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Madden 12 is one of EA's huge yearly sports titles. As such, it's very difficult for me to review it, or for you to buy it, based on its own merits. No matter what EA tries to tell us about the game's presentation or controls, it comes down to one simple question: Is it better than last year's?

The answer to that is a confident yes. Madden NFL 12 is better than last year's iteration. So, the next question should be obvious: is there enough of an improvement to warrant spending money on it again this year? That question is much more difficult to answer.

Like the teams it recreates so painstakingly, Madden NFL returns with each new season having made a number of additions to its line up. Like the fans of the real life football teams, Madden players get their hopes up each year that this raft of new additions are what will make their franchise soar once again. And like most of those real life fans, Madden players will have to cope with the slow realisation that although there are improvements, your franchise still isn't perfect.

The in game commentary is likewise feeling a little stale and stilted. Calls are made late and the worn out cliches are more grating than ever. It is presented in a believable way but after a few games it loses most of its charm and simply becomes irritating. Not only are they late to call, they regularly regurgitate lines that were heard only minutes beforehand. It wasn't long until I switched Johnson and Collinsworth off completely and began enjoying the game markedly more.

EA Sports are touting over a hundred new animations for players in this year's Madden and it often shows. The animation is a particular strong point, with reactions to tackles and weight-shifting runs all offering very realistic movement. Initially, it sounds like a small thing to pick up on but the minor variations in the way a player makes a catch, for example, really makes the whole seem much more believable.

So Gameflow can help inexperienced players pick their plays, the new animation system not only makes them look better but also makes them play better, as there is no sliding or popping into position to make plays. This goes hand in hand with an updated tackling system which is much improved. The increase in the number of animations seems to have made the whole tackling system work much more precisely. You no longer have the fear, as an onrushing attacker, of being brought down unrealistically by a tackler who shouldn't have made such heavy contact. Similarly, as a defender, your tackles feel much more weighty and meaningful.

The Franchise mode, although not online, is fantastic in Madden 12. You can sing free agents with bids happening in real time and against the clock. It adds another level of pressure to proceedings and although it's all menu-based, it really does increase excitement for when your new signing finally takes to the field. You can simulate many aspects of Franchise mode, although it can be seemingly inconsistent in the way it decides the outcome of aspects you choose to simulate. For example, the trades I simulated ended up in almost total capitulation for my AI-controlled negotiator.

You can get lucky and have players hit a hot streak though, thanks to the way the game puts together dynamic performance and traits to gauge a player's usefulness. This system can lead to two players with almost identical stats playing in noticeably different ways due to the way it gives credence to confidence and consistency. It's a great addition which really makes the game feel a lot more rounded and realistic.

To say that the extras on offer in Madden 12 are underwhelming is slightly unfair but the fact remains that it might not be worth upgrading if you have last years. Madden 11 was the best instalment in the franchise for years and this year is an improvement but in several small ways rather than any grand, meaningful change of approach.

In many ways, it's the same old story for Madden. It makes enough improvements to be a markedly better game but still leaves many frustrations that fans will want cleared up for next year.

1. Much more accessible than Madden games before last year.
2. Animations and tackling system make it much more realistic.
3. Looks beautiful with fantastic presentation

1. Commentary is dreadful.
2. Not a lot to make it stand out over Madden 11.

It's a familiar tale for Madden fans, then. This year sees your franchise make a few decent steps of improvement but without really changing much at all. It's very noticeably still Madden and that will either be the best news you can hear or another indicator that you should just switch off and stop caring. If you like Madden, you've probably already bought in to this. If you're curious but have yet to take the plunge then Madden 12 is a perfect moment to jump in but you would be well advised to push yourself past the Gameflow system a little in order to grow your expertise. It's a solid game but one which bears too many similarities to previous versions for us to wholeheartedly recommend it.