Game Room: November Roundup

Madden 13 was one of the best sports games when it was released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 back In August. So, it was a no-brainer for Electronic Arts to port this game over to the Wii U. Unfortunately, some key features -- like the Infinity Engine that elevated player movement and tackling animations -- aren't in the Wii U version. The graphics of the Wii U version also don't look quite as good as the Xbox 360, but hopefully this is a result of the game being a port.

The Wii U version stands apart as the GamePad controller is used to call plays and to make offensive and defensive adjustments on the fly. This is accomplished in an Xs and Os view pre-snap. Being able to drag your finger across the screen for a custom quick route is pretty cool, but the play calling screens are clunky and ultimately not faster than the traditional method of using buttons on a standard controller. Veteran Madden players will quickly gravitate to using the Wii U pro controller -- which is better suited for quick reactions and comfort -- so the benefits of the GamePad aren't very substantial. But as a boon to the GamePad, Madden 13 utilizes the detached more function allowing you to play an entire game if your TV is in use.

This isn't the best version Madden, but if it's your only Madden, it's not that bad.

Score: 7.5 out of 10