Madden NFL 12 Critic Reviews

For Madden NFL 12 it is truly in the game, it has game, and is the only and best NFL game to date.

I have enjoyed my 2 weeks with Madden NFL 12 more than any other football game I have played Bar-None.

Small visual shortcomings and some audio annoyances might keep Madden 12 from being 100% on top form, but with the crazy amount of content and nearly endless gameplay possibilities, these seem like minor grievances.

Although Madden NFL 12 presents some new AI issues, it resolves many AI failings and gameplay shortcomings that have plagued the franchise for several years.

Even with an exclusive license and no reason to improve their game, Tiburon and EA Sports continue to refine the best football experience ever made.

Although the keyword for this year's Madden surely isn't "revolution", EA Sports has managed to up the ante even further, giving fans exactly what they wanted: more intense football action.

Another year, comes another Madden game. While this years version once again delivers, and certainly does the NFL proud, it is still however a Madden game. The core game remains the same and despite all the enhancements, Madden NFL 12 looks and feels very similar to last year's iteration. Hardcore fans will inevitably purchase the game, but for those fringe fans who already own Madden NFL 11 it is hard to recommend dropping another 60 bucks on a game that plays almost identical to last years. That being said, on its own Madden NFL 12 is a stunner and is an upgrade, albeit slight, over its predecessor.

Another top class Madden outing, setting the standard for sports videogames.

When you start building a game on such an impressive foundation you're guaranteed to have a quality product in the end, but the longer you play it the more the issues become bothersome. Just like the NFL rookie class of 2011, it should have spent a little more time in training camp.

This year's edition quite simply plays better than ever...The gameplay is exceptionally balanced.

This is not a revolutionary game by any means, but it builds upon the established strengths of the franchise. Most importantly this is a fun game of football, one that immersed me in all of the elements that make the NFL exciting to watch on Sundays.

Despite the remaining core gameplay issues and the poor commentary, Madden NFL 12 is a great title. While superstar mode needs some work and online franchise could use some love, offline franchise is simply fantastic and is well worth dozens of hours of your attention. If you enjoyed Madden NFL 11 and are a fan of franchise mode, this game is a must.

Madden 2012 is a considerable upgrade to Madden 2011 but there are still areas that EA need to improve in the next installment. Both online and offline the game has enough to keep American Football fans occupied for another year and with a new stat system in Superstar mode you will find yourself immersed as an RB, QB or whatever position takes your fancy. The commentary is without a doubt the game's biggest flaw, but when you get past that you will realise that Madden 12 will simply eat up the hours until EA announces Madden 13.

This year's update focuses mainly on the single-player experience and the franchise mode. Additions like player roles and cut days are good, but the lack of a co-op online franchise is still disappointing. Otherwise, it's a solid if slightly unexciting offering.

Shows diminishing returns for the solo gamer.

All in all, Madden NFL 12 lives up to its franchise's basic standards as a hard-hitting realistic football game. Besides all the new fancy updates and sparkly things that dangle on the screen, loyal Madden-ists and newcomers can enjoy mostly everything Madden has to offer.

Madden 12 does a lot of things very well. I can say without hesitation that the new and improved presentation, animations, movements, and overall NFL atmosphere of the game are enough to warrant the new purchase. Superstar mode was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I cannot justify too much of a hit due to this, as Franchise mode is the cream of the crop for Madden fans – and Franchise mode really does shine. If you are a Madden fan and/or football fan, don't hesitate to pick this one up.

Beyond mere roster updates, Madden 12 features better tackling animations and visual effects, and gone are any new gimmicky additions; developer EA Tiburon instead focused on improved AI and crafting a more involved franchise mode.

The improvements to Madden NFL 12 are small, but they're spread over every facet of the game. Madden fans are getting a tighter, more finely tuned game.

While we're happy overall with Madden 12, and it's a notch better than last season's game, it remains a far-from-perfect experience. Those of us that plan on spending a hundred hours or more playing online franchise and community games will surely compile an enormous laundry list of issues – but in the end, we'll still play all those games. Even so, we're left wanting much more than we're getting from EA's venerable football series.