9.5

Madden NFL 13

The Madden series is easily one of the longest sporting franchises in the gaming world and is named after the legendary American Football player, John Madden. At its core, Madden is the purist form of NFL in the gaming world as it lets the player experience all aspects of American Football.

However over the years and just like FIFA, Madden has experienced its ups and downs and this is definitely the best release yet. Having played my fair share of Madden games over the last 10 or so years, this current version is easily my favourite. With that said, let's have a look at some of the features in Madden 13.

Features

Gameplay Part 1
With a completely redesigned passing game including new a new pass-ready system and improved play action, and the all-new read and react defensive AI system that features the most intelligent pass defense to date, Madden NFL 13 achieves greater realism on the virtual gridiron on both sides of the ball.

Audio
Madden NFL 13 delivers a superb audio experience that faithfully replicates NFL Sundays with CBS Sports' Jim Nantz and Phil Simms calling the action, QB cadences, authentic sound effects and actual on-field player chatter, all provided by NFL Films, and a fully-scored orchestral theme that conveys the emotion and excitement of professional football.

Gameplay Part 2
With Physics You Can Feel, Madden NFL 13 delivers Next Generation gameplay today. Powered by the all-new Infinity Engine, true player impact and authentic momentum transfer ensure that no two plays ever look or feel the same.

Connected Careers
Live the NFL dream—whenever you want, wherever you want in a fully interactive, social, and connected online experience. Create your personal legacy or relive an all-time legend’s as you build the ultimate franchise as a coach, an NFL superstar, or yourself. Manage your team from your console, the web, or mobile phone in a 24/7 world as NFL insiders and experts analyze, praise, and criticize every move along the way.

Madden Ultimate Team
Madden NFL 13 Ultimate Team is the definitive way to experience virtual card collecting with new content and updates that mirror exciting NFL events throughout the entire year.

Madden Social
A whole new way to experience Madden against your friends - anytime, anywhere.

If you've been away from the franchise for the last few years (like myself), then Madden 13 will be a riveting gaming experience on the 360. Although the series did fall into a slump, everything in Madden 13 feels fresh and new. Best of all, the gaming dynamics that made the previous games so great are still there but EA have refined these features in creating the best Madden game to date.

The first thing that you will notice with Madden 13 besides the slick menu system and rocking soundtrack is the gameplay. As opposed to previous incarnations, Madden 13 feels considerably smoother and more importantly faster. Controls are well mapped on the 360 controller as you attempt for that elusive home run play.

Thanks to the new pass system, passing the ball between players feels considerably smoother and it reduces the stop starting of the game. The game even supports Kinect through voice command that can sometimes be a hit and miss. But for those players that like an additional arsenal in their gaming, the voice commands of Kinect does support the player when the action heats up or if you need access the menus quickly.

In terms of gameplay, the main features are Career, Online, Ultimate Team and of course, those classic one match games. The game does its best for newcomers to the franchise but jut be warned, the gameplay of NFL can be quite complex. Fortunately the game continually supports the player from getting their quarterbacks into the right position or creating those almost too perfect passes.

For those that want to take the gamer deeper, there is a brand new mode called Connected Careers Mode which in essence melds Be a Superstar with Franchise. This mode can be played both online and offline, however for those who have been away from the series a little, offline is probably the best place to start.

Before embarking on your career mode, you first need to select whether you want to be a player or a coach. Players are also awarded experience points for performing certain actions in the game which adds this interesting "sports" RPG element into the game.

If you choose a player, you can create a brand new NFL player or one of the current NFL pros. As you go through the NFL season, your goal is to reach the Superbowl, however there are some great challenges to be scored along the way. Ultimate Team is another place where fans of NFL will spend a considerable amount of time as they attempt to get the ultimate team together in this strange playable card game. Using player cards to build your ultimate team, you can play this team online and offline with an in-game currency used to purchase new players. It works well. I also like that you can still play those "exhibition" matches which is a great way of fine turning your skills. All in all, EA should be commended on a relatively flawless Madden game.

Graphics

Graphically and just like the gameplay, this is the best looking game ever in the series. The attention to detail is quite stunning, especially the close-ups of the players from the textures on their uniforms to the realistic facial details that ooze with uncanny realism thanks to the Infinity Engine. All the players move with this real world grace, especially when they interact on the field, whether tackling, kicking the ball or just navigating the field, the physics of the game work well. Stadiums are equally as impressive as are the lighting and weather effects. Even the menu system has this slick interface that is easy to navigate and has this real American football theme behind it.

Sound

Sound effects work equally as well with the gameplay and graphics. Commentary is spot-on thanks to Jim Nantz and Phil Simms and their comments mimic the players actions quite well. Add in the sounds of the crowd and the on-field sounds of players kicking, tackling and crashing together and this is one game that needs to be played through your surround sound system.

Final Thoughts?

In the end, Madden 13 is a fast paced NFL game that allows fans to play a variety of different gameplay modes, including a relatively in-depth career mode. If you want to take the gameplay to another level, the title also supports a detailed online mode so you can challenge other players from around the world. With a strong gaming engine and graphics that will amaze, it's definitely a great time to be a NFL fan.

Amazing sums it up well!