Blitz: The League
I just wanted to add one note about Blitz: The League, and why I think it has a chance to sell throught the roof when it ships on October 17.1. The backstory for the fictional league that has been created over at http://blitzleague.com/main.php is nothing short of sensational. It's all well-written, very witty, and it's cohesive. It's the kind of immersive world that Madden has consistently refused to create.
2. The designers are accessible. EA is a corporate monolith at this point. Good luck getting anyone on the NCAA or Madden team to answer questions in a forum. They're just inaccessible, and I guarantee that chokes the creativity of the game's vision. The lead designer for Blitz: The League has consistenly participated in what is now a twenty-five page thread over at the Operation Sports forum to help communicate his vision for the game as well as get input about the features people want to see.
The problem with NCAA and Madden right now, in my mind, is that they're not games anymore--they're industries. And being an industry severely limits what you can do. The guys involved with Blitz: The League have fresh ideas and a coherent vision of what they're trying to do.
I don't know if they'll be able to make a compelling game in the end, but right now, based on what I've seen, I like their chances.
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