I figured that it was fate when I woke up for work still hearing Al Pacino. It's not that I can quite remember the premise of my dream, but sure enough, there he was, coach Tony D'Amato, giving me the halftime speech during the last game in the movie Any Given Sunday. Even if football is not your thing (in which case, why are you reading this?), or you hate Oliver Stone (who directed the 1999 movie), or God forbid you hate beloved character actor John C. McGinley, you'll still get the goosebumps hearing the speech by the man, the Pacino. Hoohah!


Nevertheless, sitting at my desk at work, the words still ringing in my ears, I decided to write about the only show in town when it comes to football gaming: the Madden franchise, who's stood the test of time and soundly defeated all impostors: Tecmo Bowl, Blitz, NFL Street, etc...none of which can hold a candle to the game with the name of a man who loves him some Turducken.

Yea, that's really what it looks like. Now, if you'll excuse me...

The Madden franchise is beloved, certainly, selling thousands of copies both at the register and in advance every year. Typically, the middle of August (Madden's release date) is a time for men to be on softball fields and golf courses. However, the release of the football epic brings with it the dream of those cool autumn months when the season begins.

While Madden is notoriously stingy with game innovation, opting usually to recycle the same basic gameplay, pausing briefly to update the rosters and add a few superfluous touches, it could be argued that the gameplay is solid enough to warrant "if it ain't broke" status. Past innovations have been relative baby steps, including such forgettables as "QB Vision", a feature whereby the player on offense has an illuminated cone where the quarterback would be looking and would be able to throw more accurately; the bigger the cone, the better the quarterback, the logic is (most people I know toggle this feature off anyway).

Whoa, look at the size of that guy's cone!

If gameplay is beyond major improvement, then the designers may want to start sprucing up the off-field management details which are just as time-consuming and enjoyable as the actual football game. These features could include player personalities and team morale, the significance of going through draft day (of which so far there has been none), and augmented progress at team training camp. If I had one grievance with Madden's gameplay, it might be this: opposing AI is far too primitive. Considering that I'm not a great Madden player, routinely getting stomped by friends, what does it say about the game when I might lose one game in a season on the hardest difficulty level, All-Madden?

I have other questions, certainly, like who will be on the cover from year to year. For those of you whom may not know, there is a curse on footballers who are on the cover from year to year, as Marshall Faulk, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Ray Lewis and Shaun Alexander have all sustained injuries within the season that their Madden was released. You'd think that one year, they'd pick some poor schlub, a third string fullback or something, just to see what happens. Oh well.

Yea, yea...I voted for a guy who throws like my grandmother.

When it comes down to it, Madden is one of those games that, when released, causes this holiday-like rejoice for many a football gamer. People get together and reconnect, as they sit in air-conditioned apartments and houses during the dog days of August. They'll order some pizzas, stuff the fridge with beer, and just play the game, even if their national past time is still a few weeks away.