Madden NFL 13 updated preview – Connected careers, the Infinity Engine, and a whole new universe

Soul. We want soul. Since, well, forever, Madden has been all about the mechanics on the field and the management of rosters. Features have been added over the years, gameplay has improved and online options have been expanded.

But something's always been missing.

Soul.

The NFL is all about the men who play and coach the game. While fans root for their teams above all else, there's a human element to the game that we all follow thanks to the pervasive 24-hour news cycle. Television, social media, and technology have given us unprecedented access into the lives of those in the league – for better or worse. Madden football, though, has remained focused on what takes place on the field.

Until now.

At E3, EA Sports announced Connected Careers, a massive overhaul of the narrative of Madden - eliminating the separation of traditional game modes, integrating them into a single 'universe', adding a massive amount of backstory to players, all inside a virtual social media infrastructure.

Oh, and did we mention there's also an entirely new physics engine that alters that core mechanics of how players smash into each other every play?

Read on – you don't want to miss this.