Madden NFL 13: Best New Features We Can't Wait to See

EA Sports have to keep us coming back for more, so new gameplay elements have been introduced to Madden 13 so that the game stays fresh. Rather than the usual surface upgrades, however, the new features for this year look to have some real thought behind them.

Outside of the game itself, the “Madden Curse” should be lifted this year, as Calvin Johnson adorns the cover. Barring any kind of freak injury—I apologize in advance if that now happens, Lions fans—Johnson should tear up the field this year, renewing his connection with Matthew Stafford.

Anyway, on to the game.

Infinity Engine looks to make the whole game seem new again. Changing the reactions and animations of the players to behave in a more realistic manner, Infinity Engine means that much more care has to be taken when running through traffic.

Subtle differences in each player’s height and weight will mean that they respond to contact differently, so the gaining of yards is much more satisfying, just like real football.

When directing your new offense, it is now important that each player carries out their assignment, as misread blocks or botched plays will result in an embarrassing collision with your own teammate

The feature that I’m most excited about is Total Control Passing. If I’ve just led an incredible drive down the field, the last thing I want is for the Madden AI to screw the whole thing up for me by having my player behave like no NFL player would ever think of doing.

The amount of times I’ve screamed at my team—It's OK, I’m a Redskins fan, so I’m used to it—as they let me down with their completely unintuitive behavior has gone beyond human comprehension.

Receivers would just stop for no reason and wait in coverage while I threw another incomplete pass or interception, then the whole saga would begin again on the next series.

Now, however, I can control my offensive line, or make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. If I make mistakes, I can no longer blame EA Sports and everything that they stand for.

This new feature will significantly reduce my blood pressure, as well as making everything more pleasant for the people around me. Although, when I slump to yet another defeat, it will also mean that I have to start admitting that maybe I’m not as good as I had previously thought.

Actually, maybe the changes aren’t such a good idea, after all.