Madden NFL 13 PS Vita Review

Madden NFL 13 PS Vita ReviewWhen Sony introduced the PS Vita this spring, an EA Sports’ Madden NFL football game was mysteriously absent from the launch line up. I mean, EA Sports usually has a Madden game of some kind for a new system launch. Even that unearthly abomination of a “Madden” game (using the term very loosely) that launched along the Nintendo 3DS got some shelf space. But for some reason, Madden for the Vita was not to be, at least not at launch.

Now, as the 2012-13 football season is about to kick-off, EA Sports introduces the first Madden game for the PS Vita system. Was it worth the wait? In two words: sort of.


Madden NFL 13 is a good game. It’s a great handheld football game. Maybe the best I’ve ever played. But there seems to be something missing. Something that could have made Madden NFL 13 become the MUST OWN Vita sports title. It shares a lot of the new features with its console cousins. New NFL-focused presentation; New announcing team of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz; New rosters with hot new players, such as Indy’s Andrew Luck and Washington’s RGIII. But when other features are compared, the cracks start to show.

One of the most glaring omissions is the lack of cross-platform play, which is a major selling point of the Vita system. To be able to share games, careers, and franchises between the PS3 and Vita would have been incredible. Sony was able to pull it off famously with the MLB 12: The Show series this year, so why couldn’t EA Sports?

Another issue is the absence of online franchises. The Vita sells itself as a connected, “play anytime, anywhere” system, yet another major feature that shows off that capability is missing. And keeping with this theme, Madden NFL 13 is sorely lacking the Connected Careers feature from its console cousins.

Madden NFL 13 PS Vita Review

What is “in the game” is a very tight, wonderful gameplay experience. The game plays extremely well. The Vita’s second control stick makes all the difference for long-time fans of the series, both the PSP and console fans. The additions of the Vita-only features, such as motion kicking (you tilt the Vita and use the built in gyro controls to aim kicks and punts) and the rear touch screen used for line shifts and some defensive controls make for some interesting interfaces. But the front touch screen is a revelation. Player selection can now be done by simply touching the player you want to control. Audibles can be called at the line, and then with a button press, new pass “hot routes” can be drawn directly onto the screen.

I have literally drawn up some of the wackiest plays imaginable, and burned DBs who have the A.I. of a napping four-year old. And every time I do it, it amazes me. In fact, I’ve started having more fun with it, and will draw shapes and letters and then watch my WRs run the routes, only to dump the ball to my RB for a gain, as every DB is out trying to cover my guys, who are resembling drunk mimes on ecstasy. Fun!

The game looks fantastic as well. The Vita’s 5″ OLED screen brings out fine HD details, and the player models represent the real players very well. There is a slight issue with texturing, as some details aren’t as sharp as others. It’s almost as if certain graphics can’t handle the Vita’s powerful screen. Players sometimes look wet… like, “I’m playing in a waterfall” wet; some coaches are so muddled that they almost look cell-shaded; and the ominous teammates on the sideline, who stand as still as Golems, with no designs other than a generic uniforms (sans numbers).

But for the players on the field, the graphics pop. Motion is fluid with zero blur, and the player models run smooth and clean. And the finite details of the NFL experience are there as well. Drew Brees has his birthmark. RGIII has his dreads, and Eli Manning still looks confused… all of the time.

With that being said, there is also a major frame rate drop, especially in the menus and play call screens. The lag also affects online games, and I’ve lost online competitors because of frame rate staggers and lag. I can’t tell if it my connection, the Vita, or the game itself. My connection works well with other games, and my Vita works well with other online games, so that points to the obvious.

Madden NFL 13 PS Vita Review

Unfortunately, the new Infinity Engine physics engine did not make the trip to this version of Madden NFL 13, but hopefully EA Sports can make it work, as it is doing wonders for the console version of the game.

Sound wise, EA discarded the rap/rock soundtrack of previous Madden games and installed an orchestrated “NFL-like presentation,” for lack of a better term. The same type of presentation you would see any Sunday, before any game. It makes for a huge improvement. Also, Simms and Nantz are good announcers, who ad-lib a bunch of their lines to add a level of realism. The bad news is that you still hear the same things over and over, especially if you play a franchise for a long period of time. And of course, the nonsense is still there. My favorite moment so far this season has been when Phil Simms commended the Saints line for giving Drew Brees enough time to throw the ball, even though it was a clock-killing, spike-the-ball play.

Glitches, and feature omissions aside, Madden NFL 13 is still a great game. It looks incredible on the PS Vita, sounds great in stereo, and plays like a charm. It has the game modes that fans want (create a player, franchise/dynasty) and it makes for a great NFL experience.

All-in-all, Madden NFL 13 is far from the bare-bones launch title that normally marks the first game for a new system. It is one of the best handheld football experiences I have ever played. With a full year to plan, and hopefully (fingers crossed) inclusion of the magnificent Infinity Engine, Madden NFL 14 will be even better.

Shop for Madden NFL 13 on PS Vita for a discounted price at Amazon.com (August 28, 2012 release date).

Madden NFL 13 PS Vita Review

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