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Hockey showdown brings back the memories
The current hockey demo showdown (NHL 07 vs NHL 2K7) on XBLM is bringing back fond memories of EA vs. 2K rivalries of yore. For many grid iron gamers, that old football favorite, ESPN NFL 2K5 for Xbox, still compares favorably with the latest Madden in several respects, especially presentation (Half-time highlights with Chris Berman!). Would Madden 07 really be a better game if EA didn't have a monopoly over the NFL license? How do you think the NFL 2K series would have developed given the chance?
HDTV Listings for September 7, 2006
What we're watching: Football, football, football. The season of our readers' favorite sport to watch in high definition kicks off tonight with the Miami Dolphins at the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC. If that's not enough, we've also got college action as Oregon State takes on Boise State on ESPN-HD. If you're not into American Football, Fox is premiering a couple new shows tonight in HD, 'Til Death and Happy Hour. Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is back in its entirety on HBO-HD, as is Boyz N the Hood on Showtime.Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
ESPN Mobile to offer full-length college football games
Mobile ESPN might not have attracted quite the following they'd have hoped for so far, but that's certainly not to say they won't keep on keepin' on. In a deal with potentially broad-reaching implications for 3G data, MVNOs, and mobile entertainment in general, the sports-oriented carrier has announced plans to broadcast live college football games to their handsets, with as many as 25 planned for the 2006 season. Details are slim for the picking -- including the all-important question of pricing -- but if they can get this feature out the door for little or no additional cost on top of their basic service plans, we can definitely see this winning a few converts (not to mention flooding Sprint's EV-DO pipes in the process).[Via Moco News]
Winning Eleven Special Edition DS
So, Nintendo finally tossed us a bone and set the Black and Pink version of the DS Lite for release in North America. Still, any real gamer knows that all the awesome special edition everythings are Japan-only, and this little beauty is no exception. Soocer/football fans, go ahead and drool...the stylistic playbook sketch makes the Onyx Lite that much hotter. Sure, if you want it badly enough, you can import it...but who knows how much you'll be paying?
Pro Evo Soccer exclusivity proves enigmatic
Furious footie fans were quick to cry foul when Microsoft announced at the Leipzig Games Convention that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 was to be a 12-month, next-gen exclusive for the Xbox 360. The initial wave of anger has since been replaced with confusion, as several remarks from Konami seem to indicate that Microsoft was already celebrating a goal which they hadn't quite scored yet. Has Microsoft been caught in a lie or is this merely a case of misinterpretation and marketing hyperbole? The story thus far: After the initial announcement, Konami shoots down claims that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is exclusive to the Xbox 360, pointing out that the game is a planned "multi-platform release" in order to satisfy "as many people as possible." Konami was right to take issue, as Microsoft never claimed to have total exclusivity. The deal only encompasses next-generation platforms. That means the PS2 version, sure to be the most widely played one, remains unaffected. Next, 1UP has a chat with series producer Shingo Takatsuka and triumphantly reveals that "Winning Eleven is not exclusive to Xbox 360." Well done, especially considering that Microsoft was speaking about Pro Evolution Soccer and not Winning Eleven. Same game, different regions. Microsoft is certainly to blame for not clarifying further, but nabbing Pro Evolution Soccer affects European territories, the only place where the series goes by that name. Takatsuka goes on to say that Konami "never said exclusive for one year on the next-gen platforms. We said this year. We were agreed that it was this year." The agreement largely occurs by default, as the man admits that the PS3 entry in the series has no chance of being completed before 2007. Next Spring is the earliest date it could see release and even then, it would be the Japanese Winning Eleven first, followed by the European edition. Can Konami put together the European release before 12 months have elapsed? Absolutely, especially if they want to prove Microsoft wrong. It would seem that Microsoft could be accused of being overly vague but not of being untruthful. Both Microsoft and Konami are correct and the confusion thus far is only due to different naming conventions and choice marketing words. Still, it'll be interesting to see which really lasts the longest -- Microsoft's 12 months or Konami's development time on a PS3 Pro Evolution Soccer 6. The race is on. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.] Read -- Microsoft's original announcement. Read -- Konami denies 360 exclusivity. Read -- Series producer chimes in on the situation.
"Godzillatron" goes live at Texas' Royal-Memorial Stadium
We've seen Varsity Blues and Friday Night Lights enough times to know that bragging rights are an important part of Texas football culture, so it's no surprise that the UT Longhorns are filled with pride over their ginormous new stadium display, nicknamed Godzillatron. At 134 feet wide by 55 feet tall, the $8 million dollar screen needed to be mounted to tree trunk-like support columns with 5-inch diameter grounding bolts, and requires 40 five-ton air conditioners to keep it cool in the sometimes unrelenting Texas heat. Problems start to arise, though, if and when school officials refer to Godzillatron as the world's largest HD display -- not only is that plain false (the Tokyo Racecourse's new Mitsubishi monster trumps it in both square footage and diagonal length), but as we noted before, it may not even be the largest display on American soil. You see, although the Longhorns' screen can boast a total area of 7,370 square feet, the other Daktronics-built display at Dolphin Stadium still has it beat on the diagonal measurement: 1,750 inches to Godzillatron's 1,738. However, as a wise man once said, "Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family, and your friends." That may be true, but if the Longhorns don't bring home another championship trophy this season, the alumni who shelled out millions of bucks for that scoreboard are gonna be pretty darn pissed.
Mario Strikers Charged in the field
Wow, Peach! Now that's what we call a chest trap. And here we thought Nintendo wasn't about exaggerating the female form. But that aside, the game strikes home on the excitement front, particularly after all the screenshots we've seen from this upcoming title since LGC. This video clocks in at just over a minute and includes some decent gameplay footage, though the quality isn't the best.
EuroGamer: MS pwned Leipzig
EuroGamer discusses Microsoft's dominance at the Leipzig Game Convention. Choice quotes: "The PR victory scored by Microsoft here cannot be underestimated. The power of the company's spin machine continues to leave the rest of the games industry in awe even after an entire console generation of experience" ..."There is a very clear winner, and a very clear loser, in the Leipziger Messe this week, as 150,000 consumers are currently finding out - and hundreds of press types have already discovered. The winner is Microsoft." Being European, these guys make a big deal out of Microsoft cornering the soccer market. However, 1up reports that MS may have..gulp..exaggerated (normally a Sony trademark) the extent of that coup (It looks like Pro Evo/Winning 11 and FIFA are "exclusive" only until the Konami and EA can finish developing them for the PS3). Was Sony's lack of a response due to calm knowledge that MS was over-selling its football shut out, or just their usual "Riiiiidge Racer" corporate buffoonery? [Thanks Charch & Lorul2]
Mario Strikers Charged pics and analysis
LGC may not have dropped the launch bombshell we all wanted, but the advent of sequels to two excellent Gamecube titles is nothing to scoff at. A French website, Puissance Nintendo, has a nice collection of screen caps for the newly announced Mario Strikers Charged, and show off some interesting facets of the game. The title screen, shown above, has three options available: Domination Mode, Road to the Striker Cup, and Striker Challenges. One can assume that Domination Mode is a simple, pick-up-and-play option; Road to the Striker Cup is the longer, tournament- or franchise-based mode; Striker Challenges, then, must be a series of missions or simple challenges designed to hone one's skills. The character selection screen only shows four initial players; the rest must be unlocked in some form or another. One silhouette is clearly Bowser Jr., and others have claimed that Pikachu, Ness, and Link can also been seen in the bottom row. The characters have four statistics: Movement, Shooting, Passing, and Defense. Overall, the visual style feels similar to the Gamecube version. The original Super Mario Strikers was an excellent later Gamecube title; here's hoping the Wii version can live up to the hype.
FIFA and Pro Evo sock it to Sony
In a Zidane-style head butt to the World Cup dreams of PS3 fanboys across the globe, Microsoft announced that both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for at least a year. Always eloquent Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis said it best: "Xbox 360 owns football." This shut out probably won't shatter too many shins stateside, but it should provide an added edge in the football-crazed international market. GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! [Thanks Rogue Soul]
Fujitsu Siemens kits up with football club crested laptops
Custom laptop designs are a dime a dozen these days, with everything from fast car logos to glorious "Pink Feather" designs being stamped onto the back of LCDs in an attempt to draw the eyes of punters looking for a new lappie. The latest custom job on the market is Fujitsu Siemens' team of soccer themed laptops which don the colors and crests of four different UK clubs: Celtic, Aston Villa, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur, to be precise. Under the soccer shirts, the laptops are Amilo 1536 models featuring 1280 x 800 15-inch displays powered by a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics adapter. Dig a little deeper and you'll find a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and a roomy 120GB 5400RPM SATA drive. Not quite striker material, we know, but the £1000 (plus three year warranty) price tag ain't too shabby considering the bundled paint job. Fujitsu Siemens is promising other clubs will join the line-up to celebrate the recent start of the Premiership season, although don't expect any teams with notable rivalries to be released at the same time. If you follow English football, you'll notice that the first four club themed laptops are a rather disparate lot: there's no Liverpool to go with Everton, no Rangers to go with Celtic, and so on. These guys obviously know how to manage their laptop teams without starting a football riot.[Via Reg Hardware]
NCAA being recalled
A while back, we reported that NCAA was "busted up." We thought that a patch was going to be released, but EA has decided to replace those faulty discs with new ones. This is one of the more recent recalls that can't be blamed on Sony. Ironic that it only afflicts a Sony handheld...If you have a copy of the game and would like a replacement, send your UMD (without the game box) to: EA Customer Warranty Attn: NCAA PSP 209 Redwood Shores Parkway Redwood City, CA 94065 Make sure you include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number. Your new disc should reach you within 10 days.[Via Joystiq]
Microsoft head butts FIFA, Pro Evo Soccer into exclusivity
Speaking at the Leipzig Games Convention, Microsoft has announced that if you want to play the most graphically impressive footy games without gallivanting outside and running the risk of getting someone's head lodged in your chest, you'll have to do it on the Xbox 360. In what is sure to be a valuable coup, both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 are bound exclusively to the Xbox 360 for a period of 12 months. The latter game is hugely popular in Europe and may prove to be quite a head butting killer app for Microsoft's next-generation console. The exclusivity doesn't include current generation consoles, it seems, but a significantly improved 360 version of Pro Evolution Soccer with Xbox Live support would likely prove irresistable to most. As for FIFA, well, it has "ultra realistic player motion and delivers complete responsiveness due to its ability to branch animations and the real-time calculation of real human biomechanics," according to producer Hugues Ricour. "Essentially our software engineers are writing human decision-making code." Look forward to not making a decision at all regarding the console when you buy a next-gen soccer game in 2007.
Download and print your own Madden cover
As we all wait for the latest Madden episodic content from EA to hit store shelves, Gamestop has jumped the gun and is offering up free downloads of cover mock ups for your favorite team. Not sure what the point of it all is, but if you're one to show off your game box to others, this could be right up your alley. All our cases usually end up stuffed away out of view -- especially if you have a girlfriend or wife who despises any presence of a video game anywhere in plain sight. Either way, hooray for free stuff! [Thanks, murph]
A complete Madden 07 roster and ratings breakdown
If you're a self-described Madden-aholic, then check out this section in IGN that lists all the rosters and ratings for every player in the upcoming yearly installment of Madden NFL. Every single name, position, number, and stat is dished out for your pigskin pleasure. Now may be the time to plot your trades and strats before the game is due out on Aug. 22, just a couple weeks away. Anyone notice anything out of the ordinary with your favorite team? Like maybe a player got a little more or less of an upgrade from EA?
Phony Madden 07 voucher aims to break street date
We were recently (and anonymously) sent this peculiar voucher, claiming to have the power to break Madden 07's street date. Is this a magical gift from EA to its preferred customers ... or simply a desperate attempt to hit the virtual gridiron a few days earlier than the rest of us? Dear amateur forger guy, Props for the concept, but dude, you really shoulda run the fine print through spell-checker: "Participating stores incluse..." Who are you trying to fool here? Sincerely, Joystiq.com So if you should happen upon this coupon, know that it's a waste of your time -- but also know that some retail chains (read: Target and Wal-Mart) have a history of (unknowingly) breaking street dates, with or without a voucher. Good luck.
Good idea of the day: XBLA Fantasy Football
Richard form AeroPause has a pretty good idea for an Xbox Live Arcade title:The basic concepts of Fantasy Sports are so simple that any developers could make this happen with minimum damage to their wallet. It doesn't even have to be flashy, as long as its feature packed and easy to navigate. Although it would be nice to see the Xbox Live Vision Camera be incorporated, in order to send some nice words of encouragement to your foes as you bury other teams week by week.I know what some of you are saying, "But Richard I can play Fantasy Football for free online" Yeah, I know you can, but I have played in many Fantasy Leagues and when it comes to interaction they just don't deliver because being online they have to adjust to meet everyone's needs, this is not true with Xbox Live, where everything is standardized. Heck I would pay at least 1000 MS points to play in a solid Fantasy league. I don't know about 1000 points, but fantasy football for XBLA definitely sounds like a no-brainer. It could even be free and ad-supported. If some cubicle monkey at EA is reading this, get to work.
Robo-One Robot Battle Ball -- heck yes
Sure, that crazy idea of soccer bots besting the human World Cup champs by 2050 will be plenty fun 44 years from now, but how about a bit of entertainment in the here and now? Robo-One has just the thing with their new Robot Battle Ball competition, which mixes the tried and true dynamics of soccer, but throws out all the lame rules like "no hands" and "no head-butting." The result is a rather entertaining game, and though the contestants are currently remote-controlled, we're sure these little bots will figure out the necessary maliciousness on their own before long. So peep the read link, watch the related video of Robot Battle Ball action and get ready for the next big thing in sports. At least until NFL starts back up again. Oh wait, nevermind.
HDTV Listings for August 6, 2006
What we're watching: Finally Sunday nights are getting interesting for HD again. While we've got the usual HBO lineup with stars like Deadwood and Entourage, INHD's Mojo TV block and Showtime's Brotherhood queued up in their usual slots, lets not forget about football and uh...football/futbol/soccer. First we've got the return of professional football with NBC's Sunday Night Football as the Philadelphia Eagles face the Oakland Raiders. Sure it's just pre-season NFL action but our first look at Donovan McNabb and Randy Moss on the field in a while, plus John Madden and Al Michaels in the booth ensures good times for all in 1080i.Also on HDNet we've got the other kind of football, with two live games, one domestic, one international. Sleepy Hollow pops up on TNT, so you can compare what will likely be stretched or cropped to the HD DVD release. Last but not least Showtime's original movie Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out airs tonight, with Super 8 home video footage made by the bands drummer at the height of their popularity.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Major talks Madden
Major Nelson is on the road at the present time, so his regular show is an on-the-run collection of interviews with the folks behind Madden 07. Is there a football-obsessed soul out there planning on paying for this pay-per-view special they're talking about?
