Let's see, EA Sports Active 2, EA Sports MMA, FIFA 11, Madden NFL 11, NBA Elite 11, NBA Jam, NCAA Football 11, NHL 11, NHL Slapshot, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11...
Wait, where is NCAA March Madness 2011? Oh, it's suspended.
That's right, last February, EA Sports announced that their college basketball franchise would be benched for at least 2011 while the company reviews the future of the franchise.
(I wish I had tickets to this game.)
The lack of a 2011 title is especially shocking after EA Sports went to great efforts to make the most authentic video game presentation in recent memory - tapping Dick Vitale, Brad Nessler, Erin Andrews, Gus Johnson, and Bill Raferty for commentary and using authentic ESPN and CBS presentation.
This suspension leaves virtual hoop fans without a college title to play considering that Take Two Interactive discontinued its College Hoops 2k franchise in 2008.
But EA Sports should have learned from Take Two's mistakes. In 2008, Take Two chose first overall pick Greg Oden to grace what was the franchise's last cover. In 2010, EA looked to first overall pick Blake Griffin for its cover athlete.
( EA Sports/the Clippers could not have predicted the future, but the jury is still out on Griffin.)
Both were stud big men coming out of college and both missed most of their rookie season due to injury. Now, they might be the last athletes to grace the cover of competing video game franchises.
- Jeff Laboon
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