If you play video games, today is the greatest day of the summer, even if you just got married yesterday. Finally today, the virtual sports entertainment fix we’ve all been waiting for, they released the new Madden NFL 11!
As always, EA sports has made improvements to a game that gets better each and every year. This year, Madden NFL 11 has a bunch of new features including shorter game times, where 60 minute games have now been reduced to 30 minutes of playing time. Translated that means, no more playing just until halftime, yes you can get in a full game on your lunch break! And now for those of us that like to play on the go, Madden NFL 11 is now available on iPad for the first time.
Of course, we can’t talk about Madden without talking about the Madden Curse…The Madden Curse is a tried tested and true phenomena. In 2005 Ray Lewis graced the cover of Madden, the curse took him down with a broken wrist and the following season he missed 10 games with injuries. Vince Young was on the cover in 2008, then the curse hit him and he found himself pondering suicide/retirement and relegated to the bench. In 2004 Michael Vick took the cover of Madden, and the curse hit him quick, Vick ended up getting injured in his first preseason game and missed 11 games, it’s fair to say the curse continued to ‘dog’ Vick. Garrison Hearst broke his ankle after being on the cover in 99, it cost him two NFL seasons, Donovan McNabb also fell victim to the curse after gracing the cover in 2006, and Favre suffered a shoulder injury with the Jets after being on the cover in 2009. This year, Superbowl champion and MVP Drew Brees will grace the cover of Madden NFL 11 as the first fan voted athlete.
Because of the effectiveness of the Madden curse, sportsbooks await to the release of the cover to coincide with their offerings on whether the featured player will be hit by the Madden curse. Sportsbetting.com like many other sportsbooks already has their Madden NFL 11 Curse prop on the board. Bettors can wager on whether Brees will start all 16 games this season. Sportsbetting.com have Brees listed at -150 not to be the Saints’ starting QB in all 16 regular season games and on the other side, he’s at +120 to start each one.
What do you think? Will Brees be yet another victim of the Madden Curse?
Aside from the Madden Curse, I can’t wait to get my hands on the game because of the new features added to the gameplay with the new dual stick control. For those who don’t know about this, number one, I already have a head start on your asses and you better believe you don’t want to see me online! But here’s a basic rundown, left and right are your foot plants/breakdown and jukes; forward is truck; and forward and then roll to left or right twists the upper body. Back is a “hesitation/high knees” move, and half circles around the bottom of the stick are your spins.
It’s all about having more control when running with the ball, which to me makes the game that much more realistic. The game is out, so if you’ve already played it, let us know if you think it’s as good as advertised or if you just want to talk a little smack. Our creative director Anthony Dohm thinks he’s the best Madden player in the gaming industry!
