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Denver Broncos picked to win Super Bowl XLVIII in Madden 25 simulation
EA Sports ran a simulation of the Super Bowl XLVIII match-up this coming Sunday between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks using Madden NFL 25 and wound up predicting a Broncos victory with a score of 31-28. The simulation had Denver toppling Seattle in dramatic fashion: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch brought the team to within two points on a last-second 27-yard touchdown run before the team successfully scored two more on the two-point conversion attempt to take the game to overtime. The sim then showed Seattle stalling out in the first possession of overtime before Broncos kicker Matt Prater booted the game-winning field goal. Broncos quarterback (and noted Papa John's pizza spokesman) Peyton Manning earned the Super Bowl MVP award thanks to his 322-yard, three touchdown performance in the simulation. EA's Super Bowl simulations have a decent track record, as the publisher has successfully named the Super Bowl winners in eight out of the last ten years by using the latest roster files in the current Madden game. If that's not a testament to the work of Madden Ratings Czar Donny Moore, then we're not sure what is. Head past the break to see the list of EA Sports' Super Bowl predictions in recent years and each game's actual outcome.
Madden 25 title update to fix Ultimate Team issues and injury woes
The next patch for Madden NFL 25 is on the way, EA revealed in a blog post. The title update promises "improved stability" across all game modes and addresses a number of gameplay concerns had by players, such as the frequency of injuries and the ability to truck through tackles being tuned too high. Additionally, players were previously being awarded wins without completing solo challenges in Madden's Ultimate Team mode – another bug being squashed in the upcoming patch. Among the Connected Franchise mode tweaks the title update is expected to fix is the accelerated clock issues found in head-to-head games, as the play clock would not automatically wind down when being set that way in the game's career mode. The patch also addresses a bug in which some athletes from imported draft classes would not have facemasks on their helmets, which just sounds like a group of rookies that prefer to live dangerously to us. We've contacted EA to find out when the patch is expected to arrive and included the full list of fixes provided by the publisher after the break.
Madden 25 scores CoachGlass companion app so you can pretend to be a defensive coordinator
With yearly Madden titles appearing for every platform under the sun, Microsoft is attempting to set itself apart with CoachGlass, a companion app that will work exclusively with Madden 25 for Xbox One. CoachGlass will let players up their defensive game by offering information on opponents, including offensive habits, best players and even advice on the best formations to use. In short, it does all the legwork for you to pretend to be a real NFL defensive coordinator. CoachGlass will be accessible as part of the Xbox One's SmartGlass tablet app. The Xbox 360 SmartGlass app is currently available for iOS, so we imagine the Xbox One version would make an appearance on the App Store sometime between now and the new console's November 22 debut. [via Joystiq]
Madden 25 getting play-calling assistance on Xbox One
EA announced a Xbox One-exclusive SmartGlass app for Madden NFL 25 called CoachGlass today. The app will be available to players with a phone or tablet that can support SmartGlass at the system's launch on November 19. CoachGlass pulls data from "tens of thousands" of online matches to offer suggestions for play-calling on defense. It factors in the down and distance at any moment in the game, points of reference for where teams are on the field, to determine an opponent's tendencies on offense. The app presents players on defense with a list of the opponent's preferred targets at a given moment as well as the areas of the field they opt to throw or run to at that point in the game. CoachGlass is available to use in every mode of Madden 25 as well, so it's not just relegated to online matches. When Microsoft revealed its SmartGlass app for Xbox 360 at its 2012 pre-E3 press event, EA's Madden series was one of the featured properties being shown off. EA Tiburon wound up shelving its original app idea for Madden 13, in which players could create athletes and then take them on the field in the game.
Microsoft and EA's CoachGlass Madden app for Xbox One lets you act as a defensive coordinator (video)
At this year's E3, EA briefly mentioned that we would see a Madden 25 integration of sorts with SmartGlass in the near future, but that's as much as the gaming developer was willing to share back then. Now, some four months after the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 took place, EA Sports and Microsoft are finally prepared to show off what they've been working on. Meet CoachGlass. The aptly named companion app, which is an Xbox One exclusive, uses SmartGlass to connect with Madden 25 and allow users to control defensive plays during a game via smartphone or tablet. Essentially, CoachGlass lets players take over the role of a defensive coordinator, allowing them to handle all the play-calling and recommending formations it believes will be successful against the rival offense. Obviously, it's easy to see how this took a cue from the renowned "Ask Madden" feature. However, CoachGlass differentiates itself by resorting to data collected from the Madden community, as well as recently used plays, to make its suggestions. Better yet, it also pinpoints who the opposing team's biggest offensive threats are, while "Track Tendencies" displays whether the squad you're up against prefers to throw or pass the football in most situations. EA tells us that as more people get to playing its popular NFL title, the recommended plays will become more efficient, since it'll show ones which have been successful for other gamers around the world.
Madden 25 trailer showcases 'next generation of presentation'
EA has unveiled a new trailer for Madden 25 which focuses less on oversized bruisers smashing into one another, and more on the attractive aesthetics to be found in the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 incarnations of the game.
How football players make the grade in Madden
If you watch the NFL and play Madden every year as the season progresses, you might use the game as a barometer for real-life player performance. There are over 1,600 athletes playing in the NFL during the regular season, but due to increased roster limits during the offseason - when coaches are testing players to compile their final roster - there could be over 1,100 more players to account for on the field and in the game. Someone has to create and manage the skill ratings for these players in the series every year, and that someone is EA Tiburon's Donny Moore, known at the developer as the Madden team's "Ratings Czar." Moore knows firsthand that some athletes are simply better than others, and they prove it as the NFL season progresses. Take Victor Cruz, for example. He started Madden NFL 12 with an overall player rating in the 60's out of a possible 99, among the worst players in the game. Like other NFL player hopefuls, the New York Giants receiver was an afterthought, since he wasn't selected among the 255 athletes chosen in the seven-round NFL Draft. The odds of an undrafted free agent, and even the occasional players drafted in a lower round in some cases, making a team's final 53-man roster is fairly low, and the perceived talent level of those players, compared to their drafted peers, are even lower. Cruz made the cut, and eventually wowed fans and fantasy football owners throughout the 2011 season. In his debut season's third week, Cruz caught three passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles. In that week's Madden 12 roster update, his overall rating - the out-of-99 score given to players based on performance - jumped from 64 to 72. By season's end the Giants were Super Bowl champions and Cruz's overall Madden 12 rating leapt to 88, thanks to an astonishing 1,536 yard, nine-touchdown season. As Cruz impressed fans, Moore increased his Madden rating, which meant his virtual counterpart's abilities improved as well. %Gallery-188881%
Rank NFL players, impact weekly Madden 25 roster updates
NFL.com is hosting a Madden 25 player rankings challenge hub, in which users can sort through a list of players every week to decide who is the best of the best. EA says these lists will be compiled, similar to EA's cover athlete voting process in the past, and used as a resource when the team does its weekly Madden 25 roster updates. The voting challenge also includes a special list of 25 young athletes making their mark on the sport today, such as Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson or Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb. EA says fans are "solely responsible" for determining who the top "Next Generation" player will be this year, as each week in the voting process the top player earns 25 points toward their cumulative season total, second place earns 24 points and so on. Given that Madden 25 will launch on next-gen systems this November, crowning a top Next Generation player through fan voting is appropriate. The fan rankings for the other listed positions won't have a direct "one to one" impact on the in-game roster updates that happen after every week of the NFL season, but they also won't be totally ignored, EA says.
EA: Madden 25 sells through over 1 million units in first week
In its first week on store shelves, Madden NFL 25 has sold through more than 1 million copies, EA announced. The publisher also noted that Madden players have clocked in nearly 6 million hours of play time and opened more than 3.3 million card packs in the game's Ultimate Team mode, all in its introductory week. Madden 25 is one of the current-gen games included in the Xbox One and PS4 upgrade programs, such as Microsoft's deal for players to trade up to Xbox One versions of select games for $10. Those upgrading from current-gen to the Xbox One or PS4 versions of Madden 25 will receive an extra six All-Pro card packs in Ultimate Team and can transfer teams to their next-gen system of choice.
Saints Row 4 marches on in UK charts, A Realm Reborn berths in third
Saints Row 4 maintains its reign in the UK plains for another week, seeing off a number of new releases including Square Enix phoenix (down) A Realm Reborn. The resurrection of MMO Final Fantasy 14 debuts in third, just behind Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Outside the top ten, Massive Shock: a Grasshopper game is struggling to sell! Games by the Japanese studio are rarely big sellers - Lollipop Chainsaw did ship 700,000 - but there'll surely be disappointment at Killer is Dead charting 28th in its first week. Maybe not as much as there'll be over at Capcom, though: Lost Planet 3 lands two places higher in 26. Murkier to judge is Rayman Legends in sixth. Topping the first week sales of predecessor Origins by 20 percent is all well and good, but Origins wasn't exactly a commercial hit. It only sold 50,000 copies across its first month in the US, after all. Still, Legends is the second highest new release this week, pipping Madden 25 which touches down in seventh.
Here's the full player ratings list for Madden 25
EA Tiburon's player ratings list for Madden 25, at least as it stands for preseason football before the weekly roster updates start in September, is now available. Sporting News has a full spreadsheet with every NFL player's rating, from Seahawks QB Russell Wilson's 86 speed rating to Jets rookie CB Dee Milliner's 88 man coverage rating. Madden 25's release is just around the corner: The game launches August 27 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and will come to Xbox One and PS4 at a later date. Feel free to check out the above trailer for the game's top defensive players, but who doesn't prefer spreadsheets over videos?
Amazon also offering Xbox 360 to Xbox One game upgrades
GameStop isn't the only establishment offering Xbox One upgrades. Amazon has announced it too will allow users to upgrade from their Xbox 360 game to the same version on Xbox One, for a $10 fee. Each eligible Xbox 360 game traded in to Amazon prior to December 31 will be valued at $25 and, as part of this promotion, Amazon will tack on another $25. That leaves you to make up the $10 in-between. Amazon will support eight games over GameStop's five: Battlefield 4, Need for Speed: Rivals, Madden NFL 25, Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA 14, Watch Dogs, NBA 2K13 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Just make sure you read the full terms and conditions before you start boxing up your games. okay?
Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson top Madden 25's players on offense
EA kicked off its Madden 25 player ratings reveal this week, issuing a single trailer to cover the top five players in each offensive category. The top-rated QB to start the game is Aaron Rodgers at 98 overall, while the top running back is Adrian Peterson, who is rated 99 overall.
Facebook app shows every team's playbook for Madden 25
With the first week of the preseason in full swing and regular season NFL games on the way, players that are eager for Madden 25 might want to do a little game-planning in advance. Prima Games put together a nice tool for armchair QBs in the form of a free, simple Facebook app that shows every team's offensive and defensive playbooks in the game. The app breaks down plays by formation, so it's easy to find your favorite gun snugs routes without sifting through strong I-formation plays. I like the look of Seattle's mix of plays in the pistol formation, which will go well with the running game improvements and combo moves in the game. Madden 25 will launch on August 27 for Xbox 360 and PS3, and will head to next-gen systems at a later date. The game's demo, which features a Super Bowl rematch between the Ravens and the 49ers, will be available next Tuesday, August 13.
Madden 25 features All-25 dream team coached by Madden
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, Madden 25 will include a special All-25 Team comprised of the best players to step foot on the virtual turf, usable in the Play Now mode of the game. Of course, the team wouldn't be complete without the game's namesake, John Madden, as its head coach, who will bring his own special playbook to the sidelines. EA Sports will lift the curtains on two players on the dream team's depth chart per day, starting today with former Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott and former Rams running back Marshall Faulk. EA's All-25 team hub offers a few ratings for each player, such as Faulk's 90 catching and Alstott's 98 trucking ratings. Faulk is a respectable, albeit curious choice, given that Barry Sanders is the cover athlete for the game. Madden 25 will launch on Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 27, and will come to Xbox One and PS4 at a later date.
Joe Flacco is the only new clutch player in Madden 25
EA Tiburon introduced its "clutch trait" for in-game athletes in Madden 12 as a means of providing a boost in players' ratings when the right circumstances were in place, namely when the game is on the line in the 4th quarter or overtime. That trait will carry over to Madden 25, and oddly enough, the list of players that will start the game out with the clutch trait is nearly identical to the one announced for Madden 13 last year. One name is new to the list: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco certainly earned the trait, given his stellar playoff performance and Super Bowl win. Only two other names are missing from last year's list, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, and that's because those linebackers retired during the offseason. EA Tiburon's Donny Moore, the "Ratings Czar" for the Madden series, tells Joystiq the team "decided when we added these traits that we wanted it to be a special thing, very unique, there wouldn't be a clutch player on every team necessarily, so we sort of stuck to that mantra when we assigned the traits." %Gallery-186852%
EA offering Ultimate Team incentives for next-gen Madden 25 upgrades
Those looking to play Madden NFL 25 will likely pick the game up for either Xbox 360 or PS3 when it launches on August 27. Though some may opt to wait a few months for the PS4 and Xbox One versions, those that plan to own both current and next-gen versions are entitled to a few perks in the form of bonuses for Madden Ultimate Team. Players will be able to perform a one-time transfer of up to 1,100 items in Madden Ultimate Team (45 players, 55 items from the active roster and up to 1,000 reserves) from either Xbox 360 or PS3 to either Xbox One or PS4. Ultimate Team fans can still use the items in their current-gen copies of the game, but MUT cards cannot be auctioned or traded after being transferred. Additionally, Anniversary Edition owners will receive an extra six All Pro card packs once they create their team in the mode in a next-gen version of the game, which will be helpful for those looking to create teams with high chemistry in this year's Ultimate Team mode.
Accused murderer Aaron Hernandez removed from NCAA 14 and Madden 25
Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots tight end charged with murder on June 26, has been removed from Madden 25 and NCAA 14. Players that happen to unlock Hernandez's Ultimate Team card in NCAA 14 by getting a gold medal in the game's Shovel Option drill in the Skills Trainer mode will see the card turn into that of current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. A future title update will remove Hernandez from the game entirely. EA Sports' statement reads: "We have made a decision to remove Aaron Hernandez from Madden NFL 25 and NCAA Football 14. Because NCAA Football 14 was finalized prior to our decision, Hernandez' image still appears in the Nike Skills Trainer. However, he is not in the game, and anyone who unlocks that particular Nike Skills Trainer reward will receive an Alex Smith Ultimate Team player item instead. The image of Hernandez will be removed via a Title Update in the near future." NCAA 14's Ultimate Team mode, the college football series' version of EA Sports' card-collecting mode seen in many of its games, features thousands of unlockable, real-life athletes. The athletes, many being current NFL players, represent the colleges they attended. In Hernandez's case, his likeness in NCAA 14 was tied to the Florida Gators. He was released by the Patriots on the day he was arraigned, so were he in Madden 25, he would have been a free agent.
Madden 25 brings chemistry back to Ultimate Team
Madden Ultimate Team, the series' card-collecting mode in which players gradually upgrade their team by earning card packs, will receive a few improvements this fall in Madden 25. The game will see a reintroduction of team chemistry to the mode, which will provide performance boosts for your team when the player styles of those on your depth chart match up, of which there are four for defensive and offensive players each. Madden Ultimate Team will also include an online head-to-head seasons mode, which challenges players to compete in a 10-game season that culminates in an eight-team playoff. Competing players earn card packs and coins in the playoffs for head-to-head seasons, instantly making it an attractive option for Ultimate Team addicts. Madden 25 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 27. %Gallery-193251%
Madden 25 will let you move to 17 different cities, revive historic teams
In Madden 25's Connected Franchise career mode, players can take on the role of team owner and perform a number of new tasks, including relocating teams to new cities. Madden's Creative Director Mike Young told Joystiq today that the mode is designed to limit the franchise relocation option to 17 different markets. The 17 cities include Brooklyn, London, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Austin, Columbus, Orlando, Portland, Oklahoma City and Memphis. Additionally, some locations with an already-established NFL presence can receive a second team, such as Chicago and Houston. Players will have the option to retain their team name, logo and uniforms when moving or select from three different preset options for each city, including the Brooklyn Beats. The mode also grants players the option to reboot now-defunct teams from the NFL's history, such as the Columbus Panhandles, London Monarchs or the Houston Oilers. Players can opt to turn off the team relocation feature, disabling the option entirely. EA Sports provided us with a new trailer for the game in which Young discusses the move from Madden 13's Connected Careers mode to this year's Connected Franchise mode. Madden 25 will launch August 27 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
