[SeventhWard]

I wholeheartedly agree, PGaither. I go through the same cycle - Madden comes out and I play it to death and then it eventually grows stale. Like you, I feel Madden is the "blah" game in my collection and the lack of emotion is definitely a cause.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but I'm going to reference NBA 2K11 here. I do so because it's the first time a sports game has ever broken that barrier of becoming "something cool to play" on the technology side for me. The combination of a GREAT commentary system that sounds realistic AND the individual player-focused presentation makes the game more exciting and entertaining. Playing the mode NBA Today, with its commentary cleverly scripted to seem aware of current real-life events, makes popping in the disc like participating in something larger, something real, something persistent, ongoing and tangible. (Ever wonder why Call of Duty multiplayer is so engaging?)

I wish Madden covered the game of football with more gusto. Use all the tools in the shed to make every game an incredible struggle for dominance witnessed by tens of thousands. The use of camera angles, cutscenes and audio can go a long way to making a game seem alive and exciting.

Physics based tackles isn't the magic bullet. Presentation is. All the tools are there for Tiburon to make Madden a great video game again. It's just up to them to do it.


-SeventhWard