Madden : MADDEN PLANET - The Home of Madden Gaming and Madden News

By Tyler Menssen

Shaun Alexander takes the handoff from Matt Hasselbeck and starts up the field trying to find a hole in the line. Following his fullback who has just pan caked a blitzing linebacker he sees a hole open up in the line. Spinning out of an attempted tackle he breaks free into the secondary. Noting but green grass and a few scrawny secondary men stand in his way. Turning on the burners he heads towards the sideline and then up the field. Downfield about twenty yards Roy Williams takes off in a full sprint towards the burly running back. Alexander cuts back inside to escape a corner and then heads straight towards the charging Williams. They both put their shoulders down and come together resulting in a huge thud. They stand each other up and then Williams falls backwards taking Alexander along for the ride. Twenty yards after the play began it is over. The Seahawks have the ball at the ten-yard line. It's first and goal to go.

The clock is still ticking and is now down to only fifty-five seconds. The Seahawks get to the line quickly but instead of spiking the ball are going to run a play. The diehard Seahawks fan at home is on the edge of his seat. His legs are bouncing up and down and he can hardly hold himself still because of the anticipation of the next play. Hasselbeck sends Rice in motion from left to right. The game clock hits forty-five seconds. A flash of lighting and thunder erupts outside of the fan's home. The power flashes once and then goes out. The fan in his chair screams bloody murder. Curses and words that you wouldn't let a ten year old hear or tossed about. He wouldn't get to see the next play and he wouldn't get to see that game's box score in the papers the next morning. The game will never be recorded in time. The power went out and his computer shut down. The fan lost his great game, but has the luxury of playing the game again.

Sometimes only a power outage, strict parent, or jealous significant other can stop crazed gamers from getting their fill of Madden 2005. From the child not getting his homework done to the husband not cleaning out the garage, football gaming is like the sport of football itself. Addicting. Football gaming gives football fans a chance to live and watch the game of football on days that don't start with the letter s. Whether on the console connected to the 59" television set or on the laptop while on a cross-country bus trip, football is just a click away at any hour of the day. What is so addicting about the game of football as played in the video game world? The question has many answers, but the two that come to my mind are graphical realism and fun game play. Without one or the other parents would have to find another reason for their children's poor success in the classroom.

The situation above told of Shaun Alexander running the ball through the Cowboys line and into their secondary. With its worded description it could have easily been an actual play in an actual game. Being able to create real life situations in a game is not that difficult. Being able to create those situations with a sense of graphical and environmental accuracy is what makes twenty-first century gaming special. Being able to see a very realistic video game version of Shaun Alexander plow into Roy Williams in a life-like collision. Being able to see those players pick themselves up off the ground just like in actual life. Being able to see and hear the crowd stand up and cheer. It's nice to see the snow fall from the sky, and footprints in that snow. It's nice to see uniforms get dirty and to watch the field start to corrode away. It's interesting to see the breath of players. Graphics aren't everything, but when you are able to picture and hear the sounds of the football on a Tuesday afternoon while sitting in front of your computer, it is special.

In that realistic gaming environment sometimes it becomes necessary for a certain Vikings fan to start a home game against the Packers in the Metrodome. This is where the fun of football gaming begins. Now in the options menu there is a difficulty setting. That difficult setting ranges from Rookie to Madden. Madden being the toughest. Set that difficulty setting to Rookie and that Vikings fan can run, throw, or dance his way to a seventy to nothing thumping of the Packers. Take that title town! My computer team can beat your computer team. However, sometimes it is more satisfying to win a closely contested struggle against your archrival. So set the difficulty to Madden and wham, you are locked in a defensive struggle. The game comes down to a last second field goal for the win. On the edge of your seat you watch the ball go through the uprights. You jump up and down and have won. Tense, nerve-racking at time, but fun. Just like the football we play in the back yard or watch on television.

Seeing and feeling are everything. To believe you are watching or playing football you have to be able to see the players make their cuts, pump their arms, and pick themselves up off of the ground. You have to see the grass and the elements, the crowd and the stadium, the players and their physiques. To believe you are participating in a football game you have to feel the emotion, stress, and atmosphere. You need to be able to hear the crowd cheer or groan, and you need to hear the pads and helmets crash together. Put all of those things together and add in a situation such as a game winning drive and you have the elements of football. The video game as in real life keeps the fan at the edge of their seats. Starting in the production room and eventually ending up in consumer homes Madden has brought the game of football home. With a graphically realistic environment, and an element of tension and fun Madden along with other football games have allowed the Sunday warrior to be the Tuesday couch potato.