Madden 12
No player lockout can hold back the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year. Madden NFL 12 is back, and better then ever. Choose your team, and battle your way to the playoffs, and eventually the Superbowl.
Madden NFL Football is here again! Despite the NFL lockout, and the fear of not having an NFL season this year, we at least knew that we would have Madden to look forward to. EA sports once again improves this epic sports franchise. From Graphics to game play, everything has been improved. The players on the field look great, there movements and their interactions with the other players. This game so far is the epitome of this sports franchise delivering on higher standards than any of its predecessors.
Along with many other aspects, the graphics and AI movement is what really stuck out to me in this game. Players have a very real appearance, and feel to them. There is no better feeling than having a friend walk into the room, and ask "who's playing"? Not even realizing that it is a video game, and then being in shock when they discover the truth. The way that players interact with each other is the huge part o the game that stands really stands out. The moves, and tackle shedding looks fantastic. The aspect that that truly has been improved, and stands out above all others is the play of the AI. They will play like the actual players in the game. If a player is a very clutch player, he will start playing a lot better in the fourth quarter, making big plays trying to get his team back in the game. Defenses will play their game play. If you were to do a simple run right up the middle against a great run defense will go absolutely no where.
The lighting is an aspect that doesn't get the credit that is deserved in many games. Many people don't realize that during the games the sun is moving. Not just in random directions it is setting, and moving in the direction that it would in real life! Again it is something that people don't appreciate, but it is very cool to be playing a game in the sun, then when you come out at halftime the stadium is half in shade. EA did a fantastic job of making that a realistic part of this game.
Franchise mode, like a relative of it (NCAA Football) has been improved greatly. Instead of having consistently perfect seasons, you have to earn you Superbowl ring. Harder difficulties will have you struggling to defeat your opponents that are simply better than you. Scouting, drafting, and many aspects of the franchise mode have been improved at a very high level in this game. I was however very disappointed with the create a player option of this game. Most of the tools for creating a player are the same. And the ability to create a face again is lacking, with a low, very simple selection of faces to other features to choose from. While there are some cool features that you can add to your player, it is not quite at the level that I would like it to be. Despite these few flaws, EA has put out its best version of Madden to date.
8.5/10