BECKY SHER | Hype Video game wins honor

"Madden NFL Football" has gone pro. The wildly successful, 14-year-old video game is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yes, you heard right -- a video game has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, right next to the legends of the sport, like Mike Ditka and Vince Lombardi. It may seem strange, but millions of "Madden"-worshipping fans probably aren't surprised at all. A few guys we know are almost as excited about the game's release this week as they are about the start of the real, live football season.
You might be wondering what makes a video game Hall of Fame-worthy.
A few people who've previewed this year's game tell us there's a cool new sequence for fake hand-offs and play-action passes, a groovy build-your-own-stadium feature and a new view that lets the quarterback scan the whole field instead of just one side.
Look for "Madden 2004" soon for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PS One, PC and GameBoy Advance.