EA will release a simpler version of the popular football game called ”Madden NFL Arcade”, which features “pick-up and play” 5-on-5 games.

The game appears to be more casual compared to its more realistic, and complex siblings. Players get four downs to march 60 yards and score a touchdown.  The first team to 30 wins. Players can also use “Game Changers,” special power-ups to give players the upper hand, such as freezing an opponent’s receiver or turning off their passing icons.

Madden NFL Arcade will sport visuals similar to what EA used for the Nintendo Wii release of Madden NFL 10, and will sell as a download on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network for $15 this December.

The release of Madden NFL Arcade is also going to try and address one of the sports genre’s biggest issues: As controls for sports simulations bet more and more complicated, it gets harder and harder for newer players to catch on.

[Courtesy of USAToday.com]