The name “Madden” is to football as fireworks are to the Fourth of July. Thus, with each annual edition of their popular franchise, the folks at EA Sports try to produce a more authentic football experience. According to creative director Mike Young, the release of Madden NFL 12 on Aug. 30 represents their biggest leap forward since the creation of the first Madden game in 1988—delivering “Everything You See On Sunday.”
“It’s the biggest year-to-year improvement ever,” says Young. “It’s going to feel totally fresh,” especially if you’ve skipped the last few releases. Madden fans can specifically look forward to greater realism. Michael Vick will be more likely to scramble during gameplay, whereas if nobody is open, Peyton Manning will throw the ball away.
A point of pride for the Madden creators has always been the playbook. In fact, the idea for the game was conceived after EA Sports received a copy of John Madden’s 1980 Oakland Raiders playbook. And true to form, Madden NFL 12 takes the game’s playbook system to the next level. “Imagine you’re a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan,” Young says, “and you see a play one Sunday [that’s] not in the playbook we shipped [the game] with. You can now go find that play and add it to your playbook.” Customizing the playbook also includes making changes to suit the team you create in franchise mode.
With its awesome realism, playing Madden NFL 12 can be a great way to learn more about football from a technical standpoint, while kicking back and talking trash with your teammates.