While recent years have seen EA Sports tinkering around with the offensive mechanics, controls, and features in the Madden NFL series, this year's iteration, which would be Madden NFL 13, will see big changes coming to the defensive side of things. Though Madden 12 had many areas that needed work, the most problematic area ended up being the defense, both in terms of its inconsistencies and its lack of realistic AI routines.

Speaking with Game Informer, EA's Chief Creative Officer Richard Hilleman went in-depth on the history of the Madden franchise, and all of the changes that will be coming with Madden 13. Since coming under new management, so to speak, the expectation is that this year's iteration will be the one to break the mode, revolutionize things once again.

Hilleman sees some pretty interesting things in the future for Madden, but most importantly it will be a game that is more fun to play. Defense hasn't exactly been an uninteresting element in Madden games, but fans can agree that it has long been due for an overhaul.

"They are doing big things this year. They're making big changes. Those are big changes that are going to break a lot of stuff, and they know that. What we're after is a better defense that's more fun to play."

Unfortunately, Hilleman spends far too much time going into touting the pedigree of the new team working on Madden 13, which includes folks from NCAA and Fight Night, rather than discussing what changes will be made to the defensive controls and mechanics. Hit stick was a huge improvement for the series, but it didn't necessarily make the game play better, only made it more fun.

Some elements that Game Informer thinks have a real possibility of returning run the gamut from gang tackling to cornerback AI, all important issues to address. And, of course, we don't expect EA Tiburon to leave the offensive mechanics, which also need some work, alone, but clearly defense is the focus for this year. Hopefully EA Sports gave our '6 Ways to Improve Madden NFL 13' list a look before making some commitments.

What changes would you like to see made to the defensive side of gameplay for Madden NFL 13? How about on offense?

Source: Game Informer