Madden 11

First, let me begin by informing my wonderful readers of the recent struggles to find a game to review this week. Particularily because Gamefly has not sent me a game in over two weeks! Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is If you have a specific title that you are dying to see here on VGV send me an email with your suggestion. Thanks and don't stop gaming people!

This week I will be reviewing one of my favorite video game series of all time:

Of course with the years this game consistantly gets better and better, especially with advancements in graphics and online activity. However, one area of the game that improved drastically is the intro before you even play the game.

This just reminds me of how much I love to watch football and I hope the NFL lockout will be resolved before next season starts. To the game!

Overview
This is thee only NFL football game around and has no competetors. The Madden series has been around for over 20 years and continues to mainstay on my gaming shelf. This year the commentary has also dramatically improved with Gus Johnson from CBS sports manning the Madden microphone while you dazzle the crowd with deep-bombs and tough D. It comes equipped with several modes of play that include: Francise, Online, NFL Superstar and Madden Moments.

Francise mode
You start out with a team of your choice and basically control every aspect for the team. From ticket prices, to playing the games, cutting players to extending contracts. In this mode of play, it runs for 25 years and you can play until your fingers fall off (which I have done a few times).
Key Tip: I think I am the only one who knows this trick but, If you trade your draft picks for the worst teams picks they will willingly accept. Swapping your hopefully late-round picks for high ones help build a successful franchise.

Once you lead your team to a championship, you get to visit the White House!

Online Play
If franchise mode is the bun, online play is definately the meat of the sandwich. You typically play in head-to-head matchups, in which you can play against friends or randomly selected challengers that are based on your current ranking. One point of my young life, was consumed by me trying to obtain a very high ranking. So, needless to say this is by far one of the two most addicting games I have ever played. Although, I have ventured across many problems with connectivity and when opponents quit games abruptly (because I handle business), I do believe they do a pretty good job maintaining the peace of online play. After each game, you can rate your last opponent, deciding if you wouldn't mind playing that particular opponent again in future play. Although there is room for improvement, Madden 11 online is awesome.

Final Verdict
Madden overall is a video game series that has evolved quite a bit from its original versions, to become a monopoly in the gaming industry. I Buy every Madden title that comes out every year, I have since Madden 2003 and that is what I suggest you do with Madden 11, or maybe even Madden 12 which comes out sometime in August and features Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis. Thanks for reading!