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Microsoft welcomes Madden 15 with dedicated Xbox One bundle
Just in time for the debut of Madden 15, Microsoft has unveiled an Xbox One bundle focused on the latest edition of EA's annual football sim. Slated to debut alongside Madden 15 on August 26, the Xbox One Madden NFL 15 bundle includes a console, a digital copy of Madden 15 and three Pro Packs for use in Ultimate Team mode. That may seem meager, but by reducing the amount of extraneous content Microsoft can offer this bundle at $400 - the same price attached to a Kinect-less Xbox One - for those people who want a new console purely for its ability to play EA's latest football offerings. According to Microsoft, these bundles are only available for a limited time. If you want to ensure you've got one coming, you can pre-order the console from Amazon or the Microsoft Store. [Image: Microsoft]
Madden 15 tackles top linemen, cornerback ratings
Last week, EA Sports dished out its player ratings for the top NFL rookies and positions like quarterbacks and running backs for Madden NFL 15. The athlete-ranking countdown to the game's launch continues with ratings for the top players at six positions: Offensive line, defensive end, defensive tackle, inside linebacker, outside linebacker and cornerback. Madden 15 attempts to settle the debate as to who is the best corner in the league by giving Seahawks star and cover athlete Richard Sherman a 99 overall rating. The game's top defensive end, J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans also came away with a 99 rating. EA ranked two San Francisco 49ers players at the top of the middle linebacker position as well: Both Patrick Willis and teammate NaVorro Bowman bested Panthers linebacker and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly with 96 overall ratings compared to Kuechly's 94. Head past the break for the full list of ratings provided by EA Tiburon. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game will attempt to turn players into better students of the sport and emphasizes improved defensive control.
Madden 15 says Russell Wilson is as good as Tom Brady
After EA offered its take on the top NFL rookies heading into the upcoming season earlier this week, it started dishing out Madden NFL 15 player ratings by the handful. While it isn't pulling the curtain back for every player yet, the developers at EA Tiburon unveiled the top-rated athletes in the game at five positions so far: Quarterback, running back, fullback, tight end and wide receiver. Among the more eye-opening appearances on the lists are Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, whose 93 rating is tied with Patriots passer Tom Brady, though Wilson's Super Bowl win in February provides a healthy argument about his place in the game. Leading the charge for quarterbacks are Denver's Peyton Manning and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, both rated 98 overall. Fellow Packers player John Kuhn is the top fullback in the game with a 93 rating, while Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's 98 rating barely eclipses that of Eagles rusher LeSean McCoy and Chiefs runner Jamaal Charles (both rated 97). New Orleans' Jimmy Graham is the top tight end in the game at 97 overall, and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson is the lone 99 overall-rated player in the bunch. Head past the break for the rest of EA's rankings. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15 ranks the NFL's top ten rookies
EA Sports kicked off its annual player ratings reveal yesterday with a list of the top 13 rookies in the Madden NFL 15. The first-year athletes are led by Houston Texans' outside linebacker and first overall draft choice Jadeveon Clowney, whose 83 overall rating comprises stats like 88 speed, 95 hit power and 94 power moves. The developers at EA Tiburon will issue regular player ratings updates for Madden 15 over the next few weeks, the culmination of months of work by Madden's "Ratings Czar," Donny Moore. Head past the break for the full list of Madden 15's top 13 rookies and their overall ratings. The game will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3, and features an "overhauled" defense and aims to encourage players to learn football strategy within the game. [Image: EA Sports]
Become a student of football in Madden 15
The "overhaul" to Madden 15's defensive controls announced in June is intended to make players more successful on that side of the ball, yet that won't help those new to the sport itself. For that, the development team at EA Tiburon is turning to the game's Skills Trainer mode to help players become better students of the game. "In Skills Trainer for Madden NFL 15, we are attempting to do something we have not done in the past, which is teach players basic football concepts in addition to stick skills," Madden 15 Assistant Producer Danny Doeberling told Joystiq. "When we playtest Madden year in and year out, we found out that a good chunk of players are not familiar with some of the terminology and some of the intricacies of the game, and football in general."
Madden 15 cover art wants a high-five
Madden NFL 15's cover art, which features Seattle Seahawks cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, appeared on Amazon's listing for the game today. EA Sports confirmed to Joystiq that the box art is legitimate, though we're not entirely sure what Sherman's pose is supposed to indicate. As a rare defensive player on the cover of a game that emphasizes an "overhaul" on that side of the ball, perhaps Sherman is posing to tell the offense to stop in their tracks? Or he's about to shout "Jumanji" at a stampeding herd of exotic animals? Maybe Sherman is directing traffic at a crosswalk or is in need of a high-five? The star defender's pose on the cover is lost on us, though one thing is certain: Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out larger versions of the box art in our gallery below. [Image: EA Sports]
In Madden 15, defense wins championships
It's commonly agreed that Richard Sherman is the best cornerback in the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks player was voted by fans as the star of Madden NFL 15 late last week, making him one of a few rare exceptions in a long line of offensive players like quarterbacks and running backs to grace the game's cover. He also may wind up being one of the most fitting cover stars. Madden is typically an offensive player's game. The football sim traditionally favors bold spins and jukes or strong-armed throws over the understated defensive player's actions, and Creative Director of Gameplay Rex Dickson knows that well. In a phone conversation with Joystiq, Dickson recalled choice quotes from fans on how playing defense in Madden was previously "boring," or that players would opt to simulate their snaps on that side of the ball.
Watch EA's E3 2014 press conference right here [Update: It's over!]
Find out what new games are coming from EA with us on our liveblog and in video form on this page. The action begins at 12:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. ET). The publisher's E3 2014 press conference in Los Angeles will feature games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Battlefield Hardline, spotlight the latest entries in the Madden, FIFA and NHL series, and maybe dish out some fresh information on the next Mass Effect game from BioWare or Mirror's Edge 2. Update: Show's over, folks! Feel free to check out all of EA's big announcements and rewatch the press event above. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Madden 15 cover vote starts, rookies packed into Ultimate Team
EA Sports kicked off its cover athlete vote for Madden NFL 15 during the first round of the NFL Draft last night, and is slated to end after four rounds of voting on June 6. The vote features just 16 candidates this year instead of the standard 32, which is an even more rapid decrease from Madden 25's two brackets of 64 football players. The first round's eight match-ups can be found after the break. The developers at EA Tiburon also celebrated the first round of the NFL Draft by inserting each of the first round's 32 draftees into Madden Ultimate Team card packs in Madden 25, starting today. It makes for a fine opportunity to check out the digital versions of each recruit without having to wait to play as them in Madden 15, which is due to arrive August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Just don't trust Madden to predict which rookies will be picked by teams in the draft, it won't go well.
Madden misses Drafting 101 with 6% of NFL picks
Our grand experiment with Madden NFL 25 this week, in which we simulated the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft using Electronic Arts' popular football game, ended as the NFL finished round one last night. In all, EA's Madden 25 only managed to place two athletes on their correct teams: Cornerback Justin Gilbert with the Cleveland Browns [#8] and defensive tackle Aaron Donald with the St. Louis Rams [#13], making for a lackluster success rate of six percent. Good job, good effort, Madden! The game did manage to place players of correct relative positions with five teams in the first round, as Minnesota drafted a quarterback, San Francisco took a defensive back and Pittsburgh selected a linebacker last night as well. Yet EA's Madden 25 wasn't able to account for the eight trades that took place last night, in which Cleveland traded back from the fourth pick to the eighth spot, which is where they chose Gilbert, later selecting quarterback Johnny Manziel [#22].
Madden NFL 15 hitting current and next-gen turf August 26
The next game in EA Sports' treasured football series, Madden NFL 15, will launch August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe, the publisher announced today. The game will arrive simultaneously for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Madden 15 will include "an entirely new broadcast presentation that delivers Madden NFL game day like never before with dramatic all-new camera angles, as well as dynamic pre-game and halftime features," according to the announcement. EA will begin a cover athlete vote on May 8, starting with a special announcement at the NFL Draft. The accompanying release date trailer features Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who may be a popular choice for voters as he's the reigning NFL defensive player of the year. [Image: EA Sports]
Design your own team logos, uniforms in Madden NFL contest
EA Tiburon kicked off a design contest late last week for the next game in the Madden NFL series. The developer is challenging fans with creating new logos and uniforms for the game, and is accepting submissions now through March 7. EA's last release in the series, Madden 25, brought back the ability to relocate NFL teams in the game to 17 different cities. While the contest announcement stresses that EA prefers user-created logo and uniform designs based on those 17 cities and the dozens of team names that were created for Madden 25, it will accept submissions that involve other team names and locations. Those looking to enter their designs for, say, a Milwaukee-based football franchise can download EA's uniform and logo design packet (in .zip file form) to get started. [Image: EA Sports]
