Madden 18: Release Date, Top Player Ratings, New Features, Preview and More

EA Sports has the unenviable task of improving the Madden series on a yearly basis by matching the steep expectations of a rabid fanbase, something NFL teams themselves are more than familiar with. 

It's notable, then, the team decided to go with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the cover when the game launches on August 25. 

After all, Brady has won multiple Super Bowls and one could argue he's improved over each of the past several years despite aging—and one could say the same thing for the Madden franchise. 

The first thing fans of the series will look for in Madden 18, of course, is the updated player ratings. Here's a taste of where some of the game's highest-rated players land:

• Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots, 99
• Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers, 98
• Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 97
• David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals, 94
• Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons, 98
• Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, 97
• Marshal Yanda, T, Baltimore Ravens, 96
• Zack Martin, T, Dallas Cowboys, 95
• Chris Harris Jr., CB, Denver Broncos, 94
• Von Miller, LB, Denver Broncos, 99 
• Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers, 98
• Kam Chancellor, S, Seattle Seahawks, 95
• Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns, 83
• O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 82
• Jamal Adams, S, New York Jets, 81
• Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers, 81
• Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars, 81

The full list of player ratings is available at EASports.com, though fans don't have to dive deep to see the team at EA Sports has once again done a remarkable job with the base ratings on the game's launch. As usual, this sets everything up nicely so the ratings can undergo adjustments reflecting the actual action on the field over the course of the season. 

After ratings, fans will look at new features, of which there are many. 

In fact, it's almost hard to know where to start. On the field itself, Madden 18 boasts a slew of changes, headlined by the new target passing. After the snap, players can pull a trigger that brings up a graphic for aiming the ball and move it wherever they want on the field, which gives the player more precision on back-shoulder darts and other tough throws than ever before. 

On the flip side, defensive backs received some love this year in the form of different button prompts the player can press while the ball is in the air, meaning the player now decides whether a defensive back actually plays the receiver or goes for an interception. 

The new Long shot story mode is the next big thing fans of the series will notice. EA Sports has heard the demands asking Madden to compete with the likes of the story mode seen in a game such as 2K Sports' NBA 2K series and responded with a Hollywood-esque attempt at something everyone can get behind—a comeback story. 

Long shot features the story of Devin Wade, a former 5-star prospect trying to make his way back to the sport via the NFL draft. The mode features plenty of big names such as J.R. Lemon and Mahershala Ali while promising memorable characters and innovative gameplay segments based on flashbacks and scrimmages while Wade tries to shake off the rust. 

The other massive on-the-cover addition to Madden 18 is the implementation of MUT squads. Ultimate Team on its own is back and improved in various ways, but MUT squads steals the spotlight because it signals the return of co-op in Madden. 

This time? Three friends can hop online together and take on another three-person team after choosing from predefined roles: offensive captain, head coach and defensive captain. Playing alongside friends as opposed to against them has been a big ask from fans for a long time now, so it's only fitting Ultimate Team picks up the torch and lets friends assemble the best possible team from their collections before taking it to the virtual gridiron. 

On that note, it's important to point out a big theme around Madden 18 is bringing people together and making the game as accessible as possible. 

The arrival of play styles drastically changes the Madden experience and how they perform isn't hard to figure out based on the names: Arcade, Simulation and Competitive. The first is a casual mode where players can expect big stats.

The middle weaves in real-life statistics to come up with how often flags get thrown, for example. Luck plays a factor just like real life, where even a 90-plus wideout can drop a pass. Competitive strips everything down and allows games to be settled by player skill on its own, hence it being the default play style for online play. 

Madden also strives to educate players this year. It's not shoved down a player's throat by any means, but it's worth pointing out the game offers the most robust tutorials in all of sports games, the hints on screen are helpful and Long shot even lets a player learn the game alongside Wade. 

Really, EA Sports didn't have many different ways to go with Madden 18. Adding much-asked-for features such as a story mode, bringing back co-op, helping teach the fundamentals of the sport and becoming more accessible to various layers of its audience seemed like the natural next step. 

Meaning, Madden 18, when viewed as a whole, is much more than a simple yearly update. Our official review is here, though given the droves of fan service here built atop a strong base on-field game, readers will want to check this one out for themselves. 

Information courtesy of EASports.com unless otherwise specified.