GamesRadar - PSP News

'Voice of God' heir battles NFL Films over Madden program (Madden NFL 06)

Jun 9, 2008

If you're a football fan, you've surely heard the voice of the late John Facenda. Facenda, a beloved Philadelphia newscaster from 1948-1973, gained national recognition for his voice-over work with NFL Films in the latter part of his career.

However, a lawsuit filed by Facenda's son alleges that the NFL allowed Electronic Arts to use the announcer's voice to promote Madden 2006 in violation of a contract Facenda signed before his death.

Video Gamers Sue EA Over Exclusive Sports Games (Madden NFL 07)

Jun 16, 2008

Sports video games are a huge business -- and for many years, it was an extremely competitive space. I remember a few years back trying to wade through half a dozen different baseball video game titles to figure out which one was worth buying. However, a few years back, video game giant EA started signing "exclusive" deals with a variety of sporting leagues, including the NFL. These "exclusive" deals supposedly meant that only EA could produce games with the names and stats of real players -- a huge selling point among most fans. And, of course, in gaining exclusivity, EA has completely cashed in. However, a bunch of angry video gamers are now suing the company for anticompetitive conduct, noting that these exclusive deals killed off all the competition, allowing EA to drastically raise its prices.

EA launches music label (Madden NFL 07)

Mar 27, 2007

Music has been a focal point of many of EA's titles for years, and now the publishing giant has gone a step further by forming its own music label. In a joint venture with Nettwerk One Music, the new LA-based Artwerk record label will sign both new and established artists, the first of which will be Junkie XL, who worked on music for Madden, SSX Blur and Need for Speed Carbon games. EA will use its games as a worldwide marketing tool to promote its artists. "For the past five years, EA has ...

Could EA buy 2k Sports? (Madden NFL 07)

Feb 19, 2007

Electronic Arts would be wise to buy 2K Sports, or so says industry analyst Michael Pachter for Wedbush Morgan Securities. The suggestion came amid the move from Wedbush downgrading Take-Two Interactive's stock from "hold" to "sell" Friday. Take-Two Interactive owns 2K Sports as a subsiderary.

"It is clear to us that Take-Two's sports business would have tremendous value to EA, as it would give EA a monopoly on football, basketball, baseball, and hockey," Pachter said. His analysis concluded that EA might purchase 2K Sports for as much as $200 million dollars, but he noted, "It is arguable that EA would benefit by as much as $1 billion if it were to obtain an exclusive; this does not mean that it is willing to pay $1 billion."

Latest Famitsu Review Scores (Madden NFL 07)

Dec 13, 2006

Here is the list of the latest review scores from Famitsu.

The complete list:

Motorstorm (PS3, Sony): 8 / 8 / 8 / 6 - (30/40)
Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3, Sega): 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 - (29/40)
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360, Capcom): 9 / 9 / 9 / 9 - (36/40)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Xbox 360, Sega): 8 / 7 / 7 / 8 - (30/40)
Seiken Densetsu 4 (PS2, Square Enix): 7 / 8 / 8 / 7 - (30/40)
Madden NFL 07 (PS2, EA): 7 / 8 / 7 / 5 - (27/40)
Monster 4X4: World Circuit (Wii, Ubisoft): 7 / 6 / 7 / 8 - (28/40)
A Ressha de Ikou HX (Xbox 360, Artdink): 7 / 6 / 7 / 7 - (27/40)
Metal Gear Portable Ops (PSP, Konami): 9 / 10 / 9 / 9 - (37/40)
Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology (PSP, Bandai Namco): 8 / 7 / 8 / 7 - (30/40)
Nounai Aesthe: IQ Suppli DS (NDS, Spike): 7 / 7 / 6 / 6 - (26/40)
Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai DS (NDS, Bandai Namco): 6 / 9 / 7 / 6 - (28/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PS2, EA): 8 / 8 / 7 / 7 - (30/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 9 / 9 / 8 / 8 - (34/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (Wii, EA): 8 / 7 / 6 / 7 - (28/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PSP, EA): 8 / 8 / 7 / 8 - (31/40)
School Love! (PS2, Views): 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 - (24/40)
Intelligent License 2 (PSP, Now Production): 7 / 9 / 7 / 8 - (31/40)
NBA Live 07 (PSP, EA): 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 - (29/40)
Hamster to Kurasou (NDS, Interchannel): 6 / 6 / 5 / 5 - (22/40)

Gameplay, EA line up for 'Madden' tournament TV series (Madden NFL 08)

Jan 16, 2008

The Hollywood Reporter, by Kimberly Nordyke on Jan 16, 2008:

Gameplay HD, Rainbow Media's high-definition channel that focuses on video gaming, said Tuesday that it has teamed with Electronic Arts to create a new TV series featuring the 2007 EA Sports Madden Challenge, which took place Dec. 12-13 at Universal Studios.

The six-part series -- which premieres Feb. 2, the day before the Super Bowl -- kicks off at 1 p.m. EST with an hourlong preshow introducing each of the 24 tournament finalists, including how they qualified with regional title wins playing "Madden NFL 08."

New half-hour episodes will continue to air at 1 p.m. EST Saturdays, covering the rounds of the tournament. Episodes also will feature gamer portraits, segments on the Madden video game culture and characters and the strategic plans of all the finalists as they prepare for competition.

Gameplay HD, which is one of Rainbow's Voom HD Networks, also is producing a special hourlong episode focusing on the tournament's semifinal and final rounds.

The winner of the single-elimination, bracket-style tournament takes home cash and prizes totaling $100,000.

American Sales: BioShock 400k, PS3 43k, 360 64k, Wii 101k (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 31, 2007

With a 400k debut, Bioshock has a pretty legitimate shot at 1,000,000 units long term. For a sense of scale though - even in week two Madden (across all platforms) - outsold the game.

With the Americas data now in, it is time for the weekly look at Vgchartz sales data. For the week ending August 25, Xbox 360 saw the release of a key release - Bioshock. Additionally, numbers for Madden NFL 2008 in week two across all platforms were quite similar to the debut of Bioshock. That said, it is important to note that Xbox 360 hardware did not see a boost. For more on the current generation hardware sales (PS3,Wii, 360, DS, PSP) as compared to last week, check the chart.

American Sales: 360 outsells PS3, Madden 08 sells 1.6 Million units led by 360 version (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 23, 2007

The Wii, Xbox, GC and PSP versions of Madden 08 ¿ combined - accounted for fewer than 10% of the 1.6 million units sold while 360 version sold them most and 4 times the PS3 version.

-- 8/18 ---- 8/11 ------ Net Change
NDS 131,930 / 126,277 / +3%
Wii 89,280 / 86,469 / +4%
360 59,118 / 52,484 / +13%
PSP 53,206 / 55,160 / -4%
PS3 47,928 / 41,499 / +15%

EA's Times Square Madden Launch Event (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 18, 2007

New York City, and more specifically Times Square, is the center for hundreds of launches, parties, and events a year. Tonight however, EA Sports delivered the largest video game launch that we've ever been a part of by buying up giant billboards, holding an Ozzy Osbourne concert above the Hard Rock Cafe, and essentially shutting down a piece of the busiest city in America for a bit of the night, all for the launch of the heralded Madden 08.

Note: We've put together a more than 11 minute video of the event for you guys to check out. Click here for the goods.

We mingled and interviewed Hall of Fame NFL players at the ESPN Zone, we pulled the Prince of ******* Darkness aside after his concert to ask him a few questions about Madden 08's soundtrack, and even went out and spoke with you guys - the fans - at Toys "R" Us who had started lining up for the midnight launch as early as 2:00 PM in order to have the first copy handed to them by the beloved Tiki Barber.

We'll have tons of coverage from the event including photos, a lengthy video showcasing the aforementioned celebrity interviews, and a detailed article later in the week so keep it locked to IGN.com for all the goods.

Madden Dominates Amazon Best Seller List (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 14, 2007

Happy Maddenoliday!

With today's release of Madden NFL 08, many gamers have called in sick with football-itis.

It looks as if this years well received version has made an impression on the sales over at Amazon this morning. Currently, Madden has 4 of their versions (Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii), on the top 25 best selling list over at Amazon! Interestingly enough, the PlayStation 2 is outselling the Playstation 3 version.

Merry Maddenoliday (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 13, 2007

August 14, 2007...

The annual event known to all armchair quarterbacks is here again! Maddenholiday Eve is upon us!

Throw out your books and spreadsheets and grab on to a cold one and your controller boys! Tell your boss to shove it (or perhaps tell him that pesky summer cold has come back... sniffle.. sniffle...)...

Its almost release day for Madden 2008 and nothing else in life matters!

Come midnight, its just you and your franchise mode... building an early lead on gaining the required skills to take down any friend or virtual friend that gets in your way of world football domination...

New releases for week ending August 17 (US and Europe) (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 13, 2007

What's on offer this week for those slumbering gamers now waking from their self-imposed summertime hibernation periods? Well, although GamerSquad would suggest that you've perhaps set your quality alarm a week too early, there are obviously vast sways of American Football fans who'll be wiping the sleep from their eyes and pulling on their favourite team jersey right about now. And why? Because EA's sporting granddaddy Madden NFL 08 hits the stores tomorrow.

However, beyond that single multi-platform highlight of the week ¿ which you should fully expect to reach the top of the gaming chart ¿ the remaining rundown for new releases on both sides of the Atlantic still leaves much to be desired.

Blockbuster Online members get $10 off Madden '08 (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 12, 2007

For many sports gamers, a yearly purchase of Madden '08 is a given. Saving $10 on any $60 game is nice (PS3 and Xbox 360), but this discount even works on the PSP and Wii/PS2 versions, bringing them down to $29.99 and $39.99 respectively. Nice.

New Releases for the Week (Madden NFL 08)

Aug 11, 2007

This week is certainly dominated by the annual release of Madden NFL 08 for every platform, except the Phantom.

Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of August 13, 2007 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC! As always, release dates are subject to change.

Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2007 Winners (Madden NFL 08)

Jul 31, 2007

The votes have been tallied and the Best of E3 2007 Winners have been announced.

Rock Band with 3 seperate votes took first...just barely ahead of Mass Effect who placed second with 2 votes. However, the surprise comes with the games that took the rest of the places:

Bioshock
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 4
Crysis
Halo 3
Killzone 2
LittleBigPlanet
Madden NFL 08
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Virtua Fighter 5
World in Conflict

Gamecriticsawards.com even broke down the tally further and the console with the most wins was...Xbox 360 (acquiring 11 wins), followed in second by the Playstation 3 (aquiring 8 votes). Third place was the PC (with 4 votes), and tied for fourth was both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Oddly enough, the PSP was last...not even getting one game on the list this year!

PS3 & Resistance at Top of Current US Best Sellers (Madden NFL 08)

Jul 17, 2007

Following last Monday's price drop the PS3 is top of this week's Amazon.com best sellers list while Resistance: Fall of Man tops the software chart. The top ten selling titles comprise of five Nintendo platform games, one PC game and two apiece for Xbox 360 and PS3. Click through for a rundown of top sellers by platform.

Madden NFL 08 Soundtrack Revealed (Madden NFL 08)

Jun 29, 2007

The music contained in the latest installment of EA's popular football franchise features no less than 27 songs from artists as diverse as MIMS, Queens of the Stone Age Sum 41, Timbaland, and Daddy Yankee as well as newcomers Airbourne, Datarock, Operator and Enter Shikari.

EA Sports Takes Advantage of Retired NFL Players, Madden Asked to Defend Them (Madden NFL 09 )

Sep 30, 2008

Ripten writes:

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Behind the scenes wheeling and dealing can generate tasty bargains, but sometimes those bargains come with a nasty aftertaste.

In this case, it appears that EA and the NFLPA along with Players Inc. struck a deal for retired NFL player rights that was significantly below fair market value. A class action lawsuit was filed by the players in question against Players Inc, but the fun didn't stop there. In a letter crafted by 51 year old former Buffalo Bills safety, Jeff Nixon, Madden was asked to come to the aid of his fellow Hall of Famers.

Jeff's "Dear John" letter to the former Raider's Head Coach is laced with incriminating quotes, the most shocking being that EA's total cost to produce Madden each year is apparently no more than $200,000!!"

2008 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Presented by Best Buy Kicks off a New Season of Intense Competition for Madden Players Worldwide (Madden NFL 09 )

Sep 18, 2008

Finalists of the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge presented by Best Buy to Compete at Beaches Turks & Caicos in January.

Analysts: Weak Pre-Orders Did Not Stifle Madden (Madden NFL 09 )

Sep 10, 2008

Edge writes: "Multiple analysts have reiterated their BUY rating for Electronic Arts stock as the company has announced that total Madden NFL 09 sales have greatly outpaced the game's flailing pre-order rate.

Pre-orders for the year's Madden were down 25% versus last year, but EA has announced that actual sales of the game were up 6%, generating $133.5 million (£75.74m) in retail dollars.

This strong performance was no surprise to analysts, who have predicting for some time that the low pre-order numbers would not accurately reflect final sales. Arvind Bhatia with Sterne Agee & Leach said in a financial note that this performance was "in line with our checks," and attributed the higher retail dollar count to sales of the $89.99 (£51) collector's edition, as well as a higher percentage of total sales being from the higher-priced Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, compared to last year."