EA Sports has rolled the dice on a major overhaul of its best-selling "Madden NFL" football franchise this season — and most of its gambles have paid off.

"Madden NFL 13" (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.95) swapped out the booth announcers, switched to a more classic presentation, overhauled the menu system and crafted a comprehensive Connected Career mode.

But the most notable change is a new physics engine that dramatically varies the hits and avoids the repetitive sequences of previous years. The real-time action is way more exciting than in previous years, as players bounce off each other with force and stumble over on-field pileups.