OS Fact or Fiction: Is Madden for Real This Time?

Feature Article

Submitted on: 09/06/2012 by Chris Sanner, Jayson Young

Chris Sanner: Fact.

Someone compared Madden NFL 13 to NBA 2K10 in a blog post of mine earlier last week. I think that's perhaps the best comparison I can come up with for the game. Yes, there are still numerous issues which crop up, and yes the new engine is with many quirks, but the foundation has been laid down now to the point where next season we could see a game that really creeps into greatness when things are polished up even more than where they are today.

The infinity engine really does make a huge difference in the game and gives it a much different feel and with some more tuning and tweaking via a couple of patches I'd suspect Madden NFL 13 ends up a very darned good game as it is. Then attention turns to Madden NFL 14 and what we should expect. If even half of the legacy issues are figured out, the missing elements from franchise are implemented into connected careers, and presentation is expanded upon -- all realistic goals -- Madden will be at the same level without a doubt as it's peers.

This year, you saw not just the Infinity engine and it's various benefits in each facet of the game -- but you also saw Madden move forward in the passing game with a new approach to icon passing which is subtle yet good. You also saw the game balance itself out a bit more than in year's past, at least to me. I've had some of the best games I've ever had in EA Football in Madden and while the game still cuts corners in realism, you can nitpick other series in the same way and arrive at the same conclusions. What matters to me at this point is that Madden is good, balanced football and it's now just a couple of real steps away from incredibly realistic football as well.

What is missing in this series now are subtle things that, if/when they are implemented will truly take this series into the Game of the Year conversation.

The Madden team made a brilliant decision to make big moves here at the end of this console generation. So long as they don't blow up the bridge and start over when the new consoles hit late next year I'm sure the franchise is set for a bright future from this point onwards.

Jayson Young: Fiction

The only areas where Madden NFL 13 performs at or near the top of sports gaming are its redone online franchise mode, spectacular dynamic lighting and highly detailed NFL stadiums. In all other aspects, Madden NFL 13 remains significantly behind the standards being set by industry leaders like FIFA, MLB The Show, NBA 2K and EA NHL.

While Madden NFL 13 looks attractive in still screenshots, its warts start appearing as soon as the ball is snapped, with weightless, exaggerated player movement, outdated blocking interactions, dumbfounding AI decision-making, outlandish Monday Night Raw collisions and inhuman limb contortions created by the new Infinity Engine. If beautifully animated franchises like NBA 2K and MLB The Show are poetry in motion, then Madden NFL 13's gameplay is a third grade spelling bee in motion -- unpolished, unsophisticated and full of glaring mistakes.

With an abundance of missing options and lost features, Madden NFL 13's offline experience is arguably worse this year than it was in Madden NFL 12. Virtual Twitter feeds are cool, but not at the expense of coach mode, NCAA roster transfers, fantasy drafts, roster editing, player editing, custom playbooks, custom gameplans, defensive camera perspective, multi-user offline franchise, etc.

Another potentially great mode, online team play, remains completely neglected, having made zero improvements since its Madden NFL 11 debut. EA's own FIFA and NHL series offer the ability to field full teams of human players and compete in online clubs or leagues, yet Madden NFL 13 remains limited to one-off 3 vs. 3 matches that don't even include fatigue or injuries. Madden NFL 13's online team play feature is actually worse now than when it debuted, due to the removal of the "behind the defense" camera.

High sales numbers don't always correlate to high product quality, and this console generation, EA Tiburon's Madden franchise has essentially become the Metallica of sports gaming -- still selling copies by the truckload at retail, but failing to satisfy hardcore fans who remember how great the brand used to be and how far it has fallen in recent years.

Madden NFL 13 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 adub88 @ 09/06/12 03:15 PM

Fiction without a shadow of a doubt. I'm going to keep saying this, until they can find a way to get down or even address the core fundamental aspects of football, I will never consider this game. Good things here and there ain't gonna cut it. Line-play, player movement, overall animations, and AI take priority over any other aspect of the game. All in all, I'm just frustrated with the game I grew up playing and actually liked it.

I look at the NBA2K vs. NBA Live series and can honestly say Madden probably would have had the same fate or a drastic reduction in sales, if they had not acquired the exclusive license. Let's be real folks!

# 2 Dazraz @ 09/06/12 03:21 PM

Fiction. Too much was taken out of this years game. If EA had released this game without taking out key features & without the stupid bugs then I may have said fact. As it is I'm having much more fun with NCAA 13.

# 3 pokerplaya @ 09/06/12 03:26 PM

This is fiction. The Show is the class of sports gaming, and NBA 2k is probably a 1A...both perform just as well or better on the field, and while CC is a great foundation, it is patently obvious that it is a reboot of the franchise. I'm still having fun with it, but the last few NHL games, FIFA, and Pro Evo all outperform Madden in nearly all aspects.

That doesn't mean I'm not having fun with it, or that I'm not extremely excited about the future, even this year in the subsequent patches. I'm just glad that I am able to enjoy the game without the fixes at this point.

# 4 bigdoc85 @ 09/06/12 03:27 PM

I tend to agree with Chris. I just find this game so much more enjoyable than last year's, even thought it is far from perfect. It just feels like it's headed in the right direction in terms of gameplay. Add back all the stuff people are complaining about and keep tweaking the new engine and it will be pretty darn good in the future.

# 5 Bmore Irish @ 09/06/12 03:29 PM

idk how this stuff works, so im really just assuming here, but it would seem like football games would be harder to accurately depict the real game than other sports. there's a lot more intense, complex physical interactions to deal with. if thats the case then i think thats something to keep in mind. there are things missing and some really annoying issues, but im hoping a patch well help with some of it. all in all, im really encouraged by the base they have to work off of here.

# 6 orion523 @ 09/06/12 03:31 PM

Fact. After years of Madden being the same ol' thing, EA Tiburon has finally taken steps to move this game in the right direction. CCM is absolutely tremendous, the physics are fantastic, and most importantly the game is actually FUN to play and that to me is all that matters. I'm actually going to complete multiple seasons in a football game for the first time since Tecmo Bowl.

# 7 PanthersGM305 @ 09/06/12 03:34 PM

Fiction IMHO. After buying the EA season ticket ,Playing the DEMO & Early Trail I have to say Failed to deliver the real this time. I mean we can all point out many flaws in the game (hence the bugs /glitch thread) but the AI took a hit on challenge. It's nice to see real faces & dynamic draft classes with audio , but after just one season the system gos haywire. CCM is on BETA right now , And I feel like were doing the mayor part of the testing.

# 8 roadman @ 09/06/12 03:39 PM

I'm feeling right in the middle, I know there is much missing, including OL/DL interaction, penalties, it's stuff we've all heard before.

However, online CCM mode I'm getting some of the best games I've ever seen on Madden before with all-pro customized settings.

# 9 PPerfect_CJ @ 09/06/12 03:44 PM

If by genre, you mean football, then it HAS to be fact, because there is no other competion besides NCAA. If you mean sports, then it's ABSOLUTELY fiction. Madden can't hold a candle to NBA 2K or The Show. NHL has been pretty good lately. I'm not into soccer, but I also hear great things about Fifa. I think at the end of the day, what it comes down to is, we're all football fans and are just kinda stuck with what they give us if we want our football fix. It's a sad situation, but I feel like Madden has a LONG way to go before they can be considered one of the best.

# 10 Humdinger80 @ 09/06/12 03:49 PM

Well it depends. If your comparing it to other Maddens, especially the ones on this gen then yes it's a fact, this game has definitely improved gameplay on the field which should always be the most important thing and also laid a feature set foundation (I like CCM) for good things in the future.

But if your judging it on the quality of a video game we should have in the year 2012 as a representation of the NFL, it's a complete failure and so far behind it's sad.

# 11 wallofhate @ 09/06/12 03:56 PM

Definately fiction. With that being said madden is a good game. I cant give it that much credit due to some big things and little things ea seemed to not fix or overlook. The infinity engine does wonders for the game imo. Even with some weirdness here and there I can overlook it because of the benefits. Replays, some wonkyness with the motion blur and other stuff bothers me. Play by play is light years better compared to its predecessors. Hopefully next year will be another great leap forward

# 12 TreFacTor @ 09/06/12 04:03 PM

I'd have to go with neither fact or fiction, I think Madden 13 is a white lie. It's somewhere in between. The cynic in me says there's some ulterior motive for combining all the modes into one instead of efficiency. While it is logical, the first time out the gate with the combined modes doesn't have me convinced. I understand that online probably had the same issues offline had, but while they may be able to improve both modes and add features in a singular process, they clearly can't fix both at the same time which is only a detriment to anyone who is strictly an offline gamer. If I'm being completely honest, I almost ran out and bought the game when I saw retail gameplay videos, but the limitations of franchise mode slapped me back to 06 when I did the same and tossed that game out the window (it's the only madden I bought in the last 10yrs that I don't still have).

The optimist in me hopes they're not just trying to stop people from being to update the rosters themselves. I hope they have the best intentions going forward and will remove the fluff instead of features. I think 13 will get editing back in very limited fashion and most of the issues can be patched, which should silence or appease most. Just how long they support 13 will be telling in and of itself. This is really the first time I've seen the madden community this upset in the last 4 years, advocates either trumpet gameplay or favor connected careers. It's odd that even in this article one person applauds the gameplay while the other connected careers. You either love it or hate it and chances are you bought it if your in either category. Only time will tell if they can deliver on the future promises, stumbling out of the blocks doesn't make a good first impression at least with a jaded madden fan.

# 13 roadman @ 09/06/12 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreFacTor


	I'd have to go with neither fact or fiction, I think Madden 13 is a white lie. It's somewhere in between. The cynic in me says there's some ulterior motive for combining all the modes into one instead of efficiency. While it is logical, the first time out the gate with the combined modes doesn't have me convinced. I understand that online probably had the same issues offline had, but while they may be able to improve both modes and add features in a singular process, they clearly can't fix both at the same time which is only a detriment to anyone who is strictly an offline gamer. If I'm being completely honest, I almost ran out and bought the game when I saw retail gameplay videos, but the limitations of franchise mode slapped me back to 06 when I did the same and tossed that game out the window (it's the only madden I bought in the last 10yrs that I don't still have). The optimist in me hopes they're not just trying to stop people from being to update the rosters themselves. I hope they have the best intentions going forward and will remove the fluff instead of features. I think 13 will get editing back in very limited fashion and most of the issues can be patched, which should silence or appease most. Just how long they support 13 will be telling in and of itself. This is really the first time I've seen the madden community this upset in the last 4 years, advocates either trumpet gameplay or favor connected careers. It's odd that even in this article one person applauds the gameplay while the other connected careers. You either love it or hate it and chances are you bought it if your in either category. Only time will tell if they can deliver on the future promises, stumbling out of the blocks doesn't make a good first impression at least with a jaded madden fan.

Love this post, good stuff in here.

I'd say, though, people were hot under the collar just as much last year with the sumo wrestler DT's (which they eliminated this year), the lack of game play upgrades(still had leaping LB's and DB's) and the fragmented offline franchise mode.

# 14 josephid @ 09/06/12 04:28 PM

The problem with Madden is that is looks the same at first so there is no WOW that we all are longing for. However, I went back and played last years game, Madden 13 much better game. It is far from perfect or great, but it is the best football game to date.
Of course tweak the rag doll like physics, add a half time show with actual footage from other games, score ticker, but don't cover game play like NCAA scoreboard, the gameplay camera can be improved,, default is the best, zoom one is too close before the snap and too low, mix both and at times zoom in even more when breaking away or catching down field. This would give a new feel.

# 15 RandyBass @ 09/06/12 04:34 PM

Is good, not great.

# 16 TreFacTor @ 09/06/12 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Love this post, good stuff in here. I'd say, though, people were hot under the collar just as much last year with the sumo wrestler DT's (which they eliminated this year), the lack of game play upgrades(still had leaping LB's and DB's) and the fragmented offline franchise mode.

yeah, I remember, but they were also supposed to fix those with those pesky tuner sets that never came also...there's no telling how 12 would have been perceived if they didn't ignore it...13 is probably why 12 was ignored, will the same things happen with these all inclusive, easier to program modes?
get where I'm going??? Hunh...Hunh?

LOL

# 17 cjallure24 @ 09/06/12 04:43 PM

I'm going to have to say fiction. This version of Madden doesn't seperate itself from previous versions. Issue's still plauge this game that held it back in prior years. When I think of titles that have made incredible strides from the previous year, 2K11 comes to mind. A new mode was presented in the Jordan Challenges, that but the true star was the gameplay. Add in the dynamic commentary and presentation, pure excitement.

I don't get that with Madden13, there is a a feeling of emptiness within the game, doesn't capture that football hunger. Sounds cliche but when I play 2K, I leave filling satisfied, with Madden13, I'm stuck feeling conflicted.

Also, usually after a couple days of a release, there is always an "the little thing's" thread in a subject forum, haven't noticed one up yet in here.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

# 18 rufusone @ 09/06/12 04:51 PM

Fiction: I agrre mostly what Jayson said. Gameplay needs to be a priority, and then give us all the bells and whistles and new features and give us full customization for all aspects of the game, If i dont want any replays at all I should be able to turn them off or have a slider from less or more, etc. I'm not talking WOW moments, I want to not get bored, or the game not to feel stale, I want excitement back, I'm done until they improve gameplay or will wait till the game comes out on the next xbox and playstation.

# 19 ThaShark28_316 @ 09/06/12 04:52 PM

Madden 13 is without a doubt the best Madden since 360/PS3 was released.

That said, it's some things that need work. Having said that, Madden 13 is a rookie to me. What I mean is this: It's the first year of a new era with this franchise. I've said this on Twitter, and the like...

Madden 14 is going to be one sick *** game. 2nd year of CC, 2nd year of IE....

I'm ALMOST having as much fun as I did with Madden 06 and 07 on Playstation 2. If I go back from this gen's Maddens:

Madden 06 and 07 were boring. Madden 08 was the WORST MADDEN EVER. Madden 09 was just better than Madden 08, but nothing more. Madden 10 was a money play fest. Madden 11 was a minimal improvement over M10, and finally Madden 12 was fun at first, but had nothing for longevity at the end of the day.

Is Madden 13 perfect? No. Is it "NHL 08" part 2? I think it might be.

# 20 bigsmallwood @ 09/06/12 04:54 PM

Fiction: Jayson not only nails it...but the tackles DEFINITELY resemble something from WWE! Couple that with all of the missing stuff (unnecessary) and huge legacy issues that hurt the series year after year....Madden as and NFL football game is definitely fictional.

« Previous12 3 4 5 Next »

More Links