If you find the full version of Madden (see review here) to be too expensive, complicated, or both but you still long for the thrill and prestige of legally-licensed NFL players and teams, then you’ll be happy to know that Madden NFL Arcade will be here sometime in December.

It’ll be available on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in downloadable form for $15 and will feature 5-on-5 action on a 60-yard field. Your team is given four downs, there are no penalties or field goals, and the first team to 30 wins.

So, yeah, not quite like a full game of the big boy version of Madden but this one should be far more of a pick-up-and-play experience. And, as is an arbitrary requirement for all arcade style sports games, there are numerous power-ups to use throughout the game: “Add an entourage of lineman to get the sack, freeze an opposing player, turn off your opponent’s passing icons, and much more. No lead is safe in Madden NFL Arcade.”

No specific availability date yet, aside from “just in time for the holidays in December.”

Full press release:

EA Announces All-New Football Experience with Madden NFL Arcade

5-on-5 Pure Adrenaline NFL Football Meets the Award-Winning Football Franchise

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct 14, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today an all-new way to experience the Madden NFL franchise with Madden NFL Arcade – a fun, pick-up-and-play, 5-on-5 football game from EA Tiburon. Madden NFL Arcade is pure adrenaline football for both casual and diehard NFL fans, featuring a unique art style that brings your favorite players to life like never before! Madden NFL Arcade will be available as a download on Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Store for 1200 MS Points and $14.99 respectively, just in time for the holidays in December.

“When you look around the office and see your whole team playing and having tons of fun with it, you know the game hit the right mark,” said marketing director Nathan Stewart. “We have diehard Madden fans who have worked on the franchise for a decade, and more casual gamers who are all playing together and enjoying it. If our productivity the past few weeks is any indication, we’ve created a game that everyone will love.”

Choose one of your favorite 32 NFL teams and distinctive home stadium for a battle with the best five players on each side of the ball, and let the excitement begin! Each team is given four downs to march 60 yards to pay dirt – no penalties or field goals allowed here, pal! Get your Madden NFL fix in a completely new way, with fast-paced games where the first team to 30 wins. Want to mix it up?Madden NFL Arcade can be tailored to fit your liking by changing options, such as skill level, points to win, and more; making each game unlike the one before. Take advantage of 13 unique “Game Changers” to break the game wide open on a single play. Add an entourage of lineman to get the sack, freeze an opposing player, turn off your opponent’s passing icons, and much more. No lead is safe in Madden NFL Arcade.

Madden NFL Arcade is the perfect video game for gameday, allowing up to four players to play co-op on a single console. You can also take on the world online in head-to-head matches and track your performance via interactive leaderboards. If you like to commemorate your gridiron success, Madden NFL Arcade will also provide a host of achievements and trophies to boost your gamer score.

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Microsoft

2009 is suddenly a holiday of racers. If you don’t believe that, consider the trifecta that dropped–or will drop–shortly: Need For Speed: Shift, Dirt 2, and Microsoft’s holiday tentpole Forza Motorsport 3. All of them promise realistic physics, blazing speeds, and tons of customization, but NFS: Shift and Dirt 2 are multiplatform, while Forza Motorsport 3 is an Xbox 360 first-party exclusive. For my money, though, I’ll take Forza 3. After playing all three, the newest Forza has, surprisingly, won me over–not with realism, but with fun.

I say surprisingly because “simulation racers” generally lie in a calcified place among the hearts of the mainstream gamers: the hundreds of factory-immaculate car models and pitch-perfect world racing circuits, along with the endless class licenses and intricate engine tune-ups, can turn most gamers off completely. Right here in the CNET offices, I told a colleague I was playing Forza 3, and that I actually enjoyed it. “Really?” he asked, somewhat disbelieving. It’s assumed that Gran Turismo and Forza will be inaccessible to those who don’t appreciate racers, just like Madden often erects a wall between NFL fans and gamers and the rest of the world.

I am a casual racer, and Forza 3 sucked me in.

Its first success was employing a calm British man to talk to me. Much like LittleBigPlanet, a gentle voice of authority (although in this case, not Stephen Fry) welcomed me, showed me the basic ropes, and told me everything was going to be all right. Rather than worry about detailed car controls and under-the-hood tinkering, a simple press of a few A and B buttons got me right into a season-long circuit of races. The voice tutorials gently tailed off naturally, until I had the ropes completely. Suddenly I realized that I had been playing for several hours, and was itching to complete just one more race challenge to unlock more credits. That’s when I realized that, fundamentally, Forza 3 is a success.
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(Credit: Jeff Bakalar/CNET)

In just a few weeks, John Madden will unleash his annual iteration of a yearly purchase obsession for NFL fans worldwide. For some, this matters little. For die-hard fans like Scott, though, it’s an addiction that must be tempered with some sense of restraint. While Jeff enjoys Madden but prefers NHL, Scott has a year-long addiction to endless New York Jets franchise seasons that borders on complete OCD.

In previous years, we had gotten a chance to play Madden a little earlier on. This year, however, our enthusiasm (or at least Scott’s) had to wait until EA’s Holiday Showcase this week in New York City, where Madden 10 lay waiting, along with a sofa. We had a promise to each other: Jeff would take on Scott for half of Madden, and Scott would try to keep up with Jeff in NHL 10 afterward.

How did it play? This is our story.

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