We only cover Madden 13 rumors here—this being a sports website—but as a civilian I've been watching E3 2012 with more interest in Nintendo's unveiling of the Wii U GamePad, the strange, tablet-like controller at the heart of its next-generation console. We know Madden is coming to the Wii U, but right now anything else is speculation. So let's speculate—here are three things I'm hoping the GamePad will bring to video game football.
1. Real playbook functionality. Not just a playbook hidden from your prying-eyed peers, a vague possibility since NFL 2k brought the Dreamcast VMU into the action, but a playbook that both looks like a playbook—possible on the Wii U's big, color touchscreen—and offers the kind of play-altering functionality a stylus and a bored college student can make a reality. Imagine losing a tough game against your roommate and, after the TV's turned back to ESPN, walking over to your room with the tablet and drawing up new plays. That's what I want.
2. Real co-op gameplay. The second screen will allow for genuine independent interaction at different positions while sitting on the same couch. I don't think anybody's going to want to spend a lot of time playing offensive line—even with Madden 13's new real-time physics engine—but two first-person screens for the quarterback and his top wide receiver could really change the ambience of Madden, which is so wedded to its top-down format.
3. A good Madden game for a Nintendo console. Look, it's been a while. I'm just happy the Wii U appears powered-up enough to get a few years of the big-boy versions of sports games before the PS4 and next-generation X-Box come out.