For "Madden NFL 18," a great deal is riding on the game's first story mode, titled "Longshot." Story modes are ambitious efforts for sports games, yet the major licensed titles are now expected to have them every year thanks to the likes of "NBA 2K" and "FIFA" which have developed narrative-driven experiences that compliment their other more traditional ways to play.

It's clear that a great deal of planning went into the "Madden" franchise's first attempt at such a production, with the groundwork and vision proving to be overwhelmingly successful.

"Longshot" is easily my favorite story mode ever. It's football-smart; it teaches fundamentals, principles and intricacies that may even prove challenging for hardcore fans of the sport to recall. The story features relatable emotion, relationships and dilemmas. Even social media and the reality-show culture within which we evidently live now are realistically applied. It's well-acted across the board; Rus Blackwell turned in a standout performance as coach Jack Ford.

MADDEN 18 RATINGS: QB | RB | WR/TE

In the end, though, what makes the mode successful is the conflict it creates as gamers are forced to make decisions.

Indeed, "Longshot," with a running time of about 3 1/2 hours, is more of a movie than a typical career mode but the interactive segments are clever and engaging. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into any of them, but there are many fun surprises along the way and a number of gut-wrenching choices to be made, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

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The downside to dedicating immense resources to "Longshot," and the new Frostbite Engine that enabled it to be made, is that it feels as though potential advancements in the rest of the game were sacrificed to make those things possible.

Much has been made of the move to the Frostbite Engine, but its benefits besides the story mode are difficult to identify. While those benefits would be primarily related to graphical capabilities the game looks very similar to last year's; anticipated improvements such as the sidelines or better player and team celebrations on the field are nowhere to be found.

WATCH: Madden 18 trailer displays new features

Presentation is largely the same, with the exception of team intros and pregame stadium exterior shots. The intros are authentic to each team so credit is due for getting those right as fans will immediately identify them. The commentary of Brandin Gaudin and Charles Davis has built off last year's strong start. Updates to the commentary will again be made throughout the year.

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Gameplay will likely feel too familiar at the start for returning players, but a number of subtle improvements have been made, especially as they relate to longstanding legacy issues that have been addressed. Those include tweaks to zone coverages, speed differentiation and quarterback accuracy. This year's game seems to lean a little more toward offense with big plays both through the air and on the ground plentiful.

One new feature is "Target Passing," which may appeal to the more advanced crowd. Thankfully it's completely optional, and I suspect most will choose to go without it or utilize it selectively. Hitting the left trigger activates it, at which point the QB can no longer move. The user then selects a receiver icon and uses the stick to place the ball where they want it to land. The receiver icon is then hit again to make the throw.

It's tough to get the hang of it at first, even in simple practice mode without a defense on the field. It will result in a lot more sacks and some errant throws for those who use it. Those who get it down will have a dangerous weapon at their disposal, however.

MORE RATINGS: DL | LB | DB

Other new mechanics have been implemented for user-controlled receivers when releasing off the line and making cuts, and for defensive backs and their press at the line of scrimmage. Pressing as a corner is the most effective and easiest mechanic to understand; the right stick is used to hold up receivers at the line or direct them inside or outside off the jam. There are also new coaching adjustments that can be made to influence player tendencies more or strategically match up corners on receivers, a feature that used to be found in the "NCAA Football" series.

The area of greatest improvement may reside on the offensive line. Ratings appear to matter much more, not just for individuals, but for units, as well. Good offensive lines will buy significant time for the quarterback and pick up blitzes that poor ones would not. There's also a new "ID the Mike" feature that can help identify a blitzer who may have gone free otherwise.

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There has always been something of an internal battle in sports games between simulation and arcade — the need for the games to be fun and accessible but still maintain realism. That has led to products that attempted to please everyone but, in the process, failed to reach any level of excellence.

The developers at EA Sports hope to have found the solution to that problem with "Madden NFL 18."

Users can now choose from three different play styles when starting a game or season. Simulation is meant to be that true-to-the-NFL experience, with ratings playing a large role in outcomes and penalties being called. Competitive is intended to emphasize "stick skills" more, with some of the randomness of the sport removed. Arcade attempts to be more open and offense-oriented, with lots of big plays and big hits.

Surprisingly, the three don't feel all that different from each other. Arcade has a higher likelihood of broken tackles and spectacular catches but otherwise seems like a regular game being played on Rookie or Pro difficulty. Simulation is what you'd get out of a normal game any year in "Madden." Competitive eliminates some drops by receivers or defenders and turns off penalties and injuries.

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The biggest disappointment for veterans of the series will likely involve the game's Franchise mode. There are some new features and improvements, but the experience is largely the same as it has been for five years now. "Madden" still has by far the best online version of Franchise, but the lack of innovation from recent editions is notable.

The most intriguing addition is Play Now LIVE, which not only lets users play the current or past week's matchups along with the season, but also allows them to start new Franchise or Season modes from any point of the year. That means you can carry in a team's record, stats and rosters from any given point of the season, current or past, when starting up the mode anew. The commentary within Franchise is much better at calling out story lines related to both your team and those across the league.

The other change to Franchise that stood out relates to injuries. There are now off-ball injuries, so positions that would rarely or never find themselves on the injury report are now affected.

That will force GMs to rely more on depth and roster management over the course of the season. Injuries in simulated games can also be devastating. I lost some of my team's best players in simmed games for extended periods of time, and I saw some teams with upwards of 10 players hurt. The injuries might need to be tuned a bit to produce more short-term, one-to-two-week injuries, rather than the six-plus-week injuries that seem to be very common in the sims.

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Another addition that delivers is MUT Squads. Online co-op mode has returned and been rebranded; it is now housed within the popular Ultimate Team mode. Three users can play on the same team against three other users. The rosters are brought in by each participant under one of three designated roles. There is an offensive and defensive captain and a coach, all of whom unique on-field responsibilities.

It's incredibly satisfying to work together as a team, strategize and execute, but disaster can result when communication falls apart or timing is off. That means skill, both individual and as a team, will be critical to success. The mode could also be far more compelling as a form of esports than the current single player-vs.-player structure.

MORE RATINGS: Rookies

The only issue with the mode that has been encountered relates to the camera perspective switch on kickoffs. Maybe it should be locked looking up the field instead of switching while the ball is in flight. It might also be helpful to see who is user-controlled on the other side of the ball, whether it's to exploit tendencies and weak links or to simply know who did what on a given play.

Some smart changes to Ultimate Team are being rolled out this year. There are packs that let you choose what you want out of a pool of cards. Some players are now upgradeable; you'll be able to put work into making them better. Bonus XP or Coins are often granted for meeting requirements that go beyond just completing the specific solo challenge goals. There are also some fun challenges that incorporate the Texas Longhorns and Oregon Ducks out of "Longshot," and completing the story mode will also give you the main characters to use on your team including a highly rated Dan Marino.

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Were it not for "Longshot" and MUT Squads, many veterans of the "Madden" franchise might have had a difficult time discerning last year's edition from this one. Thankfully, those two new modes pay off, making all the effort devoted to them worthwhile. They're joined by subtle but valuable improvements to gameplay that become apparent the more "Madden NFL 18" is played.



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"Madden NFL 18" will release Aug. 22 with the G.O.A.T. edition of the game, which includes bonus Ultimate Team content. It is priced at $80 ($64 with an Amazon Prime discount). The standard edition will come out Aug. 25 and cost $60 ($48 with an Amazon Prime discount).

Subscribers to EA Access can play the game now with a 10-hour trial on Xbox One. Publisher EA Sports provided a digital download code for the purpose of this review, which was completed on PlayStation 4.

Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter@Pastapadre.