day when Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Julio Jones, and Adrian Peterson will have to make like Brett Favre and finally hang up the cleats. The human body is not meant to take that much impact after a certain age. However, technology once again makes a clutch save. In the game, once a player hits a certain age, they will retire the next season. It may seem that gamers do not have any control over this, but they do. All they have to do is go to the veteran player’s profile and take the age down to 20. This will keep them on the team for as long as a gamer wants them. Owners and coaches are probably trying to figure out how to do this in real life this second.
6 Grab Elite Players
Elite players are up for grabs in Madden 18, but you have to have eagle eyes and some patience to get them. Throughout the year, EA will allow players to grab the elite versions of legends. Recently the Elite version of Chad Ochocinco was up for grabs for Madden players, but not before they had to put in some serious work such as catching an 85-yard catch in one game, and having a total of 85 catches with the player overall. The numbers chosen are obviously in reference to Mr. Ochocinco’s namesake. These offerings can pop up at any time, so gamers need to continually watch the EA Objective list to catch deals like this one. Who knows, your favorite old school player could be up next.
5 Get Rid Of That Pesky “Ice The Kicker” Trick
Every football fan can relate to this one. How many times have you watched your team kick the winning field goal, when the other side decides to be petty and ice the kicker? It is an effective tactic, but it is annoying, anger-inducing, and a cheap move. It is one that is responsible for a lot of endgame drama. Well, Madden 18 decided to throw players a bone. There is a trick to remove this annoyance. If a player holds the “A” button immediately to work with the accuracy or speed of the kick, then it will prevent the other team from trying to ice them or call a timeout. Once the game clock hits three seconds, the kicker will automatically kick the ball.
4 Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True
There are times where you find a glitch or trick that seems to go to be true, too perfect to exist. Madden 18 is here to prove everyone wrong yet again. Many people have a love/hate relationship with the New England Patriots, but an offensive play in their playbook may be the answer to gain long or short yardage during downs with regularity. The Pats Slant in the Gun Trips TE formation allows QBs to fool any defense and get the ball to any receiver without an interception or drop. There is the likelihood that it is a glitch because it is almost impossible to defend. Like others on this list, it may have been patched, so this one might have disappeared, but it is still worth a look.
3 See What The NFL Will Look Like In 100 Years
Who has been guilty of reading an article right before the Super Bowl that claims to predict the winner of the game using a Madden simulation? This is because the game is pretty effective at running trusted simulations. Madden 18, as most versions of the game do, allows players to run simulations on various team and game scenarios. One YouTuber, YoBoyPizza simulated what the NFL would look like in 100 years if stats and players stayed the same. There were some wacky results (ex. Andrew Luck is not a Cincinnati Bengal) and a new team called the Egyptians. This game could be the equivalent of a “Farmer’s Almanac” for the next 100 years of playoff games and Super Bowls. This game sounds like it is worth the investment if it can do this.
2 Ready For A Running Money Play?
You know we could not just bring you a passing play that works in most scenarios without addressing the run. Just like the Pats Slant, there is a running play that players use that is almost unstoppable. It takes some practice, but when pulled off effectively it fools most defenses. This one comes straight from the Saints playbook. Choose the Singleback formation and then the Half Back Pitch, all you then have to do is choose right or left depending on the defensive formation. It works like a charm most times and is also probably a glitch. This could be temporary so jump on it as soon as you can. Also, are coaches using this game to prepare their teams? If not, they should be.
1 Frustrate Offenses With This Blitz
Remember playing touch football as a kid? Blitzing was the most frustrating thing because it could come without warning, and likely caused some bruises. Well, it is the big leagues now, and Madden is making it easier for defenses to get the jump on the offensive line. Madden 18 has the nano blitz, and many have been up in arms about this feature in the game. It virtually allows the defense to come through, attack, and sack any quarterback. It is failsafe and causes an insane amount of fumbles. People may know to use blitzes, but this one (likely a glitch) is making the defense impossible. Nothing like a 300-pound defensive back barreling through a weak O-Line! Also, this one may have been patched so check around.