Madden 12: Reviews and Guide to This Year's Game

The 2012 edition of Madden will be officially released to the public on August 30th, 2011. For the first time in Madden history, the cover was voted on by fan vote.

The fans responded by awarding Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis with the cover over the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick.

Madden has been the most popular football game for years, and they are poised to make the game even better in 2012. EA Sports is constantly tweaking the game and making little changes that put the game over the top for the fans.

This year's edition of the game is set to be the most realistic football game ever made, and fans everywhere are hoping that the game lives up to expectation.

From the updated rosters to all the new features, Bleacher Report has all the up-to-date analysis on Madden 12.

Madden 12 Draws Early Praise

Get ready fellow Madden-Heads, Madden 12 sounds awesome. Reviews for Madden 12 are in, and they rather unanimously glowing. It appears as if this is one of the best releases of the franchise. By all accounts this game takes a big step from Madden 11.

Drawing the most praise is the new collision system. This system creates over 100 hit like simulations for games, and makes the experience even more realistic. It's not just the hits either, but new camera angles make this game look more like an NFL broadcast. 

That isn't the only feature drawing praise. The new custom playbook is a big early hit, and for good reason. Frankly I have no idea why it took this long to incorporate this. If you are like me, there were always certain plays you like in different playbooks, but there was never one playbook that had them all. Now we can take whatever plays we like and put them in one.

Madden 12 also takes its on-line gaming to the next level. It allows gamers to set up their own communities with their own league rules and game styles.

Madden 12 Top Rookies

Madden 12 is setting rookie standards higher than ever before. Unlike previous years where you may see a rookie at an 85+ overall, there are only five rookies in the entire game who have a rating of 80 or above.

As you can see below, the game isn't buying into Cam Newton's upside. The No. 1 overall pick didn't crack the top 10. Here are the 10 rookies who have the highest Madden 12 overall rating.

Player	Overall
Patrick Peterson	82
Marcel Dareus	82
Prince Amukamara	81
A.J. Green	80
J.J. Watt	80
Von Miller	79
Mike Pouncey	79
Mark Ingram	79
Julio Jones	78
Robert Quinn	78

Madden 12 Review

Some have been lucky enough to pick up a promotional edition of Madden 12, unfortunately, I'm not one of the lucky ones.

However, the folks over at Joystiq were able to find a copy laying around. Here are a couple bits and pieces from Mike Suszek's review of Madden 12:

"

It's not the kind of game that answers every problem players have with football games. But this year, EA Sports tackled some core issues that elevates this game as one of the best in the series.

The concept of "just like you're watching it on TV" shines through in the smallest of details, from the stickers and scuffs on helmets to the grass stains players earn on their jerseys.

The main complaint I have with Madden 12's presentation, aside from the cardboard crowds, is the commentary, which is at near-disaster levels. Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth return this year, with recycled lines from Madden 11 in hand, calling each game fairly inaccurately, blandly, and with as much vagueness as possible.

This year, you actually control players up until the moment they collide with another player. This means one of my biggest issues with Madden 11 can be left in last year's game: no more suction.

I've seen no instances in Madden 12 of players warping awkwardly into an animation, whether it's my fullback opening a running lane for me, or a receiver making an amazing catch. This player fluidity doesn't just make the game look better, but it makes the game play much better than Madden 11.

"

In the end, Mr. Suszek gave Madden 3.5 stars out of 5. It wasn't a rave review but he was able to verify a lot of the key concerns that players had about the game.

The whole "warping" of players was a huge turn off to many, and that improvement alone should make the game 10 times better. Unfortunately I can't verify that so if any of you find a promo copy lying around, send that off to Virginia for good measure!

Madden 100 Club

Madden 12 is giving fans the chance to determine some of the rankings for the first time. EA Sports will be giving away the coveted '100' ranking to five players this year with the help of a fan vote.

The five categories that can be voted on include: throwing accuracy, elusiveness, hit power, speed, and spectacular catch.

Here are the candidates for each category, which can be voted on at the SportsNation website (where the results will be revealed on Friday, August 26th at 4 PM).

Throwing Accuracy	Elusiveness	Hit Power	Spectacular Catch	Speed
Tom Brady	Jamaal Charles	Ray Lewis	Braylon Edwards	Chris Johnson
Peyton Manning	Adrian Peterson	James Harrison	Brandon Lloyd	DeSean Jackson
Drew Brees	Danny Woodhead	Patrick Willis	Larry Fitzgerald	Jamaal Charles
Aaron Rodgers	LeSean McCoy	Rey Maualaga	Calvin Johnson	Devin Hester
Philip Rivers	Ray Rice	Clay Matthews	Dez Bryant	Jacoby Ford

What Madden 12 Looks Like

For those who haven't headed over to Youtube yet to check out some of the new gameplay, here are some sneak peaks of the full game.

Here we have an intriguing matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans where you can take a look at the new player introductions and the coin toss.

You can also take a look at a snow game, in Oakland, now you don't see that often.

One thing to notice in the video is that you can examine how the new kickoff rule will affect the game. Sebastian Janikowski took the opening kickoff for Oakland and the ball didn't sail out of the endzone, giving some hope that kickoff returns will still play a role in this game.

Janikowski was kicking into an angled 19 mph wind, but it was still nice to see the ball stay in the field of play, giving the possibility of a return.

Take a look at this video from E3, and feel free to check out youtube for plenty more videos from E3.

Check out All of the New Madden 12 Features

Madden 12 always finds a way to up realistic experience of their gaming. And Madden 12 offers plenty of new features that do just that. 

I can't wait for the new collision system. It is supposed to make the big hits even more captivating and their are over 100 tackle animations.

However, my favorite new feature is without a doubt the custom playbook. This will allow gamers to mix and match plays from the 75 different playbooks to create a playbook custom fit to their style.

Check out all of the new features as posted on Wikipedia.org:

Gameplay

• The kickoffs are now at the 35-yard line due to the 2011 NFL lockout rule change.
• Onside kicks can be executed from standard kickoff formations.
• Tuner sets can be downloaded in order for developers to improve gameplay code without the distribution of official patches.
• To support awareness for concussions, players who suffer a concussion during gameplay will no longer be allowed to return to the game.
• A new collision system uses momentum to produce more authentic tackling and hits with 100 new tackle animations, including 40 gang tackles.
• AI enhancements allow players in zone and man coverage to correctly recognize and react to plays with the capability to break out of assignments when necessary.
• The custom playbooks feature allows the player to modify an existing playbook or create his or her own by selecting plays from 75 playbooks.
• The opening presentation for games includes mascots and cheerleaders for all teams that have them.
• Player traits change dynamically throughout a game based on his performance.
• Quarterbacks have distinct throwing motions, making them look much more like their real-life counterparts.

Franchise mode

• During free agency in franchise mode, players bid auction-style against other general managers for free agents.
• Expanded rosters in the preseason allow teams to have 75 players on the roster and need to make roster cuts each week.
• Unlike previous versions of Madden NFL, players can trade for future draft picks.
• There are also hot and cold streaks that will affect player ratings throughout the season.

Full Madden 12 Team Rankings

The Packers and the Steelers are the two highest ranked teams in Madden 12. Can't argue with that, right? They are the only two teams rated 90 or higher.

The Bengals and Cardinals are bringing up the rear of the pack with 70 rankings. And I am certainly not going to argue with that either.

Check out the full listings below:

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: 82

Philadelphia Eagles: 86

New York Giants: 83

Washington Redskins: 74

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: 70

San Francisco 49ers: 77

St. Louis Rams: 78

Seattle Seahawks: 76

NFC North

Green Bay Packers: 92

Chicago Bears: 85

Detroit Lions: 76

Minnesota Vikings: 74

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: 87

New Orleans Saints: 85

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 84

Carolina Panthers: 72

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: 73

Miami Dolphins: 78

New York Jets: 87

New England Patriots: 88

AFC West

Denver Broncos: 74

San Diego Chargers: 85

Kansas City Chiefs: 84

Oakland Raiders: 76

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals: 71

Cleveland Browns: 74

Baltimore Ravens: 86

Pittsburgh Steelers: 90

AFC South

Houston Texans: 80

Indianapolis Colts: 85

Jacksonville Jaguars: 75

Tennessee Titans: 73

Previewing the New Features for Madden 12

Madden 12 has added a couple of new features this year that are expected to make the game a lot more realistic.

According to wired.com, there are few new features that should really improve the game. Here are the new features to expect from Madden 12: 

1. Collision Engine

The tackling is expected to be much more realistic this year, with each player's attributes (including size and weight) playing a more important role in tackling. That won't make tackling as easy as it has been in the past, and it might be a bit easier to run the ball in Madden 12.

With this new engine, defenders won't suck in players like they have in the past, and it should be easier to juke at the line of scrimmage this year.

They are also planning on recognizing concussions for the first time. If a player is concussed, he will automatically miss the remainder of the game.

2. Cinema

Madden 12 is doing more than just improving gameplay, as they reportedly worked with NFL Films to make team introductions as realistic as possible.

3. Player Performance

Madden 12 is expected to use specific player traits to improve the game. For example, Ben Roethlisberger, who is one of the best players at avoiding the pass rush, will sidestep pass rushers more than other quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks who are clutch performers will play better during clutch situations, and players that choke more frequently are more likely to flame out.

4. Intangibles

Adding veterans to your roster will help improve your younger players that need to develop and learn from experienced veterans. For example, if you are playing with the Carolina Panthers, you may want to pick up an experienced quarterback, like the retired Marc Bulger, to hold the clipboard and mentor the rising star.