12 minutes to Madden-night

In roughly an hour, there will be Madden opening parties at videogame selling stores across the country. How so much of our nation can follow such a folly escapes me truly.

The truth is, the game has ceased to be exemplary in any way. I don't wish to point to a specific year, but I want to say it is sometime around the McNabb cover that marks the downfall of the franchise. A more specific date would be the one where the NFL, NFLPA, and EA Sports got together and decided that this would be the only game made for professional American football.

Madden would become a videogame monopoly.

In some cases this has turned out relatively well. Other EA Sports franchises -- FIFA and NCAA Football come to mind -- have been dedicated to improving the game year in and year out, making adjustments to the new game easy instead of frustrating. Madden simply does little positive besides update rosters to some fixed date in the summer, while free agency is still very much open, and training camp drama is nowhere close.

Madden idles in its own state of languor. Competition is what made the franchise in the first place. FIFA and NCAA almost never had competition, at least in recent memory, and thus they were forced to improve themselves to remain relevant. Madden had several titles with which to compete, and ultimately came on top, I want to think because of its franchise mode. It seems from the moment they became sole owners of being able to make a NFL videogame, they gave up all hope on being able to create a good one. Having no other options leaves me with the only option of playing NCAA instead.

What really puzzles me is why people keep flocking to this game. Is an abusive relationship really that worth it? I mean, it left Terri in a coma.

Perhaps I'll post some more thoughts on this later. maybe.

oh, and the title is not a reference to Linkin Park. if you ever say that name in my presence I will shiv you.

It's also not a reference to Iron Maiden. But I'll at least accept that response.

It's a reference to an old scientific journal, I believe on atomic science, and they would get together and arbitrarily decide how close the world was to nuclear holocaust.

btw, when i first started writing this, it was maybe 10:30. not getting published until 11:15 is solely on the blame of people not being able to leave me the fuck alone when I'm writing.

-Knuttel