There is a dark force that looms over the gaming industry, rearing its ugly head every August. It is said to be feared by some of the burliest, rugged manly-mans this country has to offer. It is the Madden Curse, and with Madden NFL 12 mere days away from release, cover athlete Peyton Hillis is surely experiencing a few sleepless nights. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the history behind the nastiness of John's spooky juju.
The curse seems to have a particular disdain for quarterbacks, causing the likes of Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper and even Brett Favre to either break something, throw a generous helping of interceptions, get busted for dog fighting, get busted for suggestive text messages to employees, or the combination of sending suggestive text messages to fighting dogs. What would drive a man to do that last one, if not some sort of supernatural force? Dual Madden NFL 10 cover athletes Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald should have shared the brunt of the curse. But when Fitzgerald actually had a decent year, poor Polamalu was forced to pick up the slack by getting injured not once, but twice the following season, thereby depriving football fans of his luxurious flowing locks for nearly an entire season.
So good luck, Mr. Hillis. Hopefully you can do better than Shaun Alexander or Marshall Faulk did when they dared grace the cover of gaming's storied football franchise. However, even if your season is sidelined by a scorching case of athletic supporter rash, at least fans will still be able to play the virtual you all year long when Madden NFL 12 drops on Tuesday and you can read Game Rant's review here.
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