Plain Cover Revealed for Madden 12

[Greg Tito]

Plain Cover Revealed for Madden 12

EA Sports doesn't break any molds by showing off Peyton Hillis on the cover of its latest roster update.

Perhaps more than other sports games, the choice of who graces the cover of Madden holds some import. That's because almost 80 percent of the athletes who have held that dubious honor have fallen to injury or had lackluster seasons the year they appeared on the cover. This year, EA Sports didn't want to be held responsible for potentially ruining someone's career so they passed the buck to us chumps and held a bracket tournament. Fans were able to vote on which member of the NFL player's association would grace the box of Madden 12.

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After a lengthy process, and a final between the convicted dog fighter Michael Vick and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, the latter luckily prevailed. This way, EA Sports deftly avoided the massive firestorm that would have erupted if Mr. Vick's visage was being used to sell videogames to the Walmart crowd.

Still, the cover that EA settled on with the little known Hillis is nothing stellar either. The graphic design could be swapped out for any sports game produced in the last ten years, but I guess you can't really judge a videogame by its cover.

The Madden series of football videogames has been around seemingly forever. Originally written for the PC platform before really taking off when it was ported to the Sega Genesis system back in 1991, the annual releases in the last decade have taken advantage of the HD capability of this generation, and even made some strides in making it easier for gamers to pick it up [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/7995-Review-Madden-NFL-11]. On the other hand, critics complain that paying $60 EA Sports for a mere roster update without much tweaking of the gameplay is dishonest marketing at best.

Of course, given the state of the NFL labor dispute, the only football that Americans will see this year might be in the Madden videogame.

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[Kapol]

That cover is pretty awful at best, I'd say. I think I could make that myself with my basic photoshop skills. One part of it that really bugs me from a design standpoint is the picture of him on the left. It looks really awkward to have his legs cut off like that. Not to mention that the entire thing is really just standard football imagery painted largely in orange.

But I guess I shouldn't expect much from a franchise that makes it's living just rehasing the same game every year. On a semi-unrelated note, this makes me wonder if CoD is going to become the new Madden in terms of yearly editions of the game.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

That cover looks so freaking awesome. I mean, the way he's charging out of the cover, conveying power and his eagerness to play some football. And the contrast between the white and orange, it really gets across the idea that he's ready to tackle the world. And his eyes, the way he's staring you right in the face, like he's challenging you, or something. And the moustache. Oh man, the moustache. Really, that's a manly moustache for manly football-playing guy right there.

Freaking love it. Dude.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

That cover is pretty awful at best, I'd say. I think I could make that myself with my basic photoshop skills. One part of it that really bugs me from a design standpoint is the picture of him on the left. It looks really awkward to have his legs cut off like that. Not to mention that the entire thing is really just standard football imagery painted largely in orange.

But I guess I shouldn't expect much from a franchise that makes it's living just rehasing the same game every year. On a semi-unrelated note, this makes me wonder if CoD is going to become the new Madden in terms of yearly editions of the game.

COD has already been rehashing their games for the past few years so it's already the new Madden if not worse.

 

[Rednog]

Such a shame, I really wanted Vick to be on the cover. Oh well, I can always hope for next year.
And good luck to Hillis, hopefully he won't be injured too badly.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Needs more Michael Vick.

And I don't mean that in a "Madden Curse" insult way.

I mean that in a "get the Eagles on the cover" way.

 

[zaphod121]

Panthers fan no comment.

Maybe if they cancel the season we can get another 1st round draft pick next year.

 

[MirrorForTheSun]

I don't think the Wal-Mart crowd's delicate sensibilities would be such a huge problem here. Video games and explicit music are evil, but athletes should definitely always be given the benefit of the doubt, right?

 

[Gxas]

And good luck to Hillis, hopefully he won't be injured too badly.

As a Browns fan, god... I hope he isn't...

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Perhaps more than other sports games, the choice of who graces the cover of Madden holds some import. That's because almost 80 percent of the athletes who have held that dubious honor have fallen to injury or had lackluster seasons the year they appeared on the cover.

They picked someone from a team we already know will have a bad season, so I guess the threat of injury is off the table. Smart move.

 

[EvilChameleon]

Anyone insulting my Cleveland Browns will be slapped.

 

[PunkRex]

This is the only sports game ive ever enjoyed and as my brother hasnt bought one since 09 we may get this. The cover is abit boring, even if the colour palette is good (im guessing its the Browns uni colours).

Also, once more with feeling,

"Fuck you Michael Vick"

 

[Ladette]

Power backs always suck in Madden games, always. Has there ever been a Madden cover athlete with an 85 or lower overall rating? They'll probably give him a 99 in confidence or something like that.

Maybe the curse has already effected him because he's stuck playing for the Browns. It'll give the curse nay sayers a built in excuse if he doesn't do well next season. Of course if there isn't a season then I guess that'd be pretty curse worthy too.

 

[feeqmatic]

Its become so vogue to hate on madden and I frankly am quite tired of it. The only reason people hate madden is because it caters to a demographic that most gamers don't like/is ran by EA. But in terms of "yearly roster update" what else would you expect from a sports title, better yet, how much does it differ from the typical DLC/expansion pack for the umpteen WOW games or flight simulators or the tons of other games

 

[LeeHarveyO]

Panthers fan no comment.

Maybe if they cancel the season we can get another 1st round draft pick next year.

We dont need them to cancel the season, we already got number 1 in the bag for next year assuming Cam Newton is a washup.

 

[Blindrooster]

This makes me happy. I hated how madden 11 was all "OOOO LOOK, SAINTS EVERYWHERE! THEY WON THE SUPERBOWL SO WE'll PLASTER THEM ON EVERY LOADING SCREEN!" This shows it's more about the players than which team won the superbowl