Madden 13: Analyzing Playability of Game's Camera Angles

Madden 13 offers gamers four different camera angles to play from. There is the ever popular standard view, which most of us are accustomed to, but there are three others that could appeal to some gamers.

I'll break these angles down for you and cover the pros and cons of each angle.

I've ranked them from most practical to least practical for gameplay. That said, even the least practical camera views have some appeal for novel usage.

Let's start with the one most of us know and love:

Standard

This is still clearly the most playable camera view available for Madden. It is the only view that allows you to see the entire field horizontally and vertically. 

It is zoomed close enough to capture the visual detail in the game, but not too much to obscure any mandatory vision. For traditional usage and competitive play, this is definitely the view to go with.

Here is an example of gameplay from this camera angle:

Wide

This view is very similar to the standard view, but it's simply farther back from the action. It is certainly playable, but I find myself missing tackles on defense because the players are too small on the screen.

The action does zoom once the ball-carrier crosses the line of scrimmage, but before that happens it feels a little like playing from a blimp view.

I suppose some may be attracted to this because it gives an even wider view of the field, but I'd stay with standard over this choice.

Here are some examples of gameplay from this camera angle:

Zoomed

This view isn't very practical in traditional play. Controlling all the players on your team is difficult when you can't see the entire field. But if you're playing Connected Careers as a player, this could add to that singular control concept.

The camera is zoomed in close to the action, and if you're only controlling one player, the action will stay locked in on you.

From a novelty standpoint this camera view could add to the enjoyment of a Connected Career experience as a player.

Here is an example of gameplay from this camera angle:

Broadcast

This angle is easily the prettiest, and most TV-like view available on the game. But it is virtually unplayable playing as a single player, or controlling an entire team.

In the running game you can't really pick holes, and in the passing game you can't see down the field.

On defense, you can't find gaps in the offensive line to gain penetration, and covering down the field is nearly impossible.

However, there is a small percentage of gamers that enjoy watching the action in addition to or instead of playing.

Some choose to simply call the plays and allow the CPU to execute. It's very similar to the experience featured in a previously released title called NFL Head Coach. 

This view is perfect for that type of experience.

Before Connected Careers there was a franchise mode that allowed you to play or watch the games for every team in your league. This camera angle would have been great for that as well.

That doesn't exist anymore so it limits the usage value of the broadcast angle, but it's still nice to look at.

Here are two examples of gameplay from this angle. The first is simulated with no human-controlled teams, the second is with a human-controlled team for the Dolphins.

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