Madden NFL 12 is an
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game based on the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
published by
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
and developed by
EA TiburonEA Tiburon is an Electronic Arts video game development studio located in Maitland, Florida, United States founded in 1994. It is located just north of the Orlando, Florida downtown area. It was formerly known as Tiburon Entertainment, which was acquired by EA in 1998.The studio is most well known...
. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and September 2, 2011 in Europe. It was available on August 27, 2011 to EA Sports Season Ticket subscribers for a 3 day trial.
The demo was released on August 9, featuring a game between the
Green Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and
Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
General
- Rookies now have real faces, but they are that of current NFL players.
- The Madden Developers team is available in Play Now mode by pressing random team.
- Various non-NFL players can be found in the free agents.
- Hope Bromley, a female quarterback, can be found in the free agents, as she won the McDonald's Monopoly, allowing her to be in the game.
Gameplay
- The kickoffs are now at the 35-yard line rather than the 30-yard line, to match the NFL's rule changing.
- Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
s 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
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
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 manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
s 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.
- When a player is placed on Injured Reserve you may sign a new player without having to cut anyone.
Cover athlete
On March 21, 2011, EA began a bracket style 32-player tournament (with one player per team) for fans to vote and decide who would appear on the cover for the 2012 edition of Madden. The two players in the final round of the tournament were running back
Peyton HillisHillis was selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.-2008 Season:At the start of the 2008 season, Hillis was listed as the Broncos' starting fullback...
of the
Cleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and quarterback
Michael VickMichael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
of the
Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Peyton Hillis was announced as the winner on
ESPN'sEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
SportsNationSportsNation is a sports-related television program that airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN America and ESPNews. It is hosted by Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle. It is based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com...
. Peyton Hillis won the vote with 66% to Vick's 34%.
Soundtrack
Source:
- "6 Foot 7 Foot
"6 Foot 7 Foot" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, taken from his ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV . It was officially released on iTunes on December 16, 2010. It was produced by "A Milli" producer Bangladesh. The song samples from "Day-O " by Harry Belafonte.-Background:"6 Foot 7 Foot" is...
" – Lil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
featuring Cory GunzPeter Cory Pankey, Jr. is an American rapper, better known by his stage name Cory Gunz. He is the son of rapper Peter Gunz, member of the rap duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, and cousin of fellow rapper Junior. Gunz is currently signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum...
- "All Around The World" – Theophilus London
Theophilus London is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City.-Early life:London was born on the island Trinidad, on February 23 of 1987 and was raised in Brooklyn briefly, then moved to the suburbs of the Poconos.-Records:...
- "Architects" – Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
- "Award Tour
"Award Tour" is a song by A Tribe Called Quest, released as the first single from their third album Midnight Marauders. It contains a sample of "We Gettin' Down" by Weldon Irvine, from his 1975 album Spirit Man. The B-side of the single is the original version of the Midnight Marauders track "The...
" – A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
- "Back For More" – Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2005, the group's name is derived from classic oriental martial arts cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Bingham, bassist Matt Snell,...
- "Boom
"Boom" is a song by West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg and serves as the second official single from his eleventh studio album Doggumentary. The song features Grammy-winning artist T-Pain and was produced by Scott Storch...
" – Snoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
featuring T-PainFaheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
- "Bridge Burning" – Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
- "Champion
"Champion" is a song by British rapper Chipmunk featuring American singer Chris Brown from Chipmunk's second studio album Transition. It was released as the second single from the album on February 6, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The song was written by Harmony "H-Money" Samuels, Chipmunk, Eric...
" - ChipmunkJahmaal Noel Fyffe known by his stage name Chipmunk, is a British hip hop rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, London....
featuring Chris Brown
- "Colours" – Grouplove
Grouplove is an American indie rock band which was formed in 2009 by Hannah Hooper, Christian Zucconi, Sean Gadd , Andrew Wessen and Ryan Rabin .-Biography:Grouplove began when Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi forged a friendship with...
- "Don't Play Me Close" - David Rush
David Rush, also known as Young Bo$$, is an American rapper.As Young Bo$$, he scored his first success as a featured artist on the Pitbull song "Go Girl", which peaked at #83 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
- "Get Up!
"Get Up!" is a song written and recorded by Korn that appears on their tenth studio album, The Path of Totality. It was released as the album's lead single on May 6, 2011. Since its release it has sold over 200,000 downloads in the United States. It was debuted live at Coachella with Skrillex...
" - KornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
featuring Skrillex
- "Get the — Up" – Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha , better known by his stage name YelaWolf, is an American rapper. He is currently signed to Shady Records, Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment and Interscope Records...
- "Ghetto Dreams
-Reception:Reviews have been mostly positive. The production and lyrics have created a lot of buzz for the upcoming album, being slated as a major return to the 90's bangers. Universally the song has been praised for its '90s sounding production by veteran great No I.D...
" – Common featuring NasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
- "I Want It All
"I Want It All" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured on their 1989 twelfth studio album The Miracle. Written by guitarist and backing vocalist Brian May and produced by David Richards, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 2 May 1989...
"/"We Will Rock You"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
" – QueenQueen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
featuring ArmageddonTerror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...
- "Last Man Standing" – Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm...
featuring AkonAliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
- "Make Some Noise
"Make Some Noise" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their eighth studio album album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two . Following two other singles from the album, "Make Some Noise" was released on April 11, 2011, prior to the album's release...
" – Beastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
- "Mind Your Manners" – Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
featuring Icona Pop
- "Money for the Weekend" – Alberta Cross
Alberta Cross is a New York-based band, formed by Petter Ericson Stakee & Terry Wolfers . Despite their different upbringings - Stakee travelled from an early age between Sweden and England with his singer-songwriter father, whilst Wolfers was brought up in London's East End - they formed what...
- "On Ya Mind" – MellowHype
MellowHype is an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that consists of OFWGKTA members Hodgy Beats , real name Gerard Long, and Left Brain , real name Vyron Turner. Hodgy Beats claims the two met by having similar friends in high school. Left Brain was looking for an artist and Hodgy...
- "Pass Out" – Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
- "That Ain't Classy" – Classified
Luke Boyd , professionally known as Classified, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.-Career:...
- "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
"They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock and CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 90s hip hop...
" – Pete Rock & CL SmoothPete Rock & C.L. Smooth are a hip-hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, All Souled Out and followed with 1992's Mecca and the Soul Brother LP.-The Golden Age :...
In addition, the introduction video uses the song "Mind Heist" by
Zack HemseyZack Hemsey is an American composer and recording artist, best known for the use of his music in film trailers. A notable example was "Trailer 3" of the 2010 movie Inception which included his composed piece "Mind Heist"; it is a common misconception that the piece for this trailer was composed by...
.
Release and reception
| Reception |
| Aggregate sores |
| Aggregator |
Score |
| Xbox 360 | PS3 | Wii | iOS |
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
|
78 |
79 |
– |
71 |
The
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and
PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions received generally favorable reviews upon release, garnering respective average scores of 78/100 and 79/100 on review aggregation site
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
The iOS version of the game received mixed reviews from critics, with a
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
average score of 71.
Hall of Fame edition
A special "Hall of Fame" cover was also announced, with
Madden NFL 2003Madden NFL 2003 is an American football video game. It features then-reigning 3 time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to feature EA Trax...
cover athlete and 2011
Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
inductee
Marshall FaulkMarshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
appearing in his
St. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
uniform. One of four autographed
PaniniPanini Group is a company headquartered in Modena, Italy, named after the Panini brothers who founded it in 1961. The company produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries. Panini distributes its own products, and...
trading cards featuring Faulk is included in each copy. Two valuable cards (one for the Xbox 360 and one for the PlayStation 3) are made up of 18
karatThe karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
gold. In Ultimate Team mode, there is a Platinum Pack featuring thirteen Hall of Famers and former cover athletes. This version is only available in region 1 formats for sale in the United States.