Madden NFL 13 Created and Produced by EA Sports
EA Tiburon. (1988). Madden nfl 13. Redwood City, CA:EA Sports.
Plot Summary
Madden NFL is the most popular football videogame series available. The game allows you to pick a current team, and play a regular NFL season in hopes of winning the Super Bowl. Another option allows you to handpick your own team from a variety of players. You play multiple sessions and are able to draft, trade, and cut players from your team. During the season you must also work out new contracts for players to convince them to stay with the team. Minicamps allow your players to hone skills and improve and understand game play. Playing minicamps can also provide you with special cards used as power ups, or special advantages, that can be used for the regular season mode against other teams. There is also an online feature where you may play against friends, or anyone else around the world who is playing online at the same time. Those with headsets are also able to communicate to those they are playing with online.
Critical Evaluation
John Madden, a retired sportscaster and the name behind the title, is no longer involved in the game, but continues to lend his name. Others now provide the voice commentary Madden NFL is known for. This aspect of the game provides play-by-play commentary as if the players were watching a live game. Rabid football fans have a slight advantage, as they already know specific player strengths and weaknesses, helpful when choosing to handpick teams instead of using existing franchises. However, stats are listed for each football player and savvy videogamers will know to choose a variety of strengths and weaknesses in order to have a full lineup of abilities. The game updates each year with new football players, stats, and teams. Minicamps are designed to work as training camps where players can train their teams and hone individual skills. Improvements from these camps are slight; it would be unrealistic for a football player to suddenly improve substantially, when the actual player has not. The headset option allows for a great deal of interaction with other players and provides a fuller playing experience. Headsets make the game more closely resemble actual games where coaches are determining plays and may be heard yelling out when a play goes correctly, or fails miserably. However, the headset also opens up potential dangers as players can play against anyone else online, even those they do not know. In the end, Madden NFL is a game about football for those who love football, or just want a good competition-style videogame.
Reader’s Annotation
The latest Madden NFL version, it includes the most recent football team lineups.
About the Author
Madden NFL, formerly known as John Madden Football, was released by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1988. EA founder Trip Hawkins first thought of the idea in 1984, when he approached Madden, a well-known sports broadcaster, with the idea. Since 1990, a new version is released each year with new players and new teams. In 2010, EA announced it had sole over 85 million Madden NLF games, as many as two million a week, and more than $3 billion in sales. Each new game requires a team of 30 developers and 100 game testers. John Madden provided the voice commentary until Madden NFL 09. Madden NFL is the NFL’s second-largest source of revenue from licensing.
EA Tiburon is an Electronic Arts video game development studio in Florida. It was founded in 1994, and acquired by EA in 1998. EA Tiburon currently develops all the Madden NFL games as well as other NFL videogames and other sports related games. The game is currently played on XBOX 360 or Playstation 3.
Genre
Videogame/Sports
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Booktalking
N/A
Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: N/A
IL: 9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
I do not foresee any possible challenges. However, I would likely not include in a school library
Why Included
Sport games are very popular, and with a new version out each year, Madden NFL continues to lead the videogame sports.
Others in the Series
John Madden Football 1988, I, II
Madden NFL 1990-2012
Madden NFL 25
References
Electronic Arts. (2013). Madden NFL. Retrieved from http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl
Madden NFL (2013, May 8). Retrieved May 9, 2013 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL
EA Tiburon. (1988). Madden nfl 13. Redwood City, CA:EA Sports.
Plot Summary
Madden NFL is the most popular football videogame series available. The game allows you to pick a current team, and play a regular NFL season in hopes of winning the Super Bowl. Another option allows you to handpick your own team from a variety of players. You play multiple sessions and are able to draft, trade, and cut players from your team. During the season you must also work out new contracts for players to convince them to stay with the team. Minicamps allow your players to hone skills and improve and understand game play. Playing minicamps can also provide you with special cards used as power ups, or special advantages, that can be used for the regular season mode against other teams. There is also an online feature where you may play against friends, or anyone else around the world who is playing online at the same time. Those with headsets are also able to communicate to those they are playing with online.
Critical Evaluation
John Madden, a retired sportscaster and the name behind the title, is no longer involved in the game, but continues to lend his name. Others now provide the voice commentary Madden NFL is known for. This aspect of the game provides play-by-play commentary as if the players were watching a live game. Rabid football fans have a slight advantage, as they already know specific player strengths and weaknesses, helpful when choosing to handpick teams instead of using existing franchises. However, stats are listed for each football player and savvy videogamers will know to choose a variety of strengths and weaknesses in order to have a full lineup of abilities. The game updates each year with new football players, stats, and teams. Minicamps are designed to work as training camps where players can train their teams and hone individual skills. Improvements from these camps are slight; it would be unrealistic for a football player to suddenly improve substantially, when the actual player has not. The headset option allows for a great deal of interaction with other players and provides a fuller playing experience. Headsets make the game more closely resemble actual games where coaches are determining plays and may be heard yelling out when a play goes correctly, or fails miserably. However, the headset also opens up potential dangers as players can play against anyone else online, even those they do not know. In the end, Madden NFL is a game about football for those who love football, or just want a good competition-style videogame.
Reader’s Annotation
The latest Madden NFL version, it includes the most recent football team lineups.
About the Author
Madden NFL, formerly known as John Madden Football, was released by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1988. EA founder Trip Hawkins first thought of the idea in 1984, when he approached Madden, a well-known sports broadcaster, with the idea. Since 1990, a new version is released each year with new players and new teams. In 2010, EA announced it had sole over 85 million Madden NLF games, as many as two million a week, and more than $3 billion in sales. Each new game requires a team of 30 developers and 100 game testers. John Madden provided the voice commentary until Madden NFL 09. Madden NFL is the NFL’s second-largest source of revenue from licensing.
EA Tiburon is an Electronic Arts video game development studio in Florida. It was founded in 1994, and acquired by EA in 1998. EA Tiburon currently develops all the Madden NFL games as well as other NFL videogames and other sports related games. The game is currently played on XBOX 360 or Playstation 3.
Genre
Videogame/Sports
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Booktalking
N/A
Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: N/A
IL: 9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
I do not foresee any possible challenges. However, I would likely not include in a school library
Why Included
Sport games are very popular, and with a new version out each year, Madden NFL continues to lead the videogame sports.
Others in the Series
John Madden Football 1988, I, II
Madden NFL 1990-2012
Madden NFL 25
References
Electronic Arts. (2013). Madden NFL. Retrieved from http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl
Madden NFL (2013, May 8). Retrieved May 9, 2013 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL
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