Hype is the one thing that can make or break any video game. Too much hype and your game will never live up to the expectations of those playing the game. Not enough, and the game will disappear, no matter how good it may be.

The problem is, with the internet being as prominent as it is, the line between under-hyped and over-hyped has become increasingly thin. The simple advent of internet based forums like our own make the balancing act an incredible challenge for companies.

There are examples of non-sports games on either side too. Many have argued that the game Psychonauts is a prime example of a game not getting its fair due. The game was rated well and most of those who played it, loved it, but the sales of the game absolutely bombed.

On the other side, despite it being one of my favorite Xbox 360 games, even I can admit that Halo 3 was vastly over-hyped. Microsoft and Bungie got companies totally unrelated to gaming to advertise their product, to a point of over saturation. There was so much advertising on TV that it set an unrealistic bar for how good the game was going to have to be to live up to the hype that was generated.

But we are Operation Sports, so we have the advantage of getting to see both sides of the spectrum from within. Let’s take a closer look at the three main football franchises for our examples.

First is the titan we all call Madden. This is the quintessential title in our football-ing libraries, yet it is constantly over-hyped. Now don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the title most years, but I can’t think of a more over-hyped sports game. Almost every year, they start the advertising blitz right around the NFL Draft, just shortly after they announce their cover athlete for the year.

Then through a plethora of advertisements showing off the highlights of gameplay, the new set of rookies showing up in ads, and releasing video after video of the game in action, we get launched into the next game’s experience. Topped off for some with the fact that they belong to a message board like our own Operation Sports and MaddenMania forums where discussions run rampant from that point forward and you begin to see how huge an affect the internet has had at thinning the line.

Now I’m not here to judge the game, that’s not what this article is about, but there really is no better example of a sports game being over-hyped.

Then there’s All-Pro Football which while another great game, was largely overshadowed by the veteran Madden. Sure they tried to hype the game so fans would willing to buy it over Madden, but they could only do so much without that coveted NFL license. There were a good quantity of videos released to the major gaming news sites, and ultimately the release did generate a decent buzz, but it was still ultimately under-hyped and combined with its lack of franchise mode, ultimately lost out big-time to Madden; under-hyped or not.

But before we forget, there is a third football game that mustn’t be forgotten coming up on the horizon, and that’s Backbreaker. Now while this may surprise some of you, I’m personally of the opinion that the game is being over-hyped. Bear with me while I explain this before those of you dying for this game get all over me for this assessment.

Backbreaker is over-hyped for the simple reason that all we’ve seen is examples of its physics engine and graphics engine. What about actual in-game stuff like the menus and the layout when you are actually playing a game? The way the hype train has come across so far is that Backbreaker is placing almost all its eggs in those two baskets and while I’m hoping I’m wrong, I still wonder if they’re setting too high a standard for the rest of the game to live up to.

The joy of trying to hype a sports game is trying to tread a rapidly thinning line. Fall one way, you’re over-hyping, fall the other way and your game will never take off. The real question this year is how well the sports games live up to the hype-machines behind them.  What do you think about this year's lineup of games so far?