Monopoly yet? Or am I just a Dreamer? I hope I am not the only one.

[spiggidy]

Madden is fun, but it could be a lot more fun. Maybe it is that I am just getting older and video games do not appeal to me as much as it has in years past. I just bought the Xbox One. I had it reserved, but waited till the next day to pick it up to avoid lines. After purchasing it, I had better things to do till unboxing it 2 hours after purchase. When the Xbox 360 came out, I had my mother driving me around our county looking for a store that might have one in stock at 4am in the morning.

Regardless, I still play Madden quite frequently as I am a diehard fan of the sport. But since the move to Next Gen (360/PS3), I feel that EA has not produced a worthy Madden. The first 360 or "next gen" Madden had improved visuals and animations, which did not at all make up for the lack of features or content; same year or roughly close to the time EA locked up the deal for exclusive rights. Year before I gave ESPN NFL 2K5 a try.

I was a die-hard Madden fan at that point, absolutely thought nothing of other football games. But since NFL 2K5 was only about 20 bucks (Madden was 50 I Believe), I gave it a try. Why not. NFL 2K5 blew my mind. Animations were fluid, even had Chris Berman giving weekly updates and reviews. Seemed revolutionary. Seemed very promising.

If these two power houses would of clashed it out the last 10 years, the football game released today would have been extraordinary. Can you even imagine?

What incentive does anyone have, whether you are a game programmer, utility provider, health care provider, or even coffee shop have if THERE IS NO COMPETITION TO PUSH YOU?

Ban me if you want, I am not bashing EA. Anyone and everyone's goal is to make more money. Locking up the rights was a smart move, though it has come at a cost. How do we evaluate Madden if all we have is to compare it to itself?

[kehlis]

We've had this discussion at least two dozen times. Sorry, we don't need it again.