The older I get, the more I realize that I took my childhood for granted.

I started playing video games back when the Super Nintendo and NBA Jam were in their primes. I started getting serious about video games when Diddy Kong Racing made its way into my N64. Madden 2001 and NHL Breakaway 98 were the first sport games I played to death. By the time Madden 2004 was released, my sports gaming passion had gone from being just a hobby to being more more of an obsession.

That was a long time ago. Now I'm 23 years old. I recently broke up with a long-time fiancée, and I am stuck with the responsibilities that three jobs (and OS) and bills bring my way. I still love gaming, but the time is just not there. I have played too many games that were shut off in the seventh inning. There have been too many times that fourth-quarter comeback never had a chance to materialize. It got to the point where I would have to schedule my life around my games -- not what I wanted.

People would tell me go grab the NHL and Madden arcade games on XBLA, but they were not the same. NBA Jam is coming out soon, and I love the original, but it still won't be enough. I want sim. I need sim because I breath sim. Then Madden 11 came out.

I know a lot of people are extremely disappointed in Madden, and I am as well, especially when it comes to the the lack of Franchise mode improvements. However, the newest feature is what makes this game matter.

Gameflow. Is it a gimmick? Maybe. Does it cut down on a lot of play time? Yes. And it allows me to enjoy a game of Madden without having to constantly check the clock before going to work or school.

Gameflow has its flaws, but I can look past them. It does annoy me when it's the fourth quarter, I’m down by a touchdown with 45 seconds left, and it calls a counter play. But the feature goes much further than that. The average gamers that are not short on spare time will not understand why it is so easy to see past a flaw like a poorly planned counter play, but one day they will.

Until then, though, they can gripe as much as they want about Madden 11. It won't change the fact that my bachelor pad is finally the site of plenty of fourth-quarter comebacks once again.