With no competition, EA has free reign to produce minimal effort. Their sales show people are staying away, but they believe that they need to capture the casual market for those numbers to improve. They don't think that the core gamer is abandoning their product. If there were any other football game on the market with half decent graphics but all around solid game play, EA would be in trouble, and would need to sell to a company like Microsoft!

I can dig your efforts but in all honesty, I couldn't deal with that lack of effort in APF2K8. My impressions of it was a rehash of the same basic gameplay of 2K5 with UGLY "next gen" graphics and sounds that, again, sound homemade like NBA2K10. At least they did change up the momentum effect when running the ball where you could actually hold the button to pick up speed instead of that 2K5 "80's" tapping the button to run faster stuff. (Funny how when I spoke on this fact and the fact that even Madden 2001 was using the hold button to run deal AND the fact that Madden was the first to introduce momentum based running , which was next gen at the time, people crapped on what I said)

Anyway, 2K8 was a lackluster effort to me and disappointed the hell out of me. I used to want another, MUCH better 2K effort but not really, anymore. 2K8 AND my Madden 08 for my PS3 got traded in a week or so after playing them. Now, based on how I see how the NBA 2K series is not the cats meow for me, anymore, with 2K not really doing much to actually improve the gameplay over the years beside add more animations, presentations and "the little things", I don't really care to see another 2K football game. I think that's all 2K is about - Icing on the cake and not much in terms of the actual cake, itself. I think 2K has become what people thought EA was - Complacent.

However, I wouldn't exactly be adverse to checking out another 2K football game to see what it's like if it ever came out but I won't petition for one. If it happens, it happens...

Madden 10 is a good game. However, I think competition would make it even better.

madden is good but..... idk the presentation in nfl2k5 was just out of this world and made a very good game better... madden even though its gtting better doesnt presents itself like 2k5 did.....

Yo you are on point money.. I have been posting that they make a college football game after this year when the EA contract runs out after the bowl games.

The development team at EA needs some type of threat, from BackBreaker or 2k Sports in order to get it through their thick heads that fans are tired of sub par gameplay and presentation. Games cost too much to buy and make for them to continue giving half hearted attempts and not making noticeable strides every year. How many of us would keep our jobs with anual reviews constantly getting worse, not from the game sites perspective, but from their peers and performance record according to the consumer who ultimately is their boss?

Backbreaker will be untouchable by EA and even 2k Sports. I am a fan of 2k Sports, but not of EA Sports. NaturalMotion is taking things quite a few steps further by taking the time to get football done right (Backbreaker). That game will set the bar for years to come. Madden NFL games are, IMO, absolutely depressing. Eventually, that franchise will come to ruins. It's only a matter of time before someone shows EA up again.

The problem with BackBreaker is that there has been no news since last year, not even on their forums and there hasn't been any new information made available for the game. They may have just been "shopping" their game engine, I would not be surprised if they got bought out.