XBOX 360

Madden 13 Preview

Ryan Bloom / May 24th, 2012 No Comments

Madden 13 Cover

At this time last year, fans were hoping that an NFL season would even take place. Now, without any doubt, the latest NFL season is inching closer. The season officially kicks off on September 5 but it really starts with the release of the latest addition of Madden. EA Tiburon went to great lengths to improve the Madden experience for Madden 13. The major changes to audio, presentation, and gameplay will be evident from the moment players pop the disc into their consoles.

This season, EA Tiburon aimed to provide gamers with a more gameday-like experience. In order to achieve this, they developed a close partnership with NFL Films. Out of this, the presentation in Madden 13 was drastically changed to give gamers the feel that they are watching an NFL game. New overlays, cutscenes, and scoreboards have been added to make a simulation in Madden feel more like it’s counterpart on Monday Night Football.

The Madden franchise has never been known for their quality commentary. This year’s version will feature a whole new broadcast team. The top CBS broadcast booth will be calling the action with Jim Nantz doing the play-by-play and Phil Simms as the analyst. Although the pair was provided a script when recording commentary, they often ad-lipped to provide a human element. Pre-game cutscenes will feature digital versions of Nantz and Simms in front of stadium-specific backdrops. ESPN’s Trey Wingo tweeted that he would also be featured in the game in some capacity but details of that have yet to be revealed.

Madden 13 Play by Play Team

Improving on Madden 12’s terrible commentary was not the only audio improvement. The audio development team used 24 microphones to record crowd sounds for Madden 13. In the past, crowd sounds have been recorded using only four microphones. With the help of NFL Films, EA was able to integrate the actual voices of several NFL quarterbacks into the game. Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton are two of the 14 real voices that gamers will hear barking out orders at the line of scrimmage. For various reasons, EA was not able to capture the voices of every NFL quarterback. However, players will be able to hear the difference between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for the first time ever in a video game. EA also insists that new sounds will occur during the play, including contact and grunts. The development team wants players to feel tackles. The presentation in Madden 13 is shaping up to be a much more game-like experience but, as with any game, the most important aspect is gameplay. EA Tiburon is excited about the vast gameplay improvements. Pass trajectories have been improved to make passes more catchable. Along with that, quarterbacks will have better throwing angles meaning less awkward passes and “moon balls.”

In past Madden experiences, play-action plays have led to hurried passes or easy sacks. Play-action is now a viable play option thanks to quicker quarterback animations. Fewer receivers will be sent deep, allowing for better quarterback protection. Gamers will also be given an opportunity to break the play-action with the press of a button. A quick hit of the right trigger will make the quarterback break out of the play-action animation, getting him into his throwing stance and sending the running back to block. On the defensive side, the latest installment of Madden will include a new read-and-react AI system. Safeties and defensive backs will react to the ball being thrown rather than the receiver they are covering. This will reward the secondary with more interceptions and tipped balls when they are properly positioned.

The latest installment of the Madden franchise is shaping up to be the most complete NFL experience ever. Madden 13 is expected to release August 28 for the PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, and PS Vita.

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Ryan Bloom

Chief Editor at Gaming Illustrated

Ryan Bloom is a writer and avid gamer from Orange County. He received a B.A. in Communications with a minor in American Studies from California State University, Fullerton in 2010. Follow him on Twitter @BloomsTweets.