User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 109 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 109
  2. Negative: 40 out of 109
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  1. May 7, 2023
    7
    10 Years Later, Madden 13 can be a confusing site, it's overhaul is not what the series is hoping as some features were taken away without notice and while it's gameplay is a improvement and the game is fun, the overhaul on the modes is not pretty and created short term and long term problems that can be a huge concern. To this day, it can be a mix bag based on a lot of factors.
  2. Sep 7, 2021
    2
    Madden 13 isn't the worst Madden game ever but it deserves the title of being the game that killed the entire Franchise and became the beginning of something bad.

    Madden 13 has good gameplay because the game engine was focused more on physics than just animations compared to the Frostbite Madden Games that ran on a First-Person Shooter game engine. For a Gameplay perspective, it's great
    Madden 13 isn't the worst Madden game ever but it deserves the title of being the game that killed the entire Franchise and became the beginning of something bad.

    Madden 13 has good gameplay because the game engine was focused more on physics than just animations compared to the Frostbite Madden Games that ran on a First-Person Shooter game engine. For a Gameplay perspective, it's great and it could be the best game in the series for that aspect alone. Presentation was also really good since it mimicked a CBS Broadcast with Jim Nantz and Phil Sims with multiple camera angles of players, the broadcasters, coaches, and the crowd. But, unfortunately Gameplay and Presentation was the only things the game is good at.

    The Main Menu looked identical to Windows 8 with tiles and ads instead of arranged rows that labels Game Modes, Play Now, Settings, and other stuff. Not only that, once you booted up the game Ultimate Team was shown to you first (instead of selecting Game Modes and picking out MUT it was right on the menu). After many critics called Madden stale after Madden 12 came out, EA decided to change the game forever and I hoped that it would change in a good way but nope that didn't happen.

    First off, Franchise mode and Superstar Mode were removed and were combined into an awful, shallow game mode called Connected Careers. When I saw early footage of Connected Careers, it was cool that you can play as either a Coach or Player it could've been a fine replacement of Superstar Mode. But, when you play as a player to start you couldn't sign an agent, you couldn't do combine drills, or even watch the other draft picks getting picked with you. Even if you played as a Coach or Player, the scouting system was weaken, there are no Fantasy Draft Classes, no importing NCAA Football Rosters, no co-op play, no Owner Mode, and no Create-a-Team for relocating or even generic Relocation Teams either! Connected Careers immediately made me stop playing this game and made play Madden 08 again because of those features.

    Not only did Madden 13 started to make the series shallow but Ultimate Team also got worse because of the game's depth. Madden 13 was on the depth of a PS1 Madden Game just for what?? The ability to play online?? The Game started the trend to only buy the game just to spend your money on MUT packs.

    Madden NFL 2005 is still a better game than this and especially better than Madden 22. If you wanna know why Madden 2004-08 is better than Modern Madden today you blame all of that on Madden 13.
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  3. Aug 30, 2020
    3
    Worse than any game for Madden since 93, this will make you yearn for the days of 2K5 and 2K8. No Franchise. No Superstar. No depth. EA is awful. Don't buy this. Please.
  4. Dec 19, 2019
    7
    This game has the epic Ray Lewis speech at the begining and the gameplay is good. The problem I have with it is there isn't any option for fantasy draft.. Its not perfect but its still a good game overall.
  5. Sep 28, 2017
    4
    This game was alright, it was to much like another repeat to the Madden Franchise and barely offers any new features, barely any improvement and for fans of the Madden Franchise, DO NOT BUY!!
  6. Aug 21, 2014
    8
    Madden never fails to disappoint. While the menu setup outside of the games can be a bit overcomplicated, the gameplay is as solid as ever. While I don't like that there is no true Franchise mode (meaning no fantasy draft), I do still enjoy the career progression as a player or team through earning XP in the career mode.

    All in all, it's pretty much the same Madden we know and love, so
    Madden never fails to disappoint. While the menu setup outside of the games can be a bit overcomplicated, the gameplay is as solid as ever. While I don't like that there is no true Franchise mode (meaning no fantasy draft), I do still enjoy the career progression as a player or team through earning XP in the career mode.

    All in all, it's pretty much the same Madden we know and love, so let's not get crazy.
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  7. Oct 5, 2013
    10
    If you are a casual fan, playing this game every now and then just with your favorite team, it is a great game. In game graphics, game play (especially the new physics engine) are really good. But it is not a very deep game (meaning does not have a lot of content in it).
  8. Aug 27, 2013
    7
    User will add words and impressions at a later time. Madden NFL 13 is the latest in the Madden franchise and is the 8th version to release on the Playstation 3.
  9. Jun 27, 2013
    0
    The gameplay is improved over the past few years, but everything else was destroyed. It's basically an online game and nothing else. All offline components have been gutted and thrown away. I'm done with Madden for the foreseeable future.
  10. Mar 21, 2013
    7
    I think this game is much better than Madden 12. I thought the intro was the best one Madden's ever had. I really like the better graphics and some of the new features are really good. However, it also took away some of my favorite things about Madden, most importantly the fantasy draft option in franchise mode. It made me feel good knowing that I could get a brand new superstar on myI think this game is much better than Madden 12. I thought the intro was the best one Madden's ever had. I really like the better graphics and some of the new features are really good. However, it also took away some of my favorite things about Madden, most importantly the fantasy draft option in franchise mode. It made me feel good knowing that I could get a brand new superstar on my favorite team. They also got rid of EA Trax and put in an entire score instead of music by artists. Don't get me wrong, Madden 12's soundtrack was awful and the score for this game is pretty epic, but I kind of lost the homie feeling I usually get when I play Madden. Despite some features being taken, don't turn away from this game. It is way better than its predecessor and is worth taking a look at. Expand
  11. Feb 3, 2013
    9
    Huge sweeping changes to the Madden series with this one. The new game engine looks great, and gives a more fluid appearance in gameplay then previous iterations of Madden. The other portion is the game gives you a great deal of feedback; after each game in career mode fake headlines and tweets tell you about that weeks actions.

    The UI is more intuitive and easier to use. I can find
    Huge sweeping changes to the Madden series with this one. The new game engine looks great, and gives a more fluid appearance in gameplay then previous iterations of Madden. The other portion is the game gives you a great deal of feedback; after each game in career mode fake headlines and tweets tell you about that weeks actions.

    The UI is more intuitive and easier to use. I can find settings, stats, rosters, etc in an easier, organized manner. Big plus to that. A fair amount of customization was taken out of the game, but looking at it most of them have been hardly used and catering to a "niche" audience. As usual EA has online features to include weekly game challenges from events that occurred in the NFL, updated rosters and patches. My favorite feature is how they dropped the really out of place soundtracks that previous games used stock, NFL tracks. I know that seems like a very odd thing to say, but the soundtracks provided just felt out of place; when you're trying to immerse the gamer, little things like that can be jarring.

    It's not perfect, but it's fun.
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  12. Feb 1, 2013
    0
    I've been playing an online franchise with my friends and my stats have a maximum. They have a maximum for a single game and for a season total. For instance the most receiving yards you can have in a game is 1023 and the most receiving yards you can have for a season is 8191. We on the second highest difficulty because the highest is to hard and we play seven minute accelerated clock.I've been playing an online franchise with my friends and my stats have a maximum. They have a maximum for a single game and for a season total. For instance the most receiving yards you can have in a game is 1023 and the most receiving yards you can have for a season is 8191. We on the second highest difficulty because the highest is to hard and we play seven minute accelerated clock. Does anyone else have this problem and can it be fixed? Expand
  13. Jan 7, 2013
    5
    Game all together is a great game. Great graphics the next generation of madden. Ea tootook out some great part to the series. The change playbook roster changes import is gone so a few majors gone. My biggest issue is the fact that thd game itself likes to frreze after a season or two forcing me save and shut down the syatem or to lose all progress.
  14. Jan 4, 2013
    9
    Yet, it's the best Madden NFL [EVER]. It's very realistic, BUT. Where the HELL are the presentations of the teams? I'm fan of Buccaneers (but I'm Russian^^)- where the are cannon sounds after touchdown? It's just one thing I hate. Everything else- awesome. 9/10
  15. Jan 4, 2013
    0
    Madden 13 is a disgrace to the madden frachise, it is by far and away the most unrealistic madden game i have ever played. It is way to easy to get an onside kick, it seems like you can get an onside kick atleast 85% of the time. and the game no longer tells you when your oppenent is doing an onside kick. THIS GAME SUCKS, IF YOU HAVE NOT BOUGHT IT YET SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY AND DONT!!!!
  16. Dec 13, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me preface this amateur review by saying that I am not a huge fan of "online" gaming. I enjoy nestling into the couch and getting cozy with a game--by myself. To me, there is just something about having a solo, individual connection with a game that I cannot find with games catered more towards online gamers...That said, Madden NFL 13 was a ridiculous waste of time (!!!), and as I've said, year after year, ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last great football game.
    I really want to like Madden. Although it is the only NFL game we can buy, it is still nice to have a new football game every year. Speaking strictly to the gameplay, EA Sports has a stuck with a formula that works, and the urge to break down and buy it come August of every year somehow takes over. You would think that it would behoove EA spend some its serious Madden revenue to make drastic improvements to the gameplay (new tackling animations, a more realistic sideline, thorough commentary, adjusting age-old difficulty settings to something more innovative, etc), but instead, they have chosen to get rid of the things which solo gamers love--Franchise Mode, create-a-player, Fantasy Draft with created players before franchise mode--and replaced it with a collection of pointless mediums that makes the entire Madden endeavor a fruitless one. I traded the game into GameStop after just 5 days of buying it. The sole reason as to why I usually end up breaking down each year and buying Madden was because I loved to create my own NFL, with my customized players and freedom to what I will with my own custom team. That's all gone!
    I understand online gaming. Playing with other can be fun, especially when you can do it with some stranger halfway across the globe. But I really don't care about gaming with someone in Bangkok. Slowly but surely, EA is turning Madden into something which resembles Call of Duty, when it should resemble the ultimate NFL simulation. I can only hope and pray that EA and the NFL do not broker a new, multi-year exclusivity contract. Simply put, an alternative is needed. While some people love what Madden is becoming, many others dry heave.
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  17. Dec 2, 2012
    5
    Before buying this game, the last Madden game I played was back in 2005 when I was a kid. Even then, I favored NFL 2K5 over this game. Once I heard EA bought the NFL licence, I pretty much quit football games. So then what brought me back into the series you may ask? Well, for 2 reasons: 1) My friend begged me to get the game after I repeatedly beat him in 2k12 and 2) I wanted to see howBefore buying this game, the last Madden game I played was back in 2005 when I was a kid. Even then, I favored NFL 2K5 over this game. Once I heard EA bought the NFL licence, I pretty much quit football games. So then what brought me back into the series you may ask? Well, for 2 reasons: 1) My friend begged me to get the game after I repeatedly beat him in 2k12 and 2) I wanted to see how the game was going personally. I have seen gameplay of the game and have continuously face-palmed with what they've added and removed from the game. So coming to this game I decided that I wasn't going to look at any preview trailers to give the game a fair shake. And to be honest, it didn't matter.

    First of all, they removed Franchise mode...huh? Yeah, instead they put in connected careers which I felt was a bit..unusual. I played though three player careers and a low draft pick QB behind Peyton Manning. The result: I struggled to increase my rating and Mr.Manning still didn't want to retire even after winning the super bowl against the Eagles (don't ask how). I wanted to see if I could change my position since I made my player more of a scrambler, but I couldn't. Even so, I found navigating the menus were a bit of a challenge. Since Manning didn't want to stop yet, I opted for a trade to the Patriots since Tom Brady already retired. I couldn't find it. I recommend it you're going to play this game mode, either be a low draft pick for a position that many players don't excel at or be a high draft pick or else you will never see the field.

    I won't go into other game modes like Ultimate Team because I've never played a mode like that in Madden before so go look up the game mode on YouTube to see a brief overview. However, what I will tell you about is how bad the gameplay has become of Madden. Let me first start off in saying, "Who's idea was it to make Madden more realistic?" The physics engine they imported from FIFA is complete rubbish. Many times the engine screws me over; like when I intercept a ball and my own 2 yard line, a small bump from my teammate made me down in the endzone resulting in a safety. The passing this game is still inacurate at times. You know you have to tap the button the lob and hold it to bullet the pass? It's still hard to find that sweet spot in the middle; even for elite quarterbacks like Matt Ryan. He's 95 overall and it's extremely difficult to make completions with him. If you ask me, scrambles like RG III and Cam Newton are better off in the this game. Speaking of rushing, it's stiff very hit and miss in this game. Especially when you try to cut inside. 9 times out of 10 you dude will either get tackled or trip over one of the linesmen. Staying on the topic of tacking, why do I find some players are like extremely difficult to tackle? Maurice Jones-Drew seems impossible; he can brush off 6-man pile ups and run all the way to the house. It's ridiculous.

    But that's not the end of things, it's been 7-8 years since my last Madden, and the computer STILL cheats. There are times when my linesmen would act completely unaware of an upcoming rush and they would sack me the second I snap the ball. A lot of the time when I do screen passes, they won't work. However, they always work online, as well as quarterback sneaks. This happens especially at the end of the game when you would beat the computer 3 and out and you can possibly make a game-winning drive after a punt, but then the punter would kick it out on the 1 yard line. Yeah, like I'm suppose to believe that was a coincidence.

    Then there are things are just completely unacceptable in this game that shouldn't even still be in this game. For example, the game freezes up very often. More often then not, when you call a TO the game freezes for a second. The also happens in loading screen, in menus, and sometimes during online. Which, might I continuously say, EA still hasn't fixed their servers. Several times the server will time out on me and make me lose key games. I was playing someone using the Broncos when I was using the Redskins, I was up 31-24 in the 3rd about the score in the endzone when for some reason, EA DC'd the game and gave my opponent the win. Which, might I add, people are still jerks online in Madden even back in 2005. Several times people would cuss me out for using teams like the Redskins or the Panthers or the Seehawks when they themselves would use elite teams. I also stumbled across a lag switcher and someone else using the Eagles that kept squib kicking it and somehow ended up with the ball every time and I couldn't combat it. I'm going to say that's another fault on the game, but it's really disheartening to see people abuse this game aspects.

    At the end of the day, the game is once again overhyped and overrated. I've said year after year that NFL 2K5 is still better than the current Madden and it still is. The gameplay was on spec with all needed game modes and a head cam. 2K football is better than EA's.
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  18. Nov 9, 2012
    6
    Well there's just not much to say about this year's edition. It gets a nice good 6 because the gameplay is improved. Other than that, the Franchise mode of years past is dead. And so dies my pre-order of next year's Madden.
  19. Nov 1, 2012
    7
    The game play of this madden is the best in the franchise. Where this game fails is everywhere else. I am tired of how they keep taking away the off the field features. I miss NFL2k where you got a house and played mini games in your house etc... Look at the NBA 2K series its my player feature is the most amazing single player experience in a sport game ever. Go rent it play it and youThe game play of this madden is the best in the franchise. Where this game fails is everywhere else. I am tired of how they keep taking away the off the field features. I miss NFL2k where you got a house and played mini games in your house etc... Look at the NBA 2K series its my player feature is the most amazing single player experience in a sport game ever. Go rent it play it and you will agree, i hate basketball and still play it just for the my player mode it is that good. They need to put in more announcers in madden. If you have a sunday night game have the sunday night announcers and if a monday night game have the monday night announcers and etc.... that would really help with the feeling of overly repeating announcers. This year is the worst for that, they announcers say the same things over and over and over. Madden has figured out the on field game play they need to fix everything else! Expand
  20. Sep 21, 2012
    9
    In any case we must admit that the content deserves to be highlighted on this game, the system colisions is impressive, QB are both honor a success without hesitation.
  21. Sep 21, 2012
    10
    They fixed the fantasy draft, it is a great madden now. get it
  22. Sep 20, 2012
    8
    why the hell does heaps of people hate this game?. you obviously dont know madden games because this game is class and a very awesome game so dont go hating it just because you cant play the game.
  23. Sep 20, 2012
    8
    I am not sure what all the hate is about but this is the Best Madden game I have played. Sure there are minor issues with the physics but the idea and execution for the most part is well done. The capability to play a franchise as you want is great. The presentation still needs a lot of work because it gets stale quick because they show the same intro with different people every timeI am not sure what all the hate is about but this is the Best Madden game I have played. Sure there are minor issues with the physics but the idea and execution for the most part is well done. The capability to play a franchise as you want is great. The presentation still needs a lot of work because it gets stale quick because they show the same intro with different people every time but they seem to be going the right way. If you want a good solid NFL then I say give this a try, if you want perfection then wait until 2k Sports gets back int o the ring. I'd probably give this an 8.5 if I could do decimal point ratings. Expand
  24. Sep 12, 2012
    1
    What a bummer. Has anyone else tried the career mode yet? I freeze up at least once every week in the off season and NO GAME HAS EVER FROZEN MY SYSTEM BEFORE!!! There is no excuse for such badly written code. Game play is challenging, which would be nice if I could put a team together, but with no fantasy draft and constant freezes in the off-season this is a waste of freaking time. IWhat a bummer. Has anyone else tried the career mode yet? I freeze up at least once every week in the off season and NO GAME HAS EVER FROZEN MY SYSTEM BEFORE!!! There is no excuse for such badly written code. Game play is challenging, which would be nice if I could put a team together, but with no fantasy draft and constant freezes in the off-season this is a waste of freaking time. I guess I'll play with the Pats a few times before I sell this at a second hand store. Maybe they will trade me for an older Madden game. Expand
  25. Sep 12, 2012
    8
    Madden NFL 13 is a mixed bag meaning that a lot of favorite game modes like franchise have been stripped out and replaced by connected careers. create a character create a team is not as in depth as in past madden games. there is no trophy crib to look around , there are no pre or post match TV broadcasts. And very little in the way of highlights apart from the replay highlights. ButMadden NFL 13 is a mixed bag meaning that a lot of favorite game modes like franchise have been stripped out and replaced by connected careers. create a character create a team is not as in depth as in past madden games. there is no trophy crib to look around , there are no pre or post match TV broadcasts. And very little in the way of highlights apart from the replay highlights. But saying all that this is still the best madden since 2010. yes the new physics engine can sometimes mess up and limbs bend wildly. but it makes the game more enjoyable and less predictable. Most other standard features are there some were but are hidden away in the new menus. also having to set up the controls you want for every different game mode can be annoying. Things like create a playbook are still available possibly only for certain game modes. Overall madden 13 has become an online game .rather than the offline franchise of old. everything is linked and pushed towards online play. and social media links and updates. i find the use of social media sites in games unnecessary and a pretty pointless thing to have in a game. i would rather watch a post match round up than have fake twitter feeds. Social media adds no enjoyment to game play. On the plus side ultimate teams is very good and there are a great amount of modes to play from solo challenges,head to head vs CPU,or human players. a new grid iron mode that adds challenges as they happen in real games is a good mode were you get a challenge to say come back to win with 2 minutes left in the 4Th quarter. There are stats for everything in madden from how much value you're cards are worth how many points you have how many games you won and so on. compare all these stats with friends. All the stats and card data are stored on the server so again you must be online to play. there is offline careers and exhibition matches offline but that's about all. Bad points are there is a delay on button presses while in menus and sometimes in play. also the disc edition match intro graphics slow down and visibly stutter frequently. And the graphics don't look as high resolution as the demo. i think the digital version will run smoother. There is no install game data for the disc version which seems a bad design choice. there no longer seem to be any madden milestone achievements either. And seeing coaches and team members speaking without audio is never a good thing. But Over-all its a damn good try. more arcade than sim this year. so try before you buy. Content wise enough to keep you playing until madden 14. UPDATE -Patch-version-2 Fixed all graphics and button press delay issues. Madden NFL13 now runs smooth with no issues . 8.5 Expand
  26. Sep 11, 2012
    0
    EA gets a 0 for pulling the Fantasy Draft option and not telling consumers in advance. Totally unacceptable for a company to pull a long-time feature with no warning.
  27. Sep 9, 2012
    0
    I am suffering a major case of buyers remorse. after reading the reviews and playing the demo for this game i was excited. my friend and i get together every Saturday and play franchise mode together. we like to take the lowly lions and turn them into Superbowl champs. we start buy picking frank gore in the fantasy draft then a QB, last year it was Vick followed by Randy Moss. this year iI am suffering a major case of buyers remorse. after reading the reviews and playing the demo for this game i was excited. my friend and i get together every Saturday and play franchise mode together. we like to take the lowly lions and turn them into Superbowl champs. we start buy picking frank gore in the fantasy draft then a QB, last year it was Vick followed by Randy Moss. this year i find out the only way to play coop is in play now. the game is useless to me and my friend. i am returning it and if we want to play football we'll just play the demo. Why the major reviewers didn't mention the loss of fantasy draft or coop i don't know, but I'll never buy an EA game again without reading the user reviews first. Expand
  28. Sep 6, 2012
    6
    Let me take a deep breath.. "inhale""exhale". Madden 13!!! is here, and to some great hype as well. The first thing I do is upload my rosters. "Check" Then I search for a non-existent frachise mode. OH! It's under career mode. O.K. then. Oh wait, there is no season mode. Hmmmm. O.k. I will create a coach and play this supposed franchise mode. This is funny, I can't control ticket pricesLet me take a deep breath.. "inhale""exhale". Madden 13!!! is here, and to some great hype as well. The first thing I do is upload my rosters. "Check" Then I search for a non-existent frachise mode. OH! It's under career mode. O.K. then. Oh wait, there is no season mode. Hmmmm. O.k. I will create a coach and play this supposed franchise mode. This is funny, I can't control ticket prices anymore, or purchase stadium upgrades or vending prices. O.k. I can live with that. Let me play the game then. Wow! new presentation! "fast foward 5 games" Must skip this generic presentation. Let me call a play, oh wait, it's always stuck on gameflow, uless I change it every game in the settings. Now i'm calling the shots. Run with ball for two yards. Wow, my HB just got bent completely in half, and got up. Now he just ran through a wall and disappeared while I was choosing my next play. Don't worry, he's back. My silly little gumby, can run through walls, guy. This gameplay is pretty good, improved even. This is funny, everytime I run a play, Phil Simms and Jim Nantz pull off a boring replay, which requires me to hold down the x button for 4 seconds before it lets me choos my next play. After 20 plays this 4 seconds seems like 4 minutes. Let me see, maybe I can shut this off in the settings. Nope, I can't. Gonna half to live with it I guess. Week 5 is over, my team is 5 and 0 and all I get is the same, repetetive twitter feedback from some famous broadcast jounalists. Let me see what one of these people are saying. " Tom Brady played almost perfect against the Jets on Sunday #Patriots win". No crap, he did, he threw for 475 yards with Gronk receiving 450 of'em and threw 7 touchdowns, smashing the Jets 63-0. WTF? why don't these cpu journalists recognize? Bottom line, and to be fair, I didn't play online in any mode, and haven't partaken in the ultimate madden card game where EA tries to take more of my money to buy cards. After the initial "Wow this is new", the game quickly becomes same old Madden and the flaws start to show. My biggest gripe and it hasn't changed since 2005, why can't they just present the game better. The gameplay is fine, the graphics are great, but there is something about the execution of it all that doesn't sit right with me. I don't like the new career modes. Actually, the create a superstar like mode, is most improved this year, however, they kind of painted it on the franchise mode as well, all the while removing single season mode. I feel like EA is really pushing for gamers to take this whole thing online, because you can play your franchise through other players, and your superstar as well. This bodes well for gamers that play this game online alot, and have been pushing for this sort of MMO Madden. But for those of us that arent' into getting our butts whipped every time we play one of you, it stinks. I feel like we are slowly being abandoned. Like I stated before, the game plays very good during single player, with my only gripe being that generic canned presentation that hasn't evolved since 2005. How did 2K do it with all their sports games, but EA can't do it with any of theirs? As much as 2K baseball suck,at least the presentation is great. For me, that goes a long way. For others maybe not. For all they put into the new style, it still boggles my mind why there can't be more input into the half time stats, or a sideline reporter who hocks one up to one of the coaches. Why did they get rid of the post week show where they would break down the weeks games,when all they had to do was improve it? It's a brand new Madden this year, with brand new stuff that is great ala the new animation system, but with brand new issues. Like every year, Madden 13 gets you to the Playoffs, then loses in the Super Bowl..... Expand
  29. Sep 6, 2012
    3
    This seems like a rebuilding year for Madden, they're trying out some new things with this old storied franchise. Somethings work, but there is plenty here that doesn't. It's a case of 2 yards forward and then 8 yards back. The Good: Madden looks as good as always, however the introduction of the Infinity Engine really brings some realism on the field, you'll rarely ever seen theThis seems like a rebuilding year for Madden, they're trying out some new things with this old storied franchise. Somethings work, but there is plenty here that doesn't. It's a case of 2 yards forward and then 8 yards back. The Good: Madden looks as good as always, however the introduction of the Infinity Engine really brings some realism on the field, you'll rarely ever seen the pre-done tackle animations anymore as hits and other things look more like their real live counterparts. There are a few cases of video game physics with guys heads and limbs moving in ways they aren't supposed to but that's bound to happen. Connected Career mode is the new Franchise/Superstar Mode and it's a fairly fun experience that can keep you playing for a long time. There is a ton of replay value there, however it's hampered by a couple of things/ On the field Psychic DBs and LBs are gone and defenders really have to play on the ball with the new passing and ball hawking systems. So if a Defender isn't looking at the ball while it's in the air they won't magically instantly turn and intercept it, same goes for Wideouts. New commentators are in this year, so you won't have to hear Gus Johnson over exaggerate a play or Cris Collonsworth say...well anything. My ear holes welcome to the new commentators though of course after a few games they will grow to be repetitive, they should take a cue from NBA 2ks commentating style and have a more broadcast type commentary. The Bad: Like with all Maddens they inject some things and then take some things out for little to no reason. The following key features have been removed from Madden. -You can no longer edit players in Franchise/Superstar mode(Which I'll now call called Connected Careers or CCM) this means you cannot take costume rosters into these modes at all. You can't even edit numbers or equipment used in these modes. -You can't import your NCAA Draft Class, Imported Draft classes are poorly done in Madden yes, but I still enjoyed watching my college players evolve in the big leagues, that is no longer at all possible. -You can't do Offline CCM with more than 1 person. Were you like me and had a group of Madden Heads participate in your franchises? Welp , unless everyone you play Madden with has their own copy and access to the internet that is no longer possible. This is a HUGE HUGE mistake, I know lots of developers seem to think couch play is dead, but it is still very much alive and the fact they took this out of this edition of Madden is a HUGE mistake. -I cannot stress enough how stupid it is that you can't control more than one team/player in CCM I really can't. -No Fantasy Draft, you heard me. The Ugly: After years of demands, Madden finally has Gameface, which will put your actual face onto a player so you won't have to choose from one of the random horrible looking heads. However your mileage with Game face will vary, you have to have excellent lighting and an excellent camera to get the perfect picture, too bright or dark and your skin tone will be way off and depending on the hairstyle you choose your hair may end up terrible for example, you can't go bald or have a shaved head. You'll get saddled with a horrendous haircut that clips through your head. Your eyes mostly likely will come how incredibly weird. Most of your facial hair will go unrecognized, and you just may end up looking completely different. And unlike the World Cup/FiFA games you can only have one Game face in use at a time, where as in World Cup you could sort of cheat the system and have multiple Game faces But of course that doesn't matter because outside of Play Now mode you can't even use multiple created players. Speaking of that, in CCM unless your position is in demand on your favorite team and not filled by a superstar be prepared to ride the pine for a number of years. You get the most XP to raise your players stats when you get into actual regular season games, though your rating my drop if you don't fit the teams offensive scheme and if you're hoping to start as a West Coast QB in say, Green Bay you can just forget that. You'll never see a single down in a regular season game. The only other alternative is Practice, and practice is NOT FUN. It isBOOOOOORING, it has always been BOOOORING. You know what was fun that they took away? Camp Drills. They should bring those back, again look at NBA 2ks drills. The Verdict: Madden 13 does a few things right and a number of things horrendously wrong. All the fun has been sucked out of their season type modes and without those you're stuck with just playing exhibition games and thats only fun for so long. Save your money for next years Madden if they get that right, or something else. Hell go buy a real football, you're bound to have more fun with that than this iteration of Madden. Expand
  30. Sep 5, 2012
    10
    I gave Madden a 10 because there are too many low scores cmon guys its all new and fun as hell I wasn't too pleased at first but learn to play it it doesn't suck just because you can't throw a slant every down with no way to defend or cheap screens. Learn or know football and this game rules!! You can put some good realistic drives together unlike any Madden on PS3. I put the Detroit LionsI gave Madden a 10 because there are too many low scores cmon guys its all new and fun as hell I wasn't too pleased at first but learn to play it it doesn't suck just because you can't throw a slant every down with no way to defend or cheap screens. Learn or know football and this game rules!! You can put some good realistic drives together unlike any Madden on PS3. I put the Detroit Lions in some ass online with good 5 minute drives and am so addicted. Get at me online on PS3 my PSN name is the same as on here. See you online to put Megatron down your throats. Good day Sirs!! Expand
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. PSM3 Magazine UK
    Oct 23, 2012
    82
    Too much has been thrown in at once, and that grates on the overall enjoyment of the exceptional on-field action. [Dec 2012, p.104]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 9, 2012
    80
    The problem - and the reason Maddden doesn't creep into 9/10 territory - is the (Connected Careers) mode feels like a bets. [Nov 2012, p.113]
  3. Play UK
    Oct 2, 2012
    86
    An essential purchase for owners of last year's Madden? Probably not but if you haven't tried this series yet, you're missing out. [Issue#223, p.79]