News

Retired Pro Football Players To Blitz EA For Using Likenesses In Madden NFL

Like a quarterback scrambling in the pocket, Electronic Arts has been dodging court cases related to its sports titles left and right. In recent years, the litigation’s been initiated by athletes — both college and professional — that would have the publisher dole out a cut of profits for using their likenesses. The latest one could potentially involve thousands of retired NFL players who claim that EA isn’t entitled to model gameplay off of their careers without compensation.


September 23, 2011
Xbox

The NFL Lockout, In Fact, Is Why Madden’s Release Date Moved To The End Of August

Traditionally releasing the first or second Tuesday of August, Madden NFL 12 this year moved to the end of the month, Aug. 30. EA Sports insisted the schedule change was not because of this year’s NFL lockout, but because it provided a more natural alignment of the game’s launch to the league’s opening week in September. Well, that’s not actually the case, according to Madden‘s director of marketing.


September 17, 2011
PlayStation

Put Da NFL Preview On My No One’s Back: Chargers Vs Patriots, Week Two

Bit of a speed bump here in just the second week of what I’d hoped would be a regular feature. Our commentator is AWOL. I’m still uploading the video so you can see what Madden NFL 12 predicts for this week’s marquee matchup between New England and San Diego.


September 10, 2011
PlayStation

Despite A Lockout And Disappointing Reviews, Madden Looks To One Of Its Best Years Ever

When the NFL lockout hovered over the release of EA Sports’ Madden series earlier in the year, investors were told to expect lower sales of Madden NFL 12. Analysts pegged the potential losses at up to half of all sales. The label’s exclusive pact with the league was renegotiated to terms that would help mitigate any harm.


September 8, 2011
PlayStation

Madden’s NFL Predictions — And A Few Of Our Own, Vol. 3

It’s an annual tradition for Madden NFL 12 to simulate the upcoming season and offer its predictions of how the football season will unfold. Last year it correctly picked one of the Super Bowl participants — the eventual champion Green Bay Packers. This year, the game calls for a rematch of their title game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.


September 7, 2011
PlayStation

Madden NFL 12: The Kotaku Review

As the NFL lockout dragged on, Madden NFL 12 figured to be the only football coming to your TV this year, until a month before its release. From its conception, the game was meant to be a salve for the hurting hardcore fan, not a song for those who tune in only for Super Bowl commercials. Freed of the need to build features marketed to the indifferent, this was supposed to be the Madden for a lifer, if not a lifetime.


September 1, 2011
PlayStation

A Franchise Star Anchors The Newest Madden

Previewed earlier this year, the list of Madden NFL 12‘s improvements to its Franchise campaign read like a letter to Santa written by the hardcore football fan. Wished-for features like draft-pick trades, custom playbooks and training camp cut days join new concepts like a fast-paced free agency period under the hood of Madden’s most popular mode. But do they assemble into an engine, or are they a collection of useful parts?


August 31, 2011
PlayStation

Trying To Hit The Cowboys’ Jumbo Jumbotron With A Punt In Madden NFL 12

This has been an obsession of mine ever since Cowboys Stadium appeared in Madden NFL 10 — hit the Jerrytron, the arena’s massive scoreboard, with a punt. Tennessee’s A.J. Trapasso did in a pre-season game in 2009, causing a brief foofaraw over its size and how low it was hanging over the field.


August 30, 2011
PlayStation

Madden’s Low-Magnitude ‘Superstar’ Isn’t Much To Gaze At

Simulation-quality sports video games all now ship with some kind of solo career mode, in which you create or control one player throughout his entire career. By far, this fantasy experience is most underserved by the football games. NCAA Football 12 made a substantial effort to upgrade its career this year, and although Madden NFL 12 does add some new features with “Superstar”, it remains inexcusably neglected next to the rest of the product.


August 27, 2011
PlayStation

EA Sports’ Season Ticket Hears Crickets On Debut Day

The first day of EA Sports’ “Season Ticket” premium subscription, offering a three-day (or more) full preview of Madden NFL 12, does not reflect wide acceptance among the hardcore community it was meant to appeal to.