Madden NFL 12

Its very difficult to improve on a game that has an annual update. The game mechanics will generaly be the same give or take some minor tweaking and you get the usual roster updates. As a result games like this and Fifa will always get mixed reviews from disgruntled fans. If your a big NFL fan like me you will purchase this game irrespective.

However IMO this is a significant improvemnt on last years update, and if you look at it as an individual game and not a series of updates over 20 years its a great game in its own right. The game has the usual EA polish with excellent presentation, graphics and sound.
The big improvemnts are
- the tackling dynamics and general physics are much better.
- Players have hot and cold streaks, with marquee players such as Brady and Manning always being consistent whereas someone like Chad Henne blows hot and cold depending on how you perform from week top week. This is a simple but excellent idea and will no doubt make its way over to FIFA. (England players should no doubt be absolutely knackered by the time a major tournamnet comes around and Rooney wont be able to trap a bag of cement)
- The blocking although still not without its faults is also much improved and you cant just have a very fast defensive end constantly running past a pondourous 300lb tackle.
- The scouting in Franchise Mode is a massive improvment and you can now trade for future draft picks. (This shows EA do actually listen to the fans)
- The Pre Game NFL Network show has been removed which lets be honest was a good novelty the first couple of times, but was a pain eventually and is no great loss.
- Online play is excellent and makes the £40 seem good value.
Where improvemnts could be made
- The stadium upgrade section is still lacking and you dont really see any benefits. You should at least see additional buildings popping up here and there as the alterations are made and see the reflection in attendances.
- The game still doesnt cover the enormity of Superbowl Sunday and could have done more to cover the build up.
- Online communities are split East and West Coast, IT would be great to have a UK or European community for the European fans to compete against each other..
- A massive missed oppurtunity in Franchise imo is also the lack of relationship and dynamic with certain team owners and the impact the press has. Eg If you go on a bad streak attendances should drop, the local press should be calling for the coaches head, and the owner should be banging on your desk because his revenue is down. This could have tied in superbly with the confidence and form streak of the players. There is also the potential to have each team have its own unique issues such as Al Davies of the Raiders pushing his nose in compared to the seamless way the Patriots are run.

On the whole a great game.

Think of this game as madden nfl 12 2.0. It's not a revalutionary new game but no one really expected it to be, like fifa each years incarnation is like a patch ont he previous year. Compared to last year graphically it is similar but that is no bad thing as I believe the graphics in Madden are arguably some of the best on a sports game. Game play is where the significant improvements are, it's a much more challenging game but still remains fun as you get the feeling of having a chance rather than only being able to run the ball a yard on the hardest difficulties last year, also it is much easier to get inteceptions this year and get intecepted which I think makes for a more demanding experience as you can't just throw a bomb into coverage and expect to get away easily. The new animations are also fantastic, giving greater scope and general improvement in the way game play presents.

There is for me one major gripe, the commentary. What the commentators say when they say it is ok. It's actually 90% the same lines as last year only now they seem incapable of saying most players names i.e "number 23 is waiting to receive the kick" whilst this is an irritation it can be let go. The bigger problem with this aspect of the game is the commentators fasiling to acknowlege key plays I.E my 80 yeard touch down run. They will discuss in depth some obscure fact about a player and even if there is a sack or a touch down or a big first down. Nothing, they just carry on prattling.

In conclusion though this game is a significant improvement of 11 in most places but commentary still looks like it was given to the 16 year old office work experience to work on. It's awful and desperatley needs patching as it detracts from the atmosphere of game.

The annual American Football update which is the Madden NFL series, marks another title with Madden NFL 12. It's completely fair to say that Madden has regressed if anything on next gen consoles, especially in the case of Franchise Mode which has been packaged fairly bare boned. However, in recent years there have been signs of improvement, the question is how does this years version hold up?

Right away, one of the first things you'll notice is the enhanced and improved presentation. This has been worked on in previous years, but additions such as pre-game intros, improved stat tracking and panning camera angles have improved the "broadcast element" that EA Sports was looking for. There's one glaring problem though and that's the commentary. I like Gus Johnson as an announcer, he's funny and seems to be generally ethused about the on field action. Sadly, That's just on televison and not in the game. The commentary in the game is broken as it often gets it wrong with what's actually happening and the omission of player names is puzzling. Number 23, anyone? Considering EA Sports have shored up the license this is inexcusable. Despite all these supposed improvements the announcing lets the presentation and it's believability down.

Franchise Mode, does get a few tweaks. Perhaps the biggest is the new free agent "bidding" system. With this you'll be in direct competition with other NFL teams scrambling to sign a prized free agent. One of the big positives is the ability to go elsewhere in your franchise if you choose to do so. No longer are you restricted to one NFL team for 30 seasons which is a welcome inclusion. Improved rookie scouting and the draft have also been revamped, admittedly I'm not to keen on the new interface which I found intrusive and downright clunky. Depite this though, you have probably the most in depth franchise mode seen on next-gen consoles to date.

Online play returns with more emphasis on Ultimate Team which seems to be the case across many EA Sports titles. Here, you'll acquire and new for this year have the ability to trade cards with other players. Online franchise is left untouched and EA Sports have used the excuse that they wanted to work on the offline franchise and didn't have time to do both. I've only tried Ultimate Team which seemed fine and have yet to venture into online head to head play.

---Summary---
Graphics 9 It's Madden. Which means it's one of the nicest looking games on the console. Ocassional pop in occurs which prevents a perfect score.
Sound 5 Woeful announcing general tackling and player sounds are adequate plus an inferior soundtrack to Madden NFL 11.
Gameplay 8 More arcade than simulation but fun to play nevertheless.
Lifespan 9 Deep Franchise Mode and an array of online options will keep you occupied.

Madden NFL 12 is the same old story essentialy. A lot of hype and then a major letdown. I will say that I like the direction that the Franchise Mode is going but six years to get to this point, really?! The game still needs improvement especially in the area of sound and perhaps EA Sports should stop being so enamoured with graphics and put some time into the gameplay to give true die-hard NFL fans what they deserve and a more simulation oriented experience. If you bought last years version I would say that you're not missing much. However, if you haven't bought a US Football Title since Madden NFL 10, it's worth a look. When in doubt adopt the two year rule and buy a sports title every second year as they don't tend to change that much from year on year. 7/10.