Skipping This Year’s Madden?

I am a big sports gamer.  It is the primary reason why I continue to play games in my 40s. I love sports and throughout the various generations of consoles the video games continue to improve in realism. Visually and mechanically these games have come to mirror the sports we love. But I am seeing fatigue with my beloved sports games much earlier this year.

Maybe I’m ready for the next generation of consoles. Maybe I’m beginning to grow out of my sports gaming habits. Maybe this generation of sports video games hasn’t been as great as I thought. Some portion of that is true. As I start taking in all of the news about this year’s crop of sports games, I can’t help but think that there hasn’t been a “great” version of my favorite sports games this generation.

Sure there have been the “best” version of Madden or 2K this console generation, but have they been great? I can think of versions of wrestling games (WWF No Mercy, N64), basketball games (NBA Live 2005, PS2), football games (ESPN NFL 2k5, Xbox) and more that sports gamers continue to love till this day. Maybe it’s easier to become nostalgic about a game you enjoyed years ago. Maybe I will feel the same about Madden NFL 18 or PES 2018. Two games that I played a lot of and enjoyed throughly.

As an EA Access member, I have 10 hours to play the new Madden NFL 20 and decide on whether or not I’m going to drop another $60 on a game I will probably stop playing in October. It’s become an annual, and costly, cycle that I’d like to break in the worst way. I love football and I love sports video games but new consoles are on the way, and I am feeling like this years sports games are a series of tweaks to keep us occupied before we see a leap in graphics and other mechanics.

With all that being said, I am enjoying trying out this year’s Madden but I also enjoyed last year’s game. Both games are similar in a lot of ways. I feel like graphics were slightly better last year. The gameplay improvements aren’t drastic but definitely noticeable. I am going to buy Madden this year but I am going to wait for a sale.  If recent years are any indication, this game will be on sale for about 50% less before Black Friday.