The Madden series has attracted criticism from many quarters over the course of the past two console cycles. The fact is the game just didn’t develop at a rate that was acceptable to most gamers, with years going by and little changing in on-field physics, modes or anything significant, really. Playing Madden 2005 on the Playstation 2 and Madden 11 on an Xbox 360 wasn’t a dissimilar experience, except that one was in HD. This is probably down to EA’s continuing monopoly over the NFL license, which basically has translated to laziness, no matter how many hoo-rah press releases to the contrary the juggernaut publisher puts out.

You almost have to defend Madden from its countless detractors while reviewing it. That’s a shame, because this year’s iteration is deserving of some kudos. It does actually try to do a few things differently, while improving on past features at the same time. You know, like a sequel should. It’s a long way from perfect, but it’s just nice to see some effort put in for a change.

The most obvious difference you’ll find from previous games is on the field. EA has implemented the ‘Infinity Engine’ physics system, this adds an element of randomness to the way players interact with each other when it comes to contact. The game is still basically based around the standard set animations it always has been, but the new system has added tons of small touches in the way players shift their bodies to take account of outside influences. And it works well, for the most part. Seeing an opposing quarterback squished against his own linemen as you collapse the pocket, then watching as two of your defenders crush him before he can escape really does look great, and much more satisfying than the stiff, predictable Madden of previous years. The changes aren’t just cosmetic, they actually have an impact on gameplay. Where before your man might’ve been doomed to suffer the fate of canned-animation, now he might just stumble, right himself, and fight for those extra few yards. EA also seem to have (but not totally) banished that age-old problem where a ball will fly through the air and pop into a receiver’s hand on a totally different trajectory in the last foot or so of travel. That was always especially annoying, it’s nice to see it get sorted.

However, you’ll also see the negative side of the Infinity Engine. After plays are over, you’ll see huge, muscled men fall over a guy who’s just kneeling stationery in front of him. In general, players’ bodies ragdoll and bend in a pile or from a tackle is pretty convincing, but you will see instances where a guy’s leg or arm will bend at such an angle you’d swear they were broken. These moments do occur, and the slow-motion replays especially can expose the weaknesses of the engine pretty hilariously.

The second thing EA is making a big deal about this year is the work they’ve done with Superstar, Franchise, and Online Franchise modes. They’ve basically jammed them together into one option, in a ruthless bit of streamlining. At the beginning of any career, either online or off, you choose to play as a coach (basically you’ll be calling all the shots, and as such you’ll be playing Franchise mode), or a player (which is Superstar mode). Then you embark on a career, unlocking XP by completing weekly challenges and seasonal goals in a bid to improve either your player or your squad and become a legend of the sport. The way you play isn’t hugely different from previous years but for the addition of the XP system, which isn’t integral, and the fact that you can create online leagues to specific settings. If you want a league filled with people playing only as wide receivers, then you can.

The XP system, however, doesn’t work too well if you’re playing as a coach. The XP you earn is used to bolster the stats of players. If you only have one guy to worry about, then that’s potentially ok, but as a coach you have an entire squad to take care of. The tiny experience bonuses you receive for most tasks simply aren’t enough to make it worthwhile in most cases. What’s the point of slogging and saving points for 5 or 6 weeks of 16 week season if all you can do is improve one player’s catching ability from 64 to 65? This obviously could do with addressing in future games.

Last year’s UT mode was one hell of an ugly mess. It was far too easy, given that you need to take care of upwards of 25 or 30 guys at a time, to have players’ contracts run out. Cue mode desertion. This year loads of little fixes have been applied that really do make it this year’s UT stronger. You can now buy cheap contract cards on demand instead of praying to get them from really expensive card packs. Buying the player you want has also been made easier, as you can filter easily by position, card colour, real-life team, etc. There is an option to play through every NFL team’s entire preseason and regular season schedule one match at a time against the computer for cash rewards. The difficulty to begin with will be insanely easy, but the closer you get to the end of the season the higher it goes. It’s pretty cool, and it’s really the best and most reliable way to make coin, because the rewards for playing online against other players are shockingly low. This is especially the case since the game came out in America before it did in Europe, and the online community is already populated with massive nerds whose ultimate teams are literally an un-improvable lineup of the best players in the history of the game.

All things considered though, this is the best Madden game of the current generation. EA’s total ownership of the NFL license has resulted in a shamefully slow rate of development for this franchise, while other sports series like FIFA and NHL have come on in leaps and bounds.

Fundamentally what makes this a good game though is the fact that it’s fun to play matches. The new physics engine warrants a generous tip of the hat for its ability to make nearly every clash in this violent sports sim seem less of a foregone conclusion. After a number of years of racking up tiny features bit by bit; toe-tapping sideline plays, hit stick tackles and trucks, touch passes, quarterback evasion moves, superior blocking. Madden 13 is challenging, unpredictable and fun.

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