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Madden simulation picks Baltimore Ravens as Super Bowl XLVII winners
According to EA's annual Madden simulation, the Baltimore Ravens will beat the San Francisco 49ers by 27 to 24 in Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII. So now you know the score and the winner there's no reason to tune in, especially since EA also produced footage of the game's final moments, which sees a last-ditch play by the 49ers nullified by a trophy-winning Ravens interception.EA does have decent form in this department; its Madden simulations picked seven of the last nine Super Bowl winners. Interestingly, the two times EA got it wrong featured wild card teams as champions. So maybe, on the whole, these Madden simulations are onto something. Or maybe, as Sunday could prove, it's all a load of sportsball.
Next Madden 13 title update lands Thursday, adds Ultimate Team features
The fourth title update for Madden NFL 13 is scheduled to go live November 29, and includes a few new features for Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). The ability to set multiple lineups for your MUT squad highlights the list of changes. Players will now be able to save up to five different lineups.Another change coming in this week's title update is described as "more nuanced roster management," and is also geared towards Ultimate Team. Instead of breaking down roster management by offense, defense and special teams in MUT, the update sorts teams by more specific positions, such as offensive line and defensive secondary. Each roster segment will show your team's starters as well as eligible players on your bench. The Madden team is also adding a boosts screen in this update, which will display every ratings boost equipped to your team.Among the other features being added to MUT are quick collections and the ability to play two minute quarters in the mode. Quick collections reward players that are among the first to finish a card collection in Madden Ultimate Team with special bonuses."What we're really striving for is aiming these title updates not just at bug fixes, but adding brand-new content so people feel like they're constantly getting a new game experience," an EA rep told Joystiq. Past title updates added server-side fantasy drafts and player editing in career mode. We've also been told that another announcement is due later this week. Click past the break to see the list of bug fixes included in the update. %Gallery-172015%
EA Sports donates $500,000 of in-game ads to Movember initiative
In good guy news, EA Sports is putting up $500,000 worth of in-game advertising for Movember, free of charge. You may have already spotted the ads, which will run this month, in the latest iterations of FIFA, Madden, and NHL.Movember's been going for several years now, but in case you're yet to link it to the surge of facial hair above November lips, the charity's website can fill you in. In short, dudes grow their mustaches out across the month, all in the name of raising money for men's health charities like the Prostate Cancer and LiveStrong foundations.While this is excellent of EA Sports, we're a little disappointed to not hear of EA CEO Peter Moore growing out his whiskers - we mean really growing out his whiskers. We reckon he could totally pull off this little number. Of course, even that 'stache woudn't compare to a certain reviews editor's super sexy stylings.
Approaching Wii U's GamePad like a 'toy' in Madden NFL 13
Madden NFL 13 on Wii U may lack the Infinity Engine, which brought stronger collisions and dynamic animations into the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, but the console's gamepad fills that void with a tablet-drive, play calling system. The only problem, EA tells Joystiq, was getting players to want to use the new control system."A challenging thing at the beginning was getting people to actually want to touch the screen," says Yuri Bialoskursky, lead designer on Madden 13 for Wii U. "They would just stare at it blankly and not interact with it. We had to come up with a way to make it like a toy, essentially – make you want to mess around with it."The Wii U GamePad lets players navigate their playbook through the gamepad's touch screen, allowing them to tap and drag to the right play. More importantly, players can draw offensive and defensive hot routes right on the screen. Offensive and defensive linemen are represented by yellow circles, while the hot routes you draw are represented by a red line. You can also play in "detached mode" and play Madden entirely on the WiiPad, freeing your television for any other piece of entertainment, like watching real life football.%Gallery-168180%
Sports School: If it's in the game, it's unexplained
Welcome to The Level Grind, a column hell-bent on asking questions about video game design from the gamer's perspective. Around the time of the UEFA 2012 Euro Championships, a group of my friends became so enraptured by the competition that they wanted to turn to video games to continue their new found love for the sport. With EA's FIFA franchise being the premiere soccer (sorry, Europe) experience, I recommended the latest game in the series: at the time, FIFA 2012.But few of those friends stuck by their purchases and told me that, while they enjoyed watching live games, they realized how little they understood the rules and strategies on the pitch.I've had a similar disconnect with the NFL. As a Canadian expat, my regular sport of choice is hockey. But with the NHL (once again) threatened by a season-long lockout, I've had to adopt a new sport. Over the last few weeks I've absorbed as much football as I could, watching any game my HD antenna can capture ... and I've grown quite fond of it.So, I grabbed a copy of Madden NFL 13 to extend that experience into another one of my passions and I realized that I don't have a clue what's going on.%Gallery-157686%
Next Madden 13 update lands October 16, adds career mode features
When the folks at EA Tiburon told us they were "committed to post-launch support" of Madden 13 back in August, we weren't told just how often the game would see that support. As it turns out, the next update is scheduled to release October 16, about a month after the previous update.This update, the third one for Madden 13, fixes some gameplay and presentation issues while focusing on the game's career mode. Connected Careers mode is getting some noteworthy updates this month with the addition of player editing for online leagues, the ability to use custom rosters offline, and the option to change offensive and defensive coaching schemes. Aside from new features, Connected Careers is also receiving a number of fixes for some of its glaring issues, including a fix for the online mode's broken accelerated clock.
Amazon Gold Box deals kick off with Madden
Amazon's Gold Box is all games once again, offering a series of time-limited deals alongside a special all-day $39.99 sale on Madden NFL 13. Find the clues for each "Lightning Deal" after the break.
President Barack Obama campaigning in EA games again
Much can change in four years, but apparently President Barack Obama's campaign avenues haven't. For his upcoming campaign towards a second term as President of the United States, Obama will once again advertise through video games – specifically, EA games. Madden NFL 13 across various consoles and other undisclosed EA games are on deck to dish out Obama ads, including EA's casual games portal Pogo and EA Mobile games like Tetris, Scrabble and Battleship. These ads will show up for gamers in Ohio, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Virginia.Four years ago, Obama paid $44,500 for in-game advertising in Burnout Paradise and other games. You can see some mock-ups in our gallery below. %Gallery-165666%
Madden 13 gets server-side fantasy drafts
EA Tiburon detailed the inclusion of fantasy drafts for online Connected Careers franchises for Madden 13 in a recent blog. The feature, which now allows players to run a 54-round fantasy draft when starting an online franchise-style league, was not initially included in the game's feature set, much to the dismay of many players.EA Tiburon is "looking into adding similar functionality into offline Connected Careers in the future," so the fantasy draft feature is currently locked to online Connected Careers leagues, which can still be played as a single-player franchise.
Madden NFL 13 sells 1.65 million copies in first week
This year's annual EA Sports installment Madden NFL 13 has shown a greater awareness for penetrating the line and sacking your wallet. That's football speak for: Madden NFL 13 sold a lot in its first week – 1.65 million copies, to be exact – and set a launch week sales record for the franchise this console generation.That's an eight percent increase over Madden NFL 12's launch, which moved 1.4 million copies in its first week. Not only that, but EA reports Madden NFL 13 had way more online-connected gamers over the previous installment – over 1.4 million players jumped online and compared to last year's game; 31 percent more online games were played in that launch week span.
Madden 13 sells 900K copies on day one
Madden 13 sold 900,000 copies during its first 24 hours of availability, according to EA's internal estimates. This is a 7 percent increase over last year's day-one sales for Madden 12. The game also set the record for the number of day-one users playing a Madden title online, although specific numbers for that figure were not provided, beyond saying that it was a 28 percent increase over Madden 12's day-one online users.No information was given on how those 900,000 sales are divided up amongst the various systems Madden 13 is available on, but we asked a football-lookin' college kid at our local coffee shop what system he bought it for, and while his response was to push us over and take our lunch money, we think what he meant was "Xbox."
Madden 13's wrong photo leaves NFL star incensed
Madden NFL 13 endured league star Marcus Thomas' ire yesterday, Kotaku discovered, after the New York Giants player discovered the game had a photo of a completely different Marcus Thomas in his profile. The Marcus Thomas it did feature (below right, after the break) last played in the league three years ago. To make things worse, he didn't even play at the same team (Denver Broncos), and he looks nothing at all like the first Marcus Thomas (below left). All of that incensed the first Marcus Thomas.
PSN Tuesday: Walking Dead Episode Three, Madden NFL 13, Psychonauts
The games dump on PlayStation Network and Vita this week is headlined by The Walking Dead Episode Three's surprise launch, with supporting roles from Madden NFL 13, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition, Rock Band Blitz, three Ratchet and Clank games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD and more.Madden NFL 13 launches on Vita today as well, for $40 compared to the PS3's $60, and Psychonauts is $10 as a PS2 classic. Check out the PlayStation Blog for the full list, and yesterday's PlayStation Plus announcement for the skinny on those fat cats.
Madden 13 getting Ultimate Team 'key packs,' complete player ratings revealed
EA's Madden team detailed new card packs for Madden Ultimate Team this week called "key packs." By completing full sets of solo challenges and card collections in the Madden NFL 13 mode, players earn one random key card, one of 38 rare collectible player cards available at the game's launch. Those addicted to the series' card-collecting mode will be happy to know that these ultra-rare key pack cards can be traded and auctioned away in the game.Also, for the accountant in all of us, EA Sports revealed a spreadsheet that contains every rating of every player in Madden 13 this week. After seeing a gradual reveal of specific ratings for individual positions over the last few weeks, this wealth of information should be beneficial for those starting their own leagues in Connected Careers mode when Madden 13 launches Tuesday.
Metareview: Madden NFL 13
As the latest in EA Sports' ongoing pro football series, Madden NFL 13 introduced the hard-hitting Infinity Engine and Connected Careers mode this year as noteworthy additions among a fair amount of issues. Our review saw the game as "the foundation for eventual excellence." Here's what other critics around the web had to say about this year's Madden: GamesRadar (4.5/5): "It's not often that a stalwart franchise like this reinvents itself so significantly, but Madden NFL 13 has pulled this off with aplomb. Brimming with innovation on the field and off, it's the best Madden of the generation." EGM (8/10): "All in all, it's clear the team at Tiburon took a hard look at ways to bring the franchise back to its former glory. Some annoying bugs persist here and there, but overall, Madden NFL 13 stands as one of my favorite football experiences of this generation." Polygon (8/10): "Madden 13 gives players a ton of options without explaining them in detail, and that's an issue. But Madden NFL 13 represents a giant leap over its predecessors. It's easily the best Madden title of this console cycle, and it's notable for the ways in which it clearly sets the stage for Tiburon to make a graceful transition into the next generation." OXM (7.5/10): "The engine shows a great deal of promise, and Connected Careers features a lot of interesting ideas, but there's no question that this is a rebuilding year. The best news is that EA finally seems to be on the right track. Give it another year, and Madden may at last be a true contender."%Gallery-157686%
Madden NFL 13 review: The little engine that could
The common theme of annual sports game entries is usually "better than last year." With all of its issues, Madden NFL 12 was still better than Madden NFL 11. In reality, most of the time, the best a new sports game can do is make players hopeful for the future of the series. Madden 12's "balance of improvement and ongoing flaws," according to our review, wasn't a great foundation for building hope.Madden NFL 13 has that foundation. And while it's not a perfect game, it has – to borrow a term often used in fantasy football – the upside of being close.%Gallery-157686%
Madden 13's top ten defenders, more receivers ratings revealed
With Madden NFL 13 launching in less than a week, EA Sports unleashed its latest category of player ratings for the game. The video above details the top ten overall defenders in the game to start the season.Notably missing from the top ten list are defenders from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants team, such as Jason Pierre-Paul. Even considering his offseason injury, it's a curious decision to leave the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year winner Terrell Suggs out of the top ten list as well, while putting his fellow Baltimore Ravens teammates Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed in the mix.As usual, EA Sports began casting votes for the top-rated defenders in speed, tackling, hit power, and man coverage on their Facebook page this week. Currently, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is winning in the speed category, Patrick Willis of the 49ers has a slim lead over Ray Lewis of the Ravens in the hit power category and also is in the lead for the tackling category. Darrelle Revis, New York Jets cornerback and number one defender in the game is leading the vote for the highest man coverage rating.Lastly, EA Sports recently released a complete list of ratings for every receiver in the game. Take a look at a more thorough breakdown of the top ten wide receivers and tight ends in Madden 13 and their overall, speed, acceleration, strength, awareness, and catching ratings after the break.
Madden 13 emphasizing post-launch support, first update in September [Update]
The first title update for Madden NFL 13 is scheduled for September 11, two weeks after the launch of the game on August 28. While we have no details yet on what the update will include, post-launch support for the game is expected to increase compared with last year's game. Madden 12's first title update came roughly seven weeks after the game's launch.The game's "tuner sets" feature, which was included and hardly used in Madden 12, gives the development team the opportunity to issue small gameplay tweaks without the use of a full title update. EA Tiburon's team plans to "closely monitor community feedback and will quickly release tuners based on any major issues reported." The same can't be said for Madden 12, as its lack of consistent updates became a glaring issue in sports gaming communities such as Pastapadre and OperationSports."The team is absolutely committed to post-launch support, and we will make it a point to keep you updated on title updates, tuner sets, roster updates, new Madden Moments Live and more," EA said in a statement to Joystiq. Providing the Madden team sticks to its goals, Madden 13 is likely to receive more post-launch support out of the gate than last year's game had entirely.Update: EA has reached out to say it is unable to confirm the first update to Madden 13 will arrive on September 11 until the date is approved by console holders. While it is anticipated for that date, further testing could push the date back.
Madden 13's top ten receivers, more running back ratings revealed
The video above video shows the top ten receivers in Madden NFL 13. Like last week's ratings reveal, EA Sports has hall of fame running back Marshall Faulk gushing over (what EA Tiburon perceives as) the NFL's best receivers.This year's cover athlete Calvin Johnson Jr. of the Detroit Lions makes an obvious claim for the top spot, but is joined by an interesting crew of top talent. While the 15-1 Green Bay Packers have no receivers on the top ten list (no Jordy Nelson or Greg Jennings?), the New England Patriots boast the second and eighth spots with tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Wes Welker, respectively.EA Sports continued its voting process this week on its Facebook page to determine the best receivers in the speed, agility, route running, and spectacular catch categories. As of this writing, Chicago Bears receiver Devin Hester will have the highest speed among receivers in the game, Calvin Johnson Jr. will have the highest spectacular catch rating, and the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald is winning the vote for the best route-running skills in Madden 13.Additionally, EA Sports recently unveiled a full list of ratings for nearly every running back in the game. Check out a more thorough breakdown of the top ten runners and fullbacks and their overall, speed, acceleration, strength, trucking, and elusiveness ratings after the break.
PSA: Madden 13 demo lands this Tuesday, Sexy Rexy returns
Madden 13's demo will be available August 14, and features match-ups between the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, the latter being led in a pre-game cheer by backup QB Rex "Sexy Rexy" Grossman in the announcement trailer above. The Redskins have a clear-cut starting quarterback in their second overall draft choice Robert Griffin III, who is rated 83 overall in the game and is also prominently featured in the trailer, but it's good to see Grossman (rated 75 overall) getting digitally fired up from the sidelines these days.The demo also features a rematch between the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and the NFC runner-ups, the San Francisco 49ers. While doing the salsa dance in the end zone with Giants receiver Victor Cruz sounds like a good time, we'll be opting to solve the Russell Wilson/Matt Flynn/Tarvaris Jackson QB conundrum in Seattle on Tuesday. Madden 13 is set to launch on August 28 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PlayStation Vita.
