Madden NFL 13 Infinity Engine Hands-On Preview

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Madden NFL 13 Preview

Submitted on: 06/05/2012 by Steve Noah

So… You've heard about this new Madden NFL 13 physics engine have you?

Well, I'm here to tell you the infinity engine is indeed legit. It's downright unbelievable actually. Call it a "fresh coat of paint on the same old game" if you want to but I love it.

I played a couple of games last night with some various members of the media and came away very impressed. Sure it's not perfect, you will see limbs getting bent in painful directions occasionally, even see a body slide or rotate a little awkwardly, but all in all, the new Infinity Engine the Madden team has implemented is unbelievable.

I must have seen at least 60 different animations in what little time I had to play with Madden last night, but every one of them made me smile. Getting the right touch on passes never felt so good. If there was one thing I could complain about, it's the offensive and defensive lines. They really need to add 400 animations to those guys next year, to go along with the 400 new ones that were added this year for the receivers. While it is a little better this year, the patty cake stuff is really getting old. I will have to analyze it more to see if strength and ratings really matter down there in the trenches.

Running backs explode through holes and you can actually see them putting their head down to attack a defender on occasion. While watching another gamer playing Madden in the cube next to me, I noticed he was running with Stephen Jackson. As he flipped, while rolling on top of some players on the ground, he stuck his hand down and took off running for some extra yardage. Momentum, for the most part, works as advertised. Bigger players will push smaller players backwards, players will jump and get flipped into awkward positions. When players collide, you will see helmets and necks snap back.

I never played with the Cowboys, but I did roll with the Ravens and Redskins (did I just say that?), just to get a feel for the defense of Baltimore and the RG3 effect for the Skins. He's pretty quick and has an accurate arm, which is very dangerous, as many Madden fans know. The Ravens defense seemed to be everywhere and I mean everywhere. Swarming to the ball at all times. The Steelers defense was no slouch either, as I found it difficult to find any open receivers or run against them at all.

Players don't just get wrap tackled, they will trip over other players feet, on occasion as well. This one time, in band camp… Oh wait, this one time, I flattened a corner, but as I ran by him, he shoestring tackled me, by bringing his arm up and tapping my foot, causing me to trip. It was the wildest thing I ever saw. A couple of times I went into replay mode and instant replay wasn't an option. Guessing it was just an odd bug.

I'm still not seeing many penalties at all and definitely not seeing any pass interference calls. I'm thinking they implement penalties more next year, as they continue to tweak the Infinity Engine. I'm not seeing double teams on pass rushers, but it was only two games and I didn't pay that much attention to it. If you are worried about seeing over the top tackles happen all of the time, I didn't see many of them during the two games I played, but will get plenty of time, over the next three days to find out.

I didn't go into any other modes, just strictly gameplay. I'll be capturing a ton of videos of Madden and other games this week and will post them as I have time.

Madden NFL 13 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 at23steelers @ 06/05/12 05:23 PM

Does NCAA 13 demo coming out today maybe signify that Madden's will come out a lot earlier?

# 22 tjciv @ 06/05/12 05:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arYANNZ8I-E

# 23 DeuceDouglas @ 06/05/12 05:29 PM

The Infinity Engine has the potential for some epic touchdown/pylon dives a la Reggie Bush.

# 24 videlsports @ 06/05/12 05:30 PM

I always called EA out when they are bad, but I'm willing to ride with them and the new dev's on this new infinity Engine. I can't wait to try it out. Madden has me pumped to play this year

# 25 Matt10 @ 06/05/12 05:30 PM

Much like FIFA, EA creates a great engine that is developed around contact (heavily) and collisions - and then forget to implement fouls (soccer and football fouls) as a result.

Would it be so hard to tweak this one little thing - that should make a HUGE difference as far as realism is concerned.

# 26 WFColonel56 @ 06/05/12 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by at23steelers


	Does NCAA 13 demo coming out today maybe signify that Madden's will come out a lot earlier?

I would say 98% chance that it wont

ncaa came out now to minimize the backlash from not getting RTP.

# 27 RGiles36 @ 06/05/12 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	This where we disagree because I don't think that logic as existed in any football game but that it was just a matter of how sensitive the system was for calling DPI. Meaning, I always pictured the DPI slider controlling how much contact could be made with the intended receiver prior to them touching the ball. So on say like 50 more incidental contact would be allowed opposed to 100 causing DPI to be called for the slightest contact.

Understood. I need to go back to 2K5/APF and see how they accomplished PI. But if I remember correctly, in 2K5 the defender would lunge/tackle before the ball got there -- thus drawing the flag. I don't think that logic is in Madden, and that's where I'm coming from.

I don't want to derail a preview thread talking about it though.

# 28 roadman @ 06/05/12 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjciv


	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arYANNZ8I-E

Already posted in the sticky thread at the top.

# 29 Checmate101 @ 06/05/12 06:27 PM

Man, I hope this captures the emotion of the players during the game..when I get a tackle for loss, I want to see guys getting hype..I just want the emotion of the players to be there.

# 30 SuperNoVa27 @ 06/05/12 06:36 PM

I am having a blast with this NCAA demo. Since most of the things that make me happy in this demo are in Madden.....the excitement increased tenfold. It would've been a boring game if things like WR-DB interaction was corny or the pass trajectory was broken, but since those fears are relinquished.....boy I can't wait....

# 31 EAGLESFAN10 @ 06/05/12 06:55 PM

Everyone remember this is the First year with this NEW engine so if u start 2 see something that isnt right in future vids keep that in mind

Infinity Engine is BEAST by the way

# 32 Broncos86 @ 06/05/12 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Profit89


	I figured Madden would go this way considering what Fifa did last year. Fifa is EA's moniker title. If you want to see what direction Madden, NHL, etc are going just have to watch Fifa.

It helps that:

A) EA Canada develops both FIFA and NHL
B) Cam Weber came from EA Canada

# 33 WipeOut464 @ 06/05/12 07:59 PM

It's too bad they didn't focus more on integration Infinity with the O/D-line. Here's hoping it's just a lack of new animations and not a disregard for RTP - I definitely don't want to see interior linemen getting tooled by smaller blitzing CBs and safeties.

# 34 da1daweeze @ 06/05/12 08:13 PM

i hope with this system its make the injuries more dynamic

# 35 denverbro89 @ 06/05/12 08:40 PM

I really hope the oline, dline didn't get overlooked, could really ruin the experience and feel of the game.

# 36 danqb11 @ 06/05/12 08:56 PM

I hope the "tripping over feet" does not get outta hand in this game.

# 37 TTD71 @ 06/05/12 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt10


	Much like FIFA, EA creates a great engine that is developed around contact (heavily) and collisions - and then forget to implement fouls (soccer and football fouls) as a result. Would it be so hard to tweak this one little thing - that should make a HUGE difference as far as realism is concerned.

Ever watched kids play Pee-wee football? That gives you a good indication of exactly how hard it is to make something with good physics (ie. - REALITY) LOOK good playing football - or applying the rules and strategy of the game to inanimate objects (in the case of the on-screen players).

The difference is like the difference between making a great looking, set-piece adventure game and making a so-so looking but immensely deep RPG. Games like Uncharted and God of War 3 and the like have a HUGE advantage of being able to limit reality to fit into a pre-conceived box. The games LOOK great, but they are limited by what the programmers want the player to be able to do. Then look at a game like Dragon Age or GTAIV - open world, huge amounts of freedom and options and possibilities, but the price paid is that the graphics suffer in comparison to the "state of the art" stuff like Crysis 2 or Battlefield 3.

The challenge for EA has always been how do they adapt their game - which IMO has been the best LOOKING football game ever made for quite some time now - and turn it into BOTH the best LOOKING and the best PLAYING game? Infinity Engine sure does look like a giant leap in the right direction to me. The plays that really stand out for me so far are the vastly improved running - being able to trip and bump and deflect off of other players is HUGE - and the ability to have little guys hang-on to the ball carrier (the Turner example in the debut trailer....where the CB does not just bang down Michael Turner but instead is holding onto one leg for dear life until another defender comes in and cleans up the tackle).

This IS the Madden I have been waiting for...it may be 7 years late, and it may still sorely disappoint, but THIS is the direction I expected the franchise to move going from PS2 to XB360/PS3 all along. More than anything else, I am relieved to see that the developers share a vision of making the game do things that I feel are important....things like respecting angular momentum, mass and acceleration when determining the outcome of a collision; things that are going to make the unrealistic gameplay styles go extinct - the guys who love to hit stick EVERY tackle, the guys who love to run their Safeties around in circles and morph through the O-Line for nano pressure, the guys who have no idea how to read blocking or hit a hole or actually call plays for match-ups and strategy beyond triggering canned and predictable outcomes...those "styles" may still find exploits (probably will), but they will no longer be able to dominate and exploit the game as easily (if at all in some cases), and THAT alone is worth $120 from me to EA (for PS3 and XB360 versions once more)...

Bravo to the guys at EA that are working to FINALLY bring us the "next-gen Madden" experience that I was hoping for all along. Its late. Its been incredibly frustrating to live through. And it barely made it out before the end of the console generation...BUT its finally here and the foundation that is laid here has put the abortion of Madden NFL 2006 finally in its grave forever. (I STILL believe that Madden 2006 - 2009 were essentially ruined by the rush job of getting a game released for the launch of the XB360 at any cost...that cost has been very long and very high, but with this new beginning and new engine to govern the basics of the the players and gameplay, there is hope for more than band-aids on gaping wounds moving forward!!!

# 38 KnottyMonkey @ 06/05/12 09:21 PM

I will say that based on the Madden 2006 (non) experience, I would be willing to forego Madden 14 on Xbox 720 (assuming it comes out next Nov). Instead, just release it for 360/PS3 next year rather than a rushed piece of garbage. Ideally Xbox 720 would be backwards compatible and I could play the game on 720, but if the cost of having Madden 14 on the brand new console is that it will suck for 6 years, I'll live with one more year of highly polished RTP on current gen.

- OR -

Here's another thought: I wouldn't complain if they just made a build of the current version for the 720/PS4 that played at 1080p, maybe throw in something like a bit higher res player models and full, interactive sideline or something to make me shell out for 360 version in August and 720 version in November. And then, don't pretend its something that its not - just tell us: "this is a 720 compatible version of the 360 game with higher res player models, interactive sidelines and a slightly upgraded physics engine that runs on the new 720 dedicated Physics Processor". Anyway. . . just my $0.02.

Meanwhile, back here in the real world, having a hard time sleeping at night thinking about RTP and all the possibilities. Might cancel my NCAA pre-order since no RTP and I just play it for a month until Madden comes out anyway.

# 39 Juggernaut55 @ 06/05/12 11:37 PM

I absolutely cannot wait for this game now

# 40 mdiggitydawg @ 06/05/12 11:46 PM

no replay? that was a huge disappointment last year too...madden and ncaa will really have to knock my socks off for me to spend money on them this year...still feeling burned from last year and not sure i am ready to come back...give me a definitive reason to come back

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