(/Begin conversation with clerk at game store.)

“Hey look, a new version of Madden hit the store shelves. I can guess without playing, features include better graphics, updated game-play and new animations for tackles, hits and standing on the sideline shivering.”

“Wow, are you some type of psychic?”

“Nope. I know what EA attempts to pass off as “Updated and New.”

(/End conversation with clerk at game store.)

I can’t tell you why I’m writing a review for this game. Maybe because I enjoy the masochistic pain I feel every time I play a quick game between the Detroit “Beat the Hell out of me” Lions and anyone else the AI picks. Maybe because I sometimes enjoy cutting my arms with razor blades to release hidden endorphins and pump myself up to get excited about “yet another damn football game from EA.” Or maybe I’m just stupid. The folks at EA will check off the latter, since they want fans of the Madden series to go out and spend the $60 for each new installment with only a few “features and upgrades.” Other than cut scenes and useless crap players like me could live without, there’s not much difference between this and Madden 11. The defensive side of Madden has been rebuilt to make hitting, tackling and the defensive plays more interactive. The graphics (surprise) have been polished a bit to make the flow of action more fluid, however the cut scenes from tackles and hits break the flow of the game up enough to stop the game and show you a small animation of the action you did. Think of it as a movie where you are watching, deep into the action, and the director cuts and shows you another side of something you just saw. Color me unimpressed. However, I have come up with a solution:

Dear EA:

I know you enjoy squeezing on the teats of Madden fans each year and milking $60 which could otherwise be spent on vital necessities such as food and Mountain Dew or Monster (depending on the taste of the player) instead of purchasing essentially a minor upgrade year after year. What I propose to you, EA, is release one major game (maybe call it “Madden,”) and each year offer the fans of “Madden” the ability to update their game as a DLC for a smaller fee of $15-$20 which would include the graphics and roster updates, and also include the newer little things you throw in each year which make the game “new.”

I fully understand you are in the business to make games and make money as any successful business must be in order to survive in this day and age. Your customers are also struggling to make ends meet due to the economic issues of the times and if you could loosen the noose around the neck of these faithful players going out of their way to obtain your latest software offering, you may see your numbers grow as more players are capable of playing the games they wish to play without the violent gouging of the software industry.

I also understand you have enormous bills to pay and your executives require solid gold coffee mugs which need to be purchased, however I am speaking on behalf of the end user themselves, not your board members.

Please consider my letter as nothing more than a player wishing to not have to sell my last kidney to play another upcoming EA title.

- Dr. Chris Tallant

The Bottom Line: By far, the best looking and playing Madden game to date. You already knew this, so why bother asking?

Rating System: (0-10 ranking)
Graphics:	Clean, crisp and fluid. My single complaint is some of the different “new” perspectives Madden 12 force you to view from the stands, not as a player.	9
Storyline:	It’s football. The different modes give you many different options such as Franchise and such, however these are the same modes in Madden 11.	9
Controls:	If you’ve played Madden before, you know how to play.	10
Replayability:	One of the best features of being a sports game, the more you play, the better you become.	10
Value:	Not worth the $60 price tag. Personally, I would pick anything from 2007 until recent and save money for Taco bell.	5
Total:	43 out of 50

- Chris Tallant