EA's Madden NFL 12 has its own final four that you may not know about. Back in late March the voting began for the next Madden cover athlete on ESPN Sports Nation. When the voting opened the player bracket for the future cover was 32 men strong. It is now down to four. The voting has entered the semi-finals and features match-ups between Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Cleveland’s Peyton Hillis; and Minnesota's Adrian Peterson vs. Philadelphia’s Michael Vick. The voting for this round ends on April 18^th so you should get over to ESPN Sports Nation's site and vote for your favorite NFL star—or at least for someone other than Michael Vick.

Who do you think this year's Madden cover athlete should be?

Just as “Tough Actin’ Tinactin” does for foot fungus, Madden NFL relieves our burning itch for pigskin.  Every year in August, Madden wakes up from his golden bed, puts on his golden slippers, takes a golden shower (or at least a shower in a golden bathroom) and empties our Velcro wallets of hard-earned cash.  This is how it has gone for centuries.

But this year, things are a little different (not really. But I like the drama)!

This year’s Madden update features new rosters, better graphics and presentation, and most of the same old things you know and love about the franchise.  The biggest improvement/addition is in the engine itself.  The new locomotion engine puts a greater emphasis on precision while running the football.  Your ball-carrier is more reactive and the lack of a sprint button (I still hold down the right trigger for old-time’s sake) really forces you to evade would-be tacklers by flicking the right thumbstick.  This small tweak to the gameplay makes a huge difference and really seems to refresh the running game.

The other new feature worth noting is the “GameFlow” system, which automatically calls a play for you based on the current situation.  Hardcore footballers may laugh at the simplicity (and the occasional WTF? play call) but casual gamers will appreciate the faster pace and accessibility.  I happen to like it.  But there are a few things that confuse the hell out of me.  At times you have no idea what play has been called and the little voice coming through your headset sometimes adds to the confusion.  Also, playing a game with a friend via local exhibition with the “GameFlow” feature ‘on’ is somewhat impractical.  Neither you nor your opponent knows exactly what play you’re getting, which turns most of the match into a guessing game—this can be strangely fun or really annoying based on how much you care.  Either way, Madden 11 is at its best when enjoyed with a friend.

One more thing that is a bit wacky is the in-game advertising.  Now, I know that big-budget advertising is a huge part of real broadcast football, but it would be nice if the Achievements I earned weren’t sponsored by Old Spice!  On a hardly related note, it is pretty cool that after you win the Super Bowl (sponsored by Verizon Wireless, of course) you get to visit the White House and chill with Barack Obama.  Yes you can!

Madden has a long, and mostly unrivaled history in console gaming.  Once again, this year’s game adds to that legacy by streamlining the experience rather than re-inventing it.  Depending on your love of the franchise, this could either bring you much happiness or a long, drawn-out yyyaaaaawwwwwwnnnn (excuse me).  With the NFL exclusivity license in its twilight years it will be interesting to see if EA Tiburon decides to change their tried-and-true formula in the near future.  Things should get interesting soon.

It seems like Brett Favre retiring has been the topic of offseason conversation for at least the last five years (he has actually been threatening to retire since 2002.)  Being the poster boy for indecisiveness, Favre is at it again, soaking up the attention of the media and adding chaos to another football team’s locker room.  Yesterday, Favre allegedly sent certain Viking teammates text messages stating that he will not be returning to the NFL.

At 40 years old, Favre just came off one of his best seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings.  But in the NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints he suffered an ankle injury on his left leg.  In May, Favre had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle and has since claimed to be having some trouble with the recovery.

At this point nothing is official, but it seems as if the Vikings will have to rely on the unproven Tarvaris Jackson when the preseason starts this year against the St. Louis Rams.

Here's all the latest from FOX Sports:

KontrolFreek Evens the Playing Field with New TD Freek

Makers of The Popular FPS Freek And Speed Freek Suit Up For Football Season

July 26, 2010 – ATLANTA – KontrolFreek (www.kontrolfreek.com), makers of the wildly popular FPS Freek and Speed Freek attachments for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers, announced today that they are expanding their family of products to include a new football-themed adapter dubbed the TD Freek. In keeping with the company’s tradition of offering innovatively designed and functionally effective console gaming accessories, the TD Freek gives football gamers improved comfort and maneuverability in titles like Madden and NCAA football. The adapter serves as a joystick extension and features a premium grip designed to resemble the external skin of a football.  The result is added leverage, accuracy and comfort for the player.  The TD Freek will be available at www.kontrolfreek.com starting August 10^th for $9.99.

With the addition of TD Freek, KontrolFreek adds another compelling product to its stable of gaming gear and tackles another major genre for gaming titles. Enthusiasts and competitive football players alike will be thrilled with the results they see after spending a little time using TD Freek. The attachment provides gamers benefits on both sides of the ball.

Offense: Avoid being tackled, get the yards and make the play with a higher degree of control over the ball carrier. From the moment the ball is snapped, the player will notice the difference in their gaming performance using the TD Freek.

Taking a step back with the quarterback and maneuvering inside the pocket -- where every step matters -- is a totally different experience with a longer joystick. And if the pocket collapses causing the player to have to scramble, the TD Freek will give the player the necessary grip to make split second decisions. This is especially relevant to rushing and passing plays where the TD Freek can improve both control and accuracy.

Defense: Stop the offense in its tracks with more precise control and tackling. Football is a game of inches, and the longer joysticks and hence better leverage afforded by the TD Freek will help the player push the offense back one yard at a time by tracking down and making better tackles.

“Football is hugely competitive in the world of console gaming and KontrolFreek is proud to bring Madden and NCAA football players the equipment to take their game up a notch,” said Ashish Mistry, CEO of KontrolFreek. “Sports gamers are some of the most passionate in the industry and we are very excited to now be able to play a role in that space. The TD Freek helps further KontrolFreek’s mission of providing top-notch console accessories for every gamer in the household. Look for more from us in the coming months as we continue to expand to new genres.”

About KontrolFreek

Fast-growing KontrolFreek creates videogame console controller accessories that help gamers win. The company uses the latest in ergonomic science, engineering, and materials to make Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 controller accessories that have been acclaimed by both critics and consumers alike. Simplicity of design and enhancing gaming performance serve as the underpinnings of the company’s products. The KontrolFreek family of products improves speed, accuracy, maneuverability and comfort for players of all levels and across a variety of gaming genres. KontrolFreek is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, visit www.KontroFreek.com. To meet KontrolFreek’s growing community, visit www.facebook.com/kontrolfreek.

Media Contact:

Chris Keene

FTW! Public Relations

chris@ftwpublicrelations.com

302.463.1665

You might not know this, but much like Punxsutawney Phil does for weather, John Madden does for football.  That’s right!  Earlier this week, Madden came out of his hole and saw his shadow, predicting a long overdue diet and a tough loss for the Indianapolis Colts.

Well, it’s actually Madden’s game that is used for the Super Bowl predicting—but the results are the same.

Every year for Super Bowl, EA cranks up the latest Madden NFL game and lets the computer figure out who’s going to win the big game.  The simulation is run each year in hopes to satisfy our curious minds and, more importantly for EA, sell a few more copies of the game before football is forgotten for 6-months.

 The computer simulation is usually pretty accurate too.  In five out of the past 6 years Madden has gotten the winner right.  The only recent championship game it failed to predict was Super Bowl XLII where the Giants beat the Pats—but who could have predicted that one?

This year the simulation predicted that the New Orleans Saints would be the victor by the very close margin of 35 - 31. Drew Brees turned out to be the MVP with 299 yards and three touchdowns; while Reggie Bush found the end zone twice with a rushing touchdown and a punt returned for a TD.  Peyton Manning had a solid performance with 322 yards and three touchdowns but came up just short of the championship ring.

Before you call your bookie, though, you should know that the Madden Simulation does not take into account certain intangibles like player hot-streaks, nerves and experience or Dwight Freeney's bad ankle.

Whatever the outcome is of the actual Super Bowl, the results of the simulation predict a good, high-scoring game that all of us should enjoy.  So, like my old tee ball coach used to say (he also used to hit on my mom and make sure I was wearing my jockstrap by “knocking”), “no matter who wins the game, we’re all winners!”