Here’s a pretty cute bug from the European version of Madden (YouTube).

It’s not super interesting, but it is kind of funny. Imagine the Philadelphia Eagles have just taken the field. All eyes are on star quarterback Donovan McNabb. After a few failed runs and some lossed yardage, it’s time for their superstar quarterback to get them the first down they need.

He gets the ball, scans his receivers for the perfect game-changing throw, then with the quickness and versatility only Donovan McNabb possesses … he heaves the ball 70 yards in the wrong direction back into his own endzone. Apparrently this is a fairly common occurence in Madden 2007.

One of the fun things about modern sports games is that they’ve gotten so realistic in some ways, that the glaring videogame mistakes become all the funnier (and frustrating). Everything will look 90% perfect and you’ll be really into the game, then all of a sudden Kobe Bryant’s head will fly through the backboard or the hockey puck will get stuck hovering 50 feet above the ice. I think the best way to get through this is to create a believable backstory for the event.

For instance, clearly Donovan McNabb is angry about his current contract, but rather than holding out and not playing, he’s going to throw the ball in the wrong direction over and over again until he and his agent get what they want. There, isn’t that much more satisfying than having the bug fixed?