Operation Sports Forums - Your most memorable/best games, a thread for your best Madden 12 stories.

I've been buying Madden since 94, haven't skipped a year, even when I tell myself I'm going to. The last few years have been absurdly stale for me and this year I have no idea how I talked myself into spending $25 on season ticket, but I did, and I regretted it. The hurricane knocked out my power and I was able to play Madden for about 15 minutes, considering I'll never use the pass again, and there was nothing EA could do, no contingency in place for the hurricane and subsequent affected customers, I was already starting off really ticked off at this years iteration.

After playing it the last few days, I gotta admit, I'm loving it. I just finished a game and I was able to win 9-3 in overtime. Let me repeat that, 9-3 in overtime. I got to thinking that this year has been a lot different for me with this game, so I'd love to hear some stories about some fellow OS'ers best games, last second plays, most memorable runs, or whatever else. Whether it's a full game recap, or just a sentence or two about the finish of a game, I'd love to read them.

I've played 3 games today, and all 3 have been so different it borders on absurdity. Each game finally felt different enough that I needed to check my sliders and settings to make sure everything was still the same. In the span of 3 hours, with no setting/slider tweaks. I got obliterated by the Raiders while using the Chiefs, 27-7 (my 7 was a garbage time touchdown, a pride thing, I'd never, ever been shutout by the CPU in Madden). Darren McFadden before he was injured early in the 3rd quarter, had 182 yards on 13 carries. I've never been torched like that in this game. Had he not been injured, I have no idea what would've happened. But it never felt cheap, at any point. He wasn't breaking 19 tackles, spinning repeatedly, stiff arming everyone, nope, none of that junk. He was just finding the right hole, making timely cuts, and throwing out an occasional juke which I managed to fall for, eating grass as he finished his 87 yard TD run on the 3rd play from scrimmage.

To me, that was honestly my best Madden game ever because all I've wanted for the last decade, ever since I grew out of my win every game by 90 points phase, is for the computer in this game to be realistically challenging. To be truly challenging and competitive without lineman chasing down Chris Johnson, etc etc. I'm not saying the game is perfect, but in the last 2 days I've lost more Madden games than I ever had in a full year with any other iteration of the game, so what else can I say, I'm very happy to be losing.

The game I just had, I was able to win 9-3 in overtime. That was also the best game of Madden I've ever played, it just so happens I played the other best game of my Madden career on the same day, so they're both the best, to me. I'd much rather have a game like that, a defensive, insanely tight battle, than to win 42-35. It's about time a defensive battle is even possible, and boy was it ever.

The ironic things for me were twofold. 1. Madden has gotten me into some very bad habits over the years, as such, I've been paying for all my lazy passing habits non stop since launch day. 2. The game that went into OT did so because on 4th and goal with :04 to go in the 1st half and the game tied at 3. I decided I'd go for it because there was no way a field goal was going to be the difference in this game.

I laughed as I failed the 4th down conversion miserably and thought to myself, how hilarious would that be if that field goal would've won me the game. As the 4th quarter ended and the game still tied at 3-3, I couldn't believe that yes, the field goal actually would've won me the game. Say what you want about this years version, but as someone who is closing in on 2 decades spent with this game. I'm finally happy I can have my best Madden games after all this time waiting because I can lose.

I look forward to reading everyone's stories and best moments.