Other countries look at America as a privileged country, but also as a society filled with laziness. People sleep until noon, and talk about doing things that deep down they know they aren?t going to accomplish because they aren?t motivated. It?s just the nature of the environment Americans are raised in. We put things off until the last minute, and when we want something we want instant access. That?s the sole reason why fast food and video games continue to rise in big numbers every year.

There is nothing wrong with a little fun with the fellows laying back and relaxing to a fun filled football video game. Heck, ESPN and other sports channels have done specials on how athletes spend the majority of their free time playing video games against each other. Who can forget how former first round draft pick in John Avery, formerly of the Miami Dolphins was rumored to have lost focus due to his constant video game play? It?s an automatic edition to add a Playstation 2 or Xbox to an athlete?s crazed out vehicle.

Soon there will be a new diagnosis for video game fanatics. Now with Xbox Live and Playstation online that has added to even more countless hours pressing buttons and coming down with sore thumbs. EA Sports John Madden?s game has even started a nationwide tournament that gives $50,000 dollars to the winner. There are many people that train for that tournament like a boxer would for a high profiled pay per view bout.

Throughout it all there are only three football video games worth looking at. NFL Street 2, ESPN 2K5, and of course Madden 2005. Which one is the best?

NFL Street added the element of an arcade style that NFL Blitz did a horrible job of trying to accomplish. NFL Street put in the right ingredients to make it one of the most surprising games of last year. It?s just a different angle of play, but yet maintains a style that keeps it compelling. We will have to see how long their run will continue. Obviously that can?t keep adding a number to each edition. It is made by EA Sports though, so they will decide what they want to do based on continuous sales.

ESPN first started off with sports games a few years ago, and looked like a joke in the making. Then they teamed up with sega sports, and added their Sportscenter style to make it compete with Madden. Their idea to sell the game at $19.99 made it an instant choice over Madden for cheap buyers. The game play is a little shaky, but the special features make it very close to topping Madden. The halftime shows, and Sportscenter highlights of the rest of the week?s action is unreal for a video game.

Still, the number one game is Madden. The maneuvering of the athletes and the playbooks are just too realistic. The things you can do with an athlete are exactly the same as in real life, and you can even endure a rigorous training camp to improve on that. Their sales definitely struggled with ESPN?s sales pitch in the way. After being near $50 in August, the game dropped to $19.99 in December 2004. Madden really hasn?t had any serious competition in football games since the early days with Sega, and now they?ll have to watch their backs. A following will always be behind the game though, so it should stay a classic for years to come.