Madden 12
From: EA Sports
For: Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii
Four stars (out of five)
The series: Universally recognised as the best, most influential title in sports gaming history.
Cover boy: Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, chosen after a fan vote. The other finalist was Michael Vick. Obviously plenty of people will never forgive him for the dogfighting thing.
New features: Lots, as usual. Most of which seem fairly vague, as usual. New hot and cold streaks affect players; there are 100 new tackle animations; some AI enhancement work has been done; and, er, onside kicks can be executed from standard kickoff formations. So there you go.
Why it's the greatest sports game EVER: Nothing feels or looks as good as Madden. It's the closest a sports gamer gets to the real thing. The gameplay is almost impeccable. There's always someone available to play online.
The big hits, dazzling runs and spectacular passing plays are among the most thrilling experiences in any video game.
Why it's not: It feels like Madden 11, which kinda felt like Madden 10. Some of the menus get confusing. Occasionally there's some jerky screen movement that is not at all pleasant to watch.
