The common theme of annual sports game entries is usually "better than last year." With all of its issues, Madden NFL 12 was still better than Madden NFL 11. In reality, most of the time, the best a new sports game can do is make players hopeful for the future of the series. Madden 12's "balance of improvement and ongoing flaws," according to our review, wasn't a great foundation for building hope.

Madden NFL 13 has that foundation. And while it's not a perfect game, it has - to borrow a term often used in fantasy football - the upside of being close.