By Nick Forbes
Round Table editor

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s no surprise that video games are a huge must on many wish lists this year. Among all of the new games dropped this year, Madden NFL 13 proves to be one of the most popular, but is it really worth putting down that much money for another Madden sequel?

EA sports has been releasing a new Madden annually since 1993 and has been getting mixed results year after year. While one year has been great, the next has been a letdown. Madden 13 has built up the hype with its all-new physics addition, which is said to make the game more realistic, and claiming “a whole new way to Madden forever.” It is without a doubt a new way to Madden, but not in the way gamers may think.

While the new physics are great, the movement of the players is awkward and more difficult from years past. Madden makes another change when dropping Chris Collinsworth and Gus Johnson as commentators and adding Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. But the audio this year seems choppy, and overall corny. And, finally, the graphics, which have improved significantly in the last five years, this year move backward, looking silly and a bit juvenile. And while the addition of “speed blurs” seems like a good idea, it appears poorly executed.

One good thing Madden brings this year is the new game types, which include all new Connected Careers, allowing gamers to play the career of any active NFL player. Overall, Madden NFL 13 earns itself a C- grade, and unless you don’t own any recent Madden games, it’s not worth the purchase.