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Sunday Comics: Dead Island The Madden Monopoly case could come down to trial by video game, rather than jury.
Pro gamers went up against athletes at the Gillette-EA SPORTS Champions of Gaming Global Finals in Florida last Tuesday. The result? Total domination by the gamers.
The dust has settled and the Pittsburgh Steelers again return to Pennsylvania with some lovely new Super Bowl rings on their fingers, as prophetically predicted by Madden NFL 09.
With the economy in a rut, it’s hard to justify fabulous Super Bowl bashes when companies are bleeding cash and slashing headcount. But Electronic Art’s is proudly soldiering on with its festivities, Madden Bowl-style.
The Arizona Cardinals may have gotten lucky last weekend against my beloved Eagles, but now comes vindication as the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII…in Madden NFL 09.
University of Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe has had an amazing year, with 78 catches for a school record-breaking 1,206 yards and 12 touchdowns. His secret weapon? Madden NFL 09.
The 20th edition of gaming’s signature sports simulation sells us a big-tent philosophy — dueling difficulty settings that will level the playing field between lifelong players of Madden football and more casual gamers who just want in on the fun without reading a playbook the size of an encyclopedia. As a business strategy, a more inclusive Madden makes a ton of sense. But that innovation underachieves in single-player mode and, online, it’s not much use to advanced players and it seems more to drag out competitions between the equally bad ones.
That’s not to say Madden NFL 09 is a failure or a warmed-over roster update. It is by any objective measure the best version of the game since Madden ’05, which was the game’s apotheosis on 2nd-generation consoles. Madden 09′s outstanding presentation will please lifelong adherents, and its remarkably accurate replay analysis will educate newcomers and encourage those returning to the series. Foundationally, this version begins the title’s next generation. But in gameplay, it takes safe but incremental steps toward the classic, impossible goal of a sports title: Creating realistic competition that is challenging yet winnable. If you are not an experienced player, Madden ’09 skews toward winnable, but it doesn’t leave you feeling like you played your best.
It’s that time of year again folks. Time for guys (and not a few girls) to don football jerseys declaring their allegiance, stock up on meat and chips, perhaps smear some of that black stuff under their eyes and then head over to the couch to obsessively play the latest game in EA’s Madden franchise, Madden NFL 09. It’s the 20th anniversary of their flagship sports title, and that should indicate that fans are in for something special. Has the series, often criticised for taking baby steps between instalments, managed to deliver a truly special game to mark this milestone, or have they dropped the ball? Now with the post-game report, the assembled game critics of the internet.
Those of you planning to pick up your copy of Madden NFL 09 at your local Sam’s Club may be in for a bit more value than the usual discounted prices. An official for the warehouse store dropped us a line this morning to let us know that Sam’s Club locations with photo centres will print out a high-quality version of the updated packaging featuring Brett Favre in his dashing New York Jets uniform, which we revealed to you last night, right inside the store upon purchase of the game. Sure, you could head over to EA’s Madden 09 site and download your own, but getting other people to do things for us is one of the principles that America was founded on.
We checked out Sam’s prices for the games after receiving the news, and they do offer a nice little discount. The PS3 and Xbox 360 version are going for $US 55.55 ($US 83.22 for the collector’s edition), with the PS2 and PSP versions marked at $US 36.33, the Wii version at $US 46.66, and the DS version a bargain at $US 26.66. All this plus a free cover replacement while you wait? None too shabby.
Update – Just got word from Walmart that they’ll be printing covers on-site as well, though the games are regular price and you don’t get a Walmart card with your picture on it – that’s reserved for managers.
Late last night people crowded into stores and at least one Rose Bowl to snatch up a copy of Madden NFL 09. This marking the 20th anniversary of the game, Madden has been getting even more hype than usual this year round with mainstream press pointing to the game’s successes as proof that video gaming has gone mainstream.
And of course, Electronic Arts is quick to point out that this Madden is a keeper.
