Purchasing the latest edition of Madden NFL Football has become a tradition of sorts. As we place the disc into our respective Xbox 360s and Playstation 3s we are overcome with joy, taking over in the unique position of owner, general manager, coach and player. A Lions fan can have solace in that they have the ability to take Jon Kitna to the Super Bowl, a Jets fan could live with the hope that Kellen Clemens one day develops into a franchise quarterback, and finally a Raiders fan could wrestle ownership from Al Davis’ vice like grip and re-hire Art Shell for the sheer hilarity that ensues (I did just to see the classic “Art Shell face”).
Reminiscent of the classic Norv Turner and Eli Manning face, Art Shell reached a new low as THE face of confusion and helplessness
Yes Madden has become as much of a part of football as wings and beer on a Sunday afternoon. However, we enjoy the hope that the famous video game franchise grants us, we can’t help but be bitten by the unrealistic nature of the game. Ranging from Jason David, the shutdown corner, to Cadillac Williams the hobbled 200 yard a game rusher, Madden never ceases to amaze me in how it is able to develop new ways of frustrating the player. This year’s edition is no different as the game is riddled with bugs that make the infamous New York Knicks under James Dolan seem better managed. But is it fair for us, to harshly criticize the developers of the game, to ask if they really do watch football or know the difference between Tom Brady’s natural ability and Taylor Thigpen’s? Do we really continue to want to play a football game in which a retired Dan Morgan is athletic enough to jump five yards in the air, while not looking at the ball and seamlessly catch it with one hand? Do we really enjoy being asked to throw a challenge flag after our team scores the go ahead touchdown? Do we really like seeing the computer continue an 80 yard drive with 2 minutes left only to call inexplicable timeouts? Gamers are placed in this quandary, as we ask ourselves do we prefer realism or winning. But for every Dan Morgan circus interception there is a special teamer who makes the miraculous helmet catch to help set up the eventual Super Bowl touchdown. For every stupid challenge that may in fact hurt the team, there is an Andy Reid challenge, for every clock management miscue, there is an Andy Reid play call (This article wasn’t meant to bash Andy Reid, but seriously look at the guys history of challenges and play calls). The point is for as much as Americans love the parity of football, we despise the chance of being crushed by a team on Madden that would make even Denny Green ponder whether they were who we “thought they were?” Though I’ve broken controllers, games and even Xboxs over the course of my eight year marriage/divorce with Madden, the truth is no matter how outlandish, how unrealistic, how blatantly bullshit the game is, there is nothing in the world as gratifying as lifting the pixilated Lombardi trophy in triumph. That is why next year around mid august, at midnight I will be sitting somewhere in America in line to receive the latest Madden in the hope of leading my pixilated team to a championship.
No comments:
Post a Comment