Madden NFL 12

Review from Sarge - Thursday, 13 October 2011 @ 11:35am

Earlier in the year, the NFL was still in lock-out, causing much speculation about whether or not there would be a Madden game this year. Luckily cooler (read: "richer") heads prevailed, so the players' association and the NFL came to new salary agreements and as if it never happened, the NFL season was back on, and along with it, Madden 12.

People will often bitch and complain about sporting titles like Madden, claiming that "it's just the same game as last year, but with a new slap of paint" - which I usually find ironic, because they're the same people that buy every single Call Of Duty game, but that's an argument for another time ...

YOU SUCK HASSELBECK!

Yes, this is yet another yearly Madden update, but this year sees a number of improvements, mainly aimed at the more hardcore Madden fans. However, before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's cover the basic stuff that the more casual fan will notice, so they don't have to read so much (I know how thinking hurts their pretty little heads).

Presentation-wise, Madden 12 is slicker than ever. All-new tackle animations, and even more concentration on the tv broadcast-style presentation of each game. Every team has their very own entrance animations, plus there's plenty of dynamic animations of the sideline staff and other off-field players mid-game, so you're likely to never see the exact same sequence twice. As well as the touted "3D grass" from last year's Madden title, Madden 12 also has improved uniform degradation this year. Has your QB just been sacked while playing on natural grass? Expect to see some mud and grass marks on his back. Your Right Tackle just cleaned up a blitzing Linebacker? Take a look at his helmet and check out the nice scratch marks. It's a subtle improvement that truly takes the next step in the game's presentation. Sure, it won't affect the actual gameplay, but it's a nice touch that really helps with the overall experience of Madden as a whole.

On the downside, the commentary leaves a little to be desired, especially if you play through the Franchise mode, as you're likely to hear the same player comments again and again; it would be nice to see some other players highlighted when Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth introduce your offensive team. Another slightly disappointing element are the crowd animations, that look like they haven't had any attention since John Madden Football '98. There's only about 4 different crowd animations, making the reactions look embarrassingly awkward. It's a shame too, because everything else looks so realistic, it really does break the immersion.

Madden 12, like NCAA Football 12 before it, has the improved defensive AI, and it really does show. Dynamic "Collision System" has had a great improvement, and is genuinely as close to real life as you could ever hope. Tackles are judged not only by where and how hard you tackle your opponent, but also it can factor in on the size of your opponent too, so if you're a Full Back who's met with the D-Line at the line of scrimmage, then chances are you're going to eat the turf. However if you manage to find a gap, yet some Corner a few yards down-field thinks it's his lucky day, well you're more likely to shrug him off and head for the end-zone. The improved AI, as well as the improved defensive moves makes for a far more precise tackle and defence, much more than in previous years.

SO. MUCH. COCAINE.

Speaking of NCAA, there's another little great feature that's been included again this year, and despite the fact it's been around for the last few years, still bares repeating because I love it so much and think it's amazingly clever - if you bought a copy of NCAA Football '12, you can play through the Draft Class mode, building up your character from high-school football to get picked up by a decent college scholarship, then play hard enough to get drafted by the NFL. Then, all you do is pop in your copy of Madden 12, and you can import that same character to be included in the NFL Draft during Madden's Franchise mode! Maybe this is me getting old, but I'm super impressed with this feature every year.

The main improvement this year is easily the Franchise mode, which has been streamlined and made much easier to manage - as the introduction video will show you the very first time. You can play through entire seasons (and pre and post seasons) if you want to actually play, or if you're more into the team management side of things, you can also sim every game and just concentrate on player scouting, drafting, managing your roster and then the ever-important NFL Draft. If you're going to go through the effort in playing the Franchise mode, then I'd suggest really paying attention to the team you're using, because it's really important that you know what you're talking about. The main reason for this, is because where the AI has improved on-field, off-field it's brain-numbingly stupid. It's important that you know what sort of team you have, and what their defensive and offensive tactics, strengths and weaknesses are. For example, I've been playing through the Franchise mode with the 49ers, who have a great rushing attack, so I want to make sure that I have, not just great Backs, but some good strong Offensive Linesman, so when it comes to scouting new players, that's going to be in the front of my mind. But leaving it to the CPU to pick your draft picks, and you're likely to just have your roster filled up with whatever players have low player ratings - and quite frankly, I don't need 2 extra Punters come Draft time. If you want to take things even more seriously, Madden 12 has it's own customised playbook that you can run to your heart's content - either by using another team's playbook, or for the more adventurous, you can start completely from scratch.

Manning, you suck worse than Hasselbeck!

Also, for the 360 achievement whores out there, you're not in much luck - the cheevos for Madden 12 are tough. Damn tough. No more are they a simple "rush for 10,000 across all game modes", but a lot of them call for specific game moments with specific players - a lot of them recreating famous moments in NFL history in the returning Madden Moments game mode.

My favourite 360 Achievement for Madden-12 is actually from an internet meme. The Achievement is called "Put Da Team On My Back", which is unlocked by playing as the Packers, and throwing a 99yd TD pass to Greg Jennings. For those of you who still have no idea, it's based off one of my favourite football videos from last year:

Pros

• improved game presentation
• hugely improved on-field AI
• improved "Collision System"

Cons

• AI in Franchise-mode is dumber than a bag of nails
• limited Creation mode still
• once you put the disc in, the loading of all profiles, rosters, then logging onto EA servers, takes WAY too long