Parents' Guide to

Madden NFL 12

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Great pro football sim, now with concussion support.

Madden NFL 12 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 10+

love tim tebow!

language in backround songs such as h-ll, d-mn great game

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
age 9+

Great game, be aware of the sountrack......

Great game, but beware some of the sountrack. Some not so family friendly songs by Snoop Dogg and others - very rap heavy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (8 ):

As with most sports video franchises, some years usher in innovative new features, fresh game modes, and major graphical overhauls, and some don't. Madden NFL 12 falls in the latter camp. It's a fun and great-looking game, especially when playing against a buddy beside you, but it's doesn't look, feel, or sound much different than last year's edition. You can choose a play from the playbook, build your own play, or "Ask Madden" what to do. GameFlow (introduced last year) makes it a much faster game to play, too. The franchise mode adds many new enhancements over last year's game, with a better rookie scouting and free-agent bidding system, expanded rosters, and more. And with the Madden NFL Ultimate Team, you can earn, buy, and trade players to build your ultimate NFL team of superstars.

But again, these additions are nominal in the grand scheme of things. If you bought last year's game you can probably pass on Madden NFL 12. However, if it's been a few years since you've picked up and played a Madden game, you'll no doubt be impressed with the evolution of this legendary franchise. Note: the Xbox 360 and PS3 games are the same, but the Wii version isn't in high-definition and has fewer modes.

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate