Madden NFL 18 Xbox One X Enhanced Impressions

Madden NFL 18 is one of the more impressive enhanced sports titles, I say that mostly in comparison to Fifa 18 which I found to be great though this year's Madden seems to be a step up. I just found that there were some nice extra details within the game and it really helped it to shine with this set of improvements. The Madden NFL 18 Xbox One X enhancement brings native 4k at 60fps with HDR. It's fantastic and the game has never looked better anywhere. The lighting is incredible throughout the stadium and the field looks extra sharp.

I found the largest change to really be with the players, and the general outlines of the stadium. It looks crystal clear, the fans seem more detailed and the presentation feels like a step up with this resolution. The players were particularly enhanced here as you can see more detail within the uniforms and the effects of the field upon the players. It was certainly present at standard HD, but you can see the dirt and grass stains much better now. A minor detail perhaps, but it does help make the smaller details towards full realism more apparent. This is also present in various weather conditions including the rain where you can see the uniforms and equipment dampen. This is similar during snow games were the player's breath is more prominent.


I really wanted to get a wide variety of environments in as part of my check up and I thought playing some matches across each weather condition would best display this. The regular day match was sunny, it felt like a typical game and it was gorgeous to just watch. The cinematic style they've went with really helps to compliment the 4k and I was impressed. The rain was solid with the effects of the liquid quickly being showcased as the match progressed. It looked quite natural, but I did find the steps to be a bit off. I'm not sure what it was, the steps of players just looked off as they made tiny little splashes while running or walking.

It felt right for when they would fall and when equipment would dampen, yet not during typical player steps. The snow actually looked not bad considering this aspect of weather is often ignored in games or implemented with less care. The fluffy white powder gets stepped on correctly and while I think the body impacting with it could use some work I was satisfied with the effort. Madden NFL 18 really does look great on Xbox One X, fans of the title are really going to appreciate the quality of this update. The HDR makes a huge difference on how the lighting illuminates the field and it's lovely. The players look fantastic, the field is sharp and overall everything is smooth.

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