Madden NFL 13 Social is a bold experiment that may backfire on publisher Electronic Arts. Instead of releasing a port of the console Madden with smartphone and tablet-specific features, the company opted to go with a free-to-play pigskin effort built around asynchronous multiplayer, upgrading one's team through rated player cards and some in-app purchase for good (or bad, depending on your perspective) measure. Suffice to say, we didn't see it coming, and quite frankly, would've preferred the alternative.
On paper, the concept sounds intriguing. EA's goal was to streamline the Madden experience specifically for both casual and hardcore fans, while implementing the aforementioned card mechanic to add a layer of strategy. Games were supposed to take place within 30 minutes or less, while swapping players from all NFL teams would give users access to their own personal super squad of gridiron greats.
That's on paper. In practice, Madden NFL Social is anything but fun. For starters, it barely works. The best way to play is to log in through Facebook, but connections time out constantly. Not only that, but we encountered a bothersome glitch that prevented virtual buttons from working, and another that caused the on-screen text to flicker uncontrollably.
To read more, please visit Modojo.