But that's besides the point. What did I think of this story, of this game mode in general. In order to say what I have to say, I will be essentially ruining most of Longshot so SPOILERS going forward, if not I hope you either A) enjoyed it or B) are never going to play it.
Myself, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the Longshot story mode in Madden 18. It brought something new to a franchise that while it constantly makes tweaks every year to its football mechanics to make it more and more like a simulation as possible it hasn't made any drastic changes in years. That's what Longshot really does for Madden, it gave it a shot in the arm, at least for one year but with a possibility of a return it wouldn't be surprising.
What did I like about it, it was essentially a football drama story. I've always been a football fan and that includes movies like: Remember The Titans, Varsity Blues, Friday Night Lights, Radio, etc. a lot happens on the gridiron and it makes for a fantastic drama. With how seriously Americans take football it's not surprising, especially Texans, and that is where our main protagonist Devin Wade and his best friend Colt Cruise are from. A small town in Texas and we're first introduced to them as they head to the Combine in Indianapolis to try and make it in the NFL. It is at that combine that we see Devin introduced to the producer of Longshot, an upcoming TV show that promises to get NFL scouts looking at the player to potentially get an NFL contract. He highly debates the idea but is eventually convinced into doing it but it ends up not being what he expected at all.
He ends up on a reality television show in competition with 3 other QB's for the top star of the show, the Longshot, a spot he was promised. It is a sight on TV that leaves Colt, who convinced Devin to do it at home disgusted, and Julia the shows assistant producer in dismay. He is coached by Jack Ford, who is modeled after an actual NFL coach, he is incredibly hard on Devin and definitely thinks he is not the one to win the Longshot competition but when Devin wins and they have to work together it becomes a great co-existence where Wade learns a lot from his coach. Colt also appears to help Coach Ford show Devin how to read offense properly, they show him a simplified way to read the defense, the "Cam Newton way" which works for Devin. When Ross, the shows producer pushes the Legends game that Devin was supposed to have way ahead, they are overwhelmed, shit hits the fan, and Devin leaves the show to go home.
He is convinced to go back and after things are all worked out, Ford has Dan Marino come in to help Wade. He teaches the young QB that sometimes the best thing you can do is just have fun and pass the ball. They further reinforce Devin's fun and love of the game when he goes overseas to Dubai where he meets his old military commander and they all have a fun game and a throw around. Wade comes back to have a press interview on a TV show and it goes well for him. All of this leads up to the challenges he is about to face in the legends game.
Four challenges that real life QB's have to prove and while the whole series changes based on choices up to this point, these choices even moreso effect your draft chances. For me, things worked out well and Devin was drafted by his favourite team, the Minnesota Vikings, and Colt Cruise who wasn't on anyone's radar until that game was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. No matter the case I found out if both Devin and Colt are drafted, whoever you said was your favourite team, Colt gets drafted by their rival. So Steelers/Bengals, Raiders/Chiefs, Cowboys/Redskins, etc.
All of Longshot can play out differently based on what you do and that makes it a fun re-play if you don't get drafted, try again. It was a great story, heart-warming, one of those good football dramas I like so much. The choice based story mode, changing things up, very typical of games I like. The mechanics of how Devin throws the ball in certain situations. The fun modes like 7 on 7, the military throwing game, and the challenges in the end. The performances by both real life actors and professional athletes in their motion capture and delivery of lines. That's what made Longshot fun for me. Oh and Colt's creation of the Longshot theme song was pretty neat too.
I really hope that we see a sequel to Longshot in Madden 2019, maybe with a returning Devin Wade after a few years in the league to mentor a new Longshot.