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Ozzy Osbourne celebrates Maddenoliday in Times Square
"I can't hear you!" shouted Ozzy atop the Hard Rock marquee. "I wanna fucking hear you!" he spat, as several onlookers chuckled at the sound of the massive F-bomb amplified throughout Times Square. A few cheers followed, but mostly silent bemusement. "What are we standing here for?" somebody wondered aloud.Just the day before, we'd received a last-minute invitation from Microsoft PR inviting us to "Maddenoliday," a public celebration of the Xbox 360 version of Madden 08. (A Microsoft representative insisted that we not blog about the event prior to its start -- though sister site X3F gave late word by way of Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog.) With little publicity beforehand, the event mostly preyed on the droves of tourists who spend these comfortable summer nights in crisp 'I ♥ NY' tees, shuffling up and down Broadway and 7th Avenue. Set up a few iron blockades, blow some smoke, and they'll stop and linger.%Gallery-5881%
DS releases for the week of August 13th
U.S. gamers have a lot to be thankful for this week when it comes to DS titles! Whether you're dying to try some paper football, or you prefer something a little more involved, there's something on the table this week for almost any taste. Now the only problem is scraping up the cash to catch 'em all. Heroes of Mana High School Musical: Makin' the Cut Luminous Arc Madden NFL 08 Operation: Vietnam Rune Factory: Fantasy Harvest Moon
Shipping this week: just Madden edition
It's that time of year once again. No, it's not time to go visit Grandma and sample her famous Apple Brown Betty (although that does sound pretty tasty), it's time for yet another edition of Madden to hit the shelves. Football fans look to be in luck, as Madden seems to have overcome its new generation jitters and delivers a solid football experience. At least, that's the impression we're getting from the early reviews. Besides, if you want NFL football, it's not like you really have a choice, right?[Via Joystiq]
Wii releases for the week of August 13th
Are you ready for some football?!No, well ... move along, then. Because there isn't anything else releasing this week. See, this week is for those who crave the feel of the bumps of the pigskin, the sound of half-a-million screaming fans as you drive toward the endzone, and that nail-biting moment with 3 seconds on the clock and you're kicking a game-winning 47-yard field goal. These are the moments that define the sport.%Gallery-4569%
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of August 13th
So we hear that there's this game coming out this week. "Madden" we think it's called. It's supposed to be a pretty big deal. It better be, as it's the only game we're going to see released until the end of this month. Full release list is as follows: US Games Madden NFL 08 EU Games No new releases Asian Games No new releases Don't forget, non-American American football fans, PS3s are region free. So feel free to import this game like crazy, if you want. Release dates are constantly subject to change, so call ahead before wasting a trip to the shops.
New games this week: Madden '08 edition
First off: Best new release week image ever. Second: It's Madden week! And this one's apparently pretty good. But what if you don't crave the feel of the pigskin in your grip? Well, there are a few oddball releases in the portable arena, but is it worth the risk? For the next couple of weeks, the game store is going to be hostile ground, with a jock-to-geek ratio that's going to be downright dangerous. Go get your DS RPG, just be careful to avoid a wedgie.%Gallery-4322%
All-Pro Football may price drop with Madden release
EA may be concerned about 2K Sport's All-Pro Football 2K8 and its effect on their very expensive, but very lucrative (and sometimes broken) Madden franchise -- but the concern looks to be a two way street. During the Take-Two conference call where everyone was focusing on GTA IV drama, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder said about All-Pro Football 2K8 sales, "We're not terribly pleased and not disappointed. We're watching closely and are going to react proactively when Madden comes out. We know we're in a competition with them." Whether Feder means stronger marketing or a price drop is a toss-up.Although All-Pro Football 2K8 did feel a bit rushed -- especially compared to 2K Sport's other new IP, the arcade baseball game The Bigs -- it was a good attempt at trying to do a football game without an NFL license. Hopefully All-Pro Football's future iterations remain an irritation in EA's side, if only to spur the Madden franchise into attempting to be better. Although, with the right TLC All-Pro could work on its own merits with the teams and players taking on a life and style of their own -- let's just try to avoid opening up the option to future accidental OJ incidents.
EA to stop online support for six PSP games
Starting September 1st, EA will officially shut down servers for the following online-enabled PSP titles: FIFA Soccer 06 FIFA World Cup 2006 Fight Night Round 3 Madden NFL 06 NBA Live 06 In addition, Need for Speed Most Wanted will go offline starting November 1st. It looks like those of you that need an online racing fix might need to consider an alternative (like Test Drive Unlimited?). Unfortunately, it's commonplace for games to lose online support after a few years. Considering EA's love of making their franchises annual, it seems like they're really urging you to buy a new version of one of their products. [Via PlayStation boards]
Phil Harrison talks Home, 30fps Madden
Phil Harrison can't seem to get through an interview without receiving the first degree on Home and LittleBigPlanet. We bet when he sleeps at night, he might just be plagued with dreams about answering questions on those two titles. Not that it's a bad thing, but we're sure it's taking its toll on him. Anyway, in a recent 1UP interview, Phil answered some of the questions we've been wondering about for a while. About Madden on PS3 running at 30fps: "It would concern me if the platform was incapable of doing it, but we've proven the platform is capable of doing it, so it's not a PlayStation 3 issue. I'm trying to be polite." He talks about the Edge dev kit and how Sony's own titles are running at full 1080p with 60fps, basically dodging the more obvious answer: EA Sports are lazy. When asked if Home were going to be shipped with completed features and basically everything that Home could possibly have upon launch, Harrison replied: "There will be features that get added over time, it's not going to be everything that we've ever talked about at the beginning of the service. I'm being very clear we never intended for that to be the case, either, but we have a clear road map of where and how and when we're going to be adding functions and features." As far as Home itself, it's progressing well and is still due out this Fall. Development kits were sent out on July 10th to developers to start prepping titles to be Home-ready and the beta is going well. We can't wait to get our trophies for playing games in Home, or our fun little T-shirts letting people know that we really, really dig Virtua Fighter 5. Or whatever else we dig at that point. [via N4G]
EA wants to stop 2K All-Pro Football franchise
EA CEO John Riccitiello stated during a shareholder call, the same one where he said Godfather 2 was in production, that EA needs to make sure that 2K's All-Pro Football 2K8 is "not repeatable." Riccitiello specifically pointed out 2K Sports' re-emerged football franchise which has been missing since EA purchased exclusive rights to the NFL and current players in 2005.Riccitiello specifically says that Take-Two is a "competitor" and when they launch a football game "you want to make sure that [it] ends up being a blip and is not repeatable, because we like to defend our franchises aggressively." We're sure EA can dig deep into their coffers to stop 2K if they wanted to, especially considering they could afford to make Peter Moore the head of EA Sports. The only issue we have is: Wouldn't it be nice if EA actually focused on improving Madden and defeating 2K on the field of consumer satisfaction?
Activision overtakes EA as top third party publisher
Activision has surpassed EA by approximately $20 million in sales the first half of this year, making it the top third party publisher on the block. Well, that explains how they could afford to hire Jamie Kennedy to make a mockery of their press conference. If this information causes a massive "¡¿QUE?!" in your mind, Activision has done insanely well with their acquisition of Red Octane (Guitar Hero), their movie license games (which people are compelled to purchase for ungodly reasons) and franchise staples like Tony Hawk and Call of Duty.Activision made $387 million up until June, versus EA's $365 million. This would be the first time somebody else has held the top third party publisher spot in ... well, a very long time. Activision's aquisition of Red Octane was obviously a smart move on their part, as the franchise is expected to break $1 billion in sales very soon and makes up a fifth of the company's revenue with $360 million in sales this year according to analysts. For the EA fanboys, don't worry, Madden still hasn't come out this year and that game always boosts EA's bottom line.[Via Gamasutra]
Peter Moore to get $1.5 million bonus, $550,000 salary
An SEC filing has revealed that EA dropped a $1.5 million bonus on Peter Moore to help lure him into heading up their sports division. The Tattooed One got the check in recognition for the money he'd be missing out on by leaving Microsoft, though he'll have to give it all back if he leaves EA in the next two years. This is in addition to a more than half-million dollar annual salary.You know what? Worth every penny. The kind of guy who'd take ink for your company is someone you want working for you, though it's sure to make the EA locker room even more awkward than when John Madden stumbles in and starts smacking tushes. Boy, $1.5 million had to have made Pete's decision a bit easier for him. Sure, we honestly do believe that Peter Moore is moving from Microsoft to EA to spend more time with his family, but we also think it'll be great to relax with the fam while Scrooge-McDuck-diving into a giant vat of gold coins.
Madden really wants you to Ring in '08
Want to wear your Madden skillz on the street as bling? EA is giving you the chance this season with a customizable, unlockable "Ring of a Champion" that you can actually order from Jostens -- ring maker of the Super Bowl ring ... and countless graduation rings across the nation. You might even be able to convince some gullible soul that you actually scored a real Super Bowl ring, and possibly get yourself bumped up to first class on occasion. Plus, if you get into a street brawl, you've got some serious hardware on your fingers. The rings are unlocked by progressing to various levels as you play the game. Once you reach level three, you'll get a code in the game that will let you order the ring. The further you progress, the more you can customize your ring. You'll also be able to stick any of the NFL teams on there, and you can get the cheapo version in a "non precious ring" (Gollum will be so upset) for $149, or the flamboyant 14k gold version for $495. The finger bling comes studded with cubic zirconium, but Jostens will let you add real diamonds if you have a bottomless savings account and a real desire to toss your money away. The rings will be available only on the "next gen" (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) systems, sorry Wii-ers. Check out the pix of the bling below, and you can read the press release after the break. %Gallery-4923%
Overheard@E3: Incomplete pass
During Tuesday night's E3 media briefing, Microsoft boasted that Xbox 360 was the only console with the current three best-selling franchises (Sony ain't far behind with two). But at least one attendee failed to grasp the significance:South African game blogger: What's this game called?Other blogger: Uh ... Madden.
EA adds dumbed down control options for Wii sports games
The Electronic Arts sports titles on Nintendo Wii are making every effort to appeal to every Wii owner possible. In addition to throwing on minigames like they were free gifts in an informercial offer, the publisher is also introducing Family Play controls to their upcoming Madden, NBA Live and FIFA Soccer releases. According to the press release, those who opt for the Family Play controls play without the nunchuk adapter and handle the key actions (e.g., shooting, passing, snapping, and throwing) while the game handles everything else. It sounds a lot like how Wii Sports handled tennis and baseball. More fleshed-out and advanced controls are still available and can be used alongside a Family-style player. Let's hope the Family Play-assisted AI isn't too helpful and gives them an unfair advantage in multiplayer. %Gallery-4479% %Gallery-3967%
EA Sports introduces kid-friendly waggle with "Family Play"
Never let it be said that EA can't innovate! Whatever we usually think of EA Sports, their new Family Play control system is really cool. Madden '08, NBA Live '08, and FIFA Soccer '08 will all include Wiimote-and-Nunchuk-based control schemes that will allow players to "take full control of the game"-- running, passing, kicking (not so much in NBA Live) and such. But they'll also include simplified Wiimote-only control schemes that reduce the games to Wii Sports-level . The controls become fully gestural, and the AI takes over some of the gameplay tasks that were previously yours. The coolest part? You can switch back and forth on the fly, just by plugging in or unplugging the Nunchuk. Even the method of choosing controls is streamlined. We are quite impressed.
1UP: 360 football games to run faster than PS3
Football is a game of split second decisions, and simulating the sport on the Xbox 360 will soon let you split those seconds more finely. 1UP is reporting that this summer's major pigskin simulators -- EA's Madden NFL 08 and NCAA Football 2008 and 2K Sports' All-Pro Football 2K8 -- will run at 60 frames per second on the Xbox 360 and 30 frames per second on the PS3. The move represents a jump from previous Madden games, which ran at 30 frames per second on all platforms, including the Xbox 360 and PS3. While the additional frames mean smoother, more fluid animation in the 360 versions, it's still unclear how the jump will impact graphical fidelity or resolution. A comparison between both versions of last year's Madden 07 conducted by Gamespot showed the 360 version had "sharper textures on the character models in the close-up shots shown between plays." In comparing this year's games, 1UP simply stated that "All-Pro Football 2K8 definitely runs better on Xbox 360." The reasons behind this frame rate difference are hard to pin down. Todd Sitrin, EA Vice President of Marketing Sports Branding, told 1UP that there are trade offs in designing football simulations and that "every company making a football game this year made a decision that the best experience for the Xbox 360 included 60fps whereas the best experience for the PS3 was 30fps." Extra time and familiarity with the Xbox 360 hardware could have influenced the development, as could the purported difficulty in programming for the PS3's multi-processor architecture. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Touchdown! EA unloads Madden 08 info
Boy oh boy has there been a bunch of Madden 08 news hitting the internet lately and we figured what better way to get you the dish than recapping all of it in one convenient post. Yeah, that kind of logic could only come from the smartest of bloggers. So, let's get right into all the crunchy Madden 08 news and media.First off, EA released Madden 08's official soundtrack list including tracks from The Hives, Timbaland, Daddy Yankee and Xbox Artist of the Month Ozzy Osbourne. Madden 08 sounds like it's going to be a rocking good time. Also released were screenshots featuring all twenty-four new "weapons" classifications which are used to show players' crazy advanced abilities. It's a brand new way to identify stand out players and a first for the Madden franchise. The third piece of Madden 08 goodness comes in the form of a new trailer that we've embedded above. Give it a watch and you'll agree that stiff arms and side stepping never looked so nice. Finally, the Gamerscore Blog crew posted a few photos and a writeup of EA's little Madden 08 party which was held in LA the other night.Now, if that's not enough Madden 08 news to keep you satisfied then by golly you're a football addict and need to drink some Gatorade. Go hit the showers and review all the new Madden news, because August 14th will be here soon enough.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Madden 08 pulls out its weaponry
One of the new features of Electronic Arts' Madden 08 is the use of weapons -- special medals associated with certain players to signify their strengths. These aren't real weapons, mind you, but O, how we long for the days of Mutant League Football. These are more like situation-specific special moves. A player with the Big Foot Kicker weapon, for example, can kick the ball "farther than anyone in the game."IGN is outlining the 24 weapons featured in the game, so that enthusiasts can start planning and dreaming up their weapon combinations. Cannon Arm QB with a Quick Receiver? Let's hope one of their defenders doesn't have the Speed weapon.%Gallery-4322%
Madden 08 Wii online without friend codes
The next installment of Electronic Arts' Madden 08 will feature online multiplayer but will not be using Nintendo's friend code system, according to associate producer Damian Zerr in an interview with IGN. "Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play," he said. "This is something we're still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account." IGN does not press further as to why EA made this decision, leaving us to only speculate the reasons why. Perhaps EA is as distraught with the system as many Joystiq readers have conveyed. No voice chat will be available during online play, relying instead on EA Messenger for communication (details on how were also not given), but alongside DS connectivity was not ruled out for Madden 09. [Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
