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Why Robin Makes Batman Better I honestly cannot think of a better channel to host a special countdown to the launch of EA’s Madden NFL 09 than good old Spike TV. This is the audience the channel was born to capture. They’ll have Geoff Keighley broadcasting live from the Rosebowl, a performance by Good Charlotte, and a special presentation of the movie Rudy. Of course hardcore East Coast Madden fans will have already left to fill their bellies with beer before waiting in line to get the game at midnight, but perhaps they’ll leave their TVs on at home to help a station out.
Former Packers QB Brett Favre has returned to the NFL, announcing his retirement from retirement and throwing a wrench into EA’s plans to have him as cover boy for Madden NFL 09. Favre, photographed in his Packers uniform, is now playing for the Jets, leading to a very important, last minute roster change. That change won’t, however, affect his appearance on the cover of this year’s Madden.
That said, fanatical football fans with a desire for accuracy will be able to download a Jets uniformed Favre next week, according to MTV Multiplayer. It’s due to hit EAsports.com sometime next week, just begging to be printed and inserted into a clear plastic sleeve. Ready the inkjets!
Welcome Back Brett [Peter Moore blog] EA Will Produce Brett Favre ‘Madden’ Cover Featuring Jets Uniform, Updating Roster On Monday [MTV Multiplayer]
Fans hoping to get into EA’s celebration of all things Madden at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California this Monday have pretty limited options when it comes to scoring entry into the event. They can either win tickets via local Southern California radio stations, or stand in line and hope they’re one of the first 1,00 people there. Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb offers gamers a third option for acquiring Maddenpalooza tickets – email him!
EA has hooked the Major up with 25 pairs of tickets, which he will award randomly to folks who email him between now and 9AM Pacific time tomorrow. He’ll notify winners tomorrow afternoon, giving you a good four days to figure out how the hell you’re going to make it to Pasadena in time. PROTIP – If you live in Pasadena, don’t move.
I’ve got your tickets to the Maddenpalooza event in Pasadena [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]
Time to get our big, brutish, manly hands on a small chunk of the latest installment of EA’s Madden NFL franchise! The demo for Madden NFL 09 is up on Xbox Live, with it’s presence on the PlayStation store imminent. It’s 1.08 GB of pure football power, crafted lovingly the most skilled football artisans and doused with just enough sweaty locker room smell to make you nostalgic without making you nauseous. I’ve already started getting my own particular brand of football fever, having already purchased, played, and traded in NCAA to prepare for my impeding purchase, playing, and trading of Madden NFL 09. What can I say? There is only so much room in my life for football and football-related knowledge. For instance, as far as I know, the above screenshot depicts the Colts versus Radio Shack.
Oh, and a FaceBreaker demo is out too. Yay.
Demo: Madden NFL 09 And Guest [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]
EA has dropped details on this year’s celebration for the release of Madden NFL 09, annoyingly titled Maddenpalooza. Mentioned during Leigh’s interview with Steve Schnur earlier this month, Maddenpalooza is a music festival featuring bands from current and past Madden soundtracks that will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on August 11th. Fans can snag tickets through local radio stations or at the Rose Bowl on event day, which entitle them to a day filled with music, NFL star signings, and various other bits of marketing, all leading up to 9PM when the stadium’s pop-up Wal-Mart will sell the first copies of the game.
Artists scheduled to appear include headliners Good Charlotte, Busta Rhymes, Rev Theory, Airbourne, From First to Last and Young Dre The Truth. Sounds like a worthy successor to the traditional Maddenoliday, more than enough to hold us until they add the word Madden to the front of some new festive term.
EA Sports Fantasy Football is getting PlayStation Network and Xbox Live integration as well as the ability to port over fantasy football squads to Madden NFL 09, EA announced today.
The web-based service of Fantasy Football, which will be free, and the paid applications for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for fantasy football are expected to hit later this summer.
“EA SPORTS Fantasy Football this year takes fantasy football leagues to the next level,” said EA SPORTS Fantasy Football Executive Producer Jeremy Strauser. “Through our draft day and live scoring applications we have made fantasy football a truly interactive and innovative experience. In addition, we have created integration between our EA SPORTS Fantasy Football product and Madden NFL 09 which gives the football gamer the complete football gaming experience.”
Gamers will be able to download a Fantasy Football Live Draft Tracker to the 360 or PS3 which will give them the ability to view video clips and hear EA expert commentary. The Live Score Tracker, another download, will track fantasy football scores, delivering them either in full screen mode with rosters and details or a more compact picture-in-picture mode.
Hit up the jump for more screens, the full release and to speculate on what exactly the price tag will be.
EA Sports Fantasy Football [EA Sports]
The graphics whore within wishes that Madden NFL 09 looked like this all the time (and that a holographic John Madden could be called upon for advice at any moment, should we need to know the barbeque time on sausages or find out if Ace hardware had something in stock). We think the “Madden IQ Test” is a fantastic introduction for people who are terrible at virtual football, as I am, so that they can have a good measure of their skill level before playing. Maybe it’s just so easy to place John in an AT-AT or Death Star transmission with that bluish interlaced look he’s got. It’s slimming!
Madden NFL 09 – IQ Test: Rushing Offence HD [GameTrailers]
Yep, that’s a screen shot from Madden NFL 09 one that goes a long way toward explaining what John Riccitiello meant when he touted the game’s “holographic interface.” It’s not, as you might immediately think, a fantastic looking update to Discs Of Tron but one of Madden‘s new features, known as “Madden IQ.” Using a series of (wait for it…) minigames to determine your skill level at passing and running, both offensively and defensively, the game is said to adjust its difficulty based on your Madden IQ.
If you thought holographic interfaces were the most exciting addition to Madden NFL 09, think again. In what’s sure to be a controversial feature add, EA Sports will be bringing do-overs to its venerable footballer. Don’t like how a play went down? Rewind it! Sun in your eyes? Analogue stick too sticky? Rewind it! Branded as the “EA Sports Rewind”—leaving it open as a new feature for all EA Sports games—the mulligan concept is optional and offline only.
We think it’s actually a neat little feature, if only for its strategic shutting down of big plays (and big flubs) and allowing for scores to be settled over and over again. Personally, I think EA should add it to the online mode. Oh, wait. There’s Madden NFL 2010 to consider. Maybe next year!
Do Over! Madden Mondays Week 6: EA SPORTS REWIND [GameStop Blog]
John Madden made his first video game football appearance on the PC twenty years ago, with EA shipping on the Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS platforms. However, Madden won’t be making an appearance on the PC this year, as EA has decided to go forward with console and handheld versions only for Madden NFL 09. Furious? Perhaps the soothing words of Peter Moore will tame you, gamer beast.
