GamesRadar - Wii News

Madagascar Kartz Release Date Confirmed (Madagascar Kartz)

16/10/2009

Activision Publishing has confirmed that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.'s Madagascar Kartz videogame will be released on 6th November 2009 and October 27th 2009 in Europe and North America respectively on Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, following the revelation of the title in Nintendo's recently released schedule. The videogame combines the wild world of DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar franchise with over-the-top kart racing, resulting in an outrageous ride the whole family can enjoy together.

Economist: EA's Madden Monopoly Cost Gamers Up To $926 Million (Madden NFL 07)

15/07/2009

The high-profile court case against EA Sport's "monopoly" in the NFL market took an interesting turn this week, with an economist brought in to show how much the demise of 2K's competing NFL franchise has cost sports gamers.

Despite admitting his report is based on incomplete data, University of Michigan economics professor Dr. Jeffrey Mackie-Mason has told the the U.S. District Court in San Francisco that EA's domination of the NFL video games market has cost gamers between $701 million and $926 million since 2K's NFL2K series was blocked from competing with EA.

Federal Judge: Madden Monopoly Suit May Proceed Against EA (Madden NFL 07)

10/06/2009

EA had previously requested that Judge Vaughn Walker dismiss claims by Geoffrey Pecover and Jeffrey Lawrence. The two Madden buyers, serving as named plaintiffs in the class-action suit, alleged that by eliminating competition for NFL-licensed games EA had acted in a monopolistic fashion and unjustly enriched itself at the expense of consumers. On Friday Judge Walker issued a ruling denying EA's motion. The Judge did, however, rule that only claims in California and Washington, D.C. would go forward since that is where the two named plaintiffs in the case reside.

Report: Retired NFL Players Plan to Sue EA, Madden (Madden NFL 07)

20/04/2009

His days of calling NFL games on T.V. may be over, but John Madden's retirement might not be as idyllic as he had hoped.

According to a report on former Oakland Raiders lineman Dave Pear's Blog, NFL retirees are planning to go after Madden and Electronic Arts, publisher of the best-selling pro football game which bears the former coach's name.

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

16/06/2008

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.

GTA Rules NPD All-Time U.S. Top 10 (Madden NFL 07)

5/06/2008

Next-Gen.Biz writes: "The NPD Group has revealed the top 10 selling games of all time in the U.S. market.

Forbes reported earlier this week NPD Group's up-to-date top ten U.S. videogame sales figures by units, revealing a list dominated by the Grand Theft Auto and Madden NFL franchises.

As seen below, GTA: San Andreas from 2004 is the top-selling game in the U.S. with 9.43 million units sold. The franchise shows up on the top 10 three times, while Madden appears four times.

Activision had two 2007 titles already break the top 10 (Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4), while EA had one 2007 title on the list in the form of Madden NFL 08."

First Look at Vince Young in Madden NFL 08 (Madden NFL 07)

18/04/2007

Colts QB Peyton Manning, the face of the NFL, finally conquered the Patriots and won the Super Bowl last NFL season. Chargers reigning MVP Ladanian Tomlinson shattered the TD record. Broncos shutdown cornerback Champ Bailey made half of the football field disappear. But its second-young Tennessee Titans Vince Young that gets the nod to cover Madden NFL 08. Young -- a fantastic double-threat QB on the cusp of stardom -- took over behind center for the Titans and helped them go from 2-8 to 8-8 (they narrowly missed the playoffs). But going into his second season, he's far from the best player in the NFL, making him an odd choice for sports gaming's most prestigious -- and dangerous -- cover.

EA launches music label (Madden NFL 07)

27/03/2007

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)

19/02/2007

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)

13/12/2006

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)

EA forms Wii-centric studio (Madden NFL 07)

1/12/2006

Monolithic publisher transforming PC Tiger Woods developer Headgate into internal shop focused on Nintendo's new console.

In a recent interview with Newsweek, Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst talked about his company's increasing support for the Wii. Besides mentioning the Wii-specific Sims title, the executive also said that the publisher has "some things in the pipeline" that will be exclusive to the platform.

Today, EA threw more of its considerable weight behind Nintendo's new console. The company announced that it has bought Headgate Studios, the developer of the last six PC installments in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise and Madden NFL 07. Now the shop, redubbed EA Salt Lake, will "focus on development for the Nintendo Wii."

As is often the case when it buys independent developers, EA did not disclose the financial terms of the Headgate acquisition. As its new name implies, EA Salt Lake will remain in its Bountiful, Utah, locale, coordinating its efforts with EA's California development teams and the Madden makers at EA Tiburon in Florida. Headgate founder and CEO Vance Cook will continue to oversee EA Salt Lake as executive producer, reporting to Nick Earl, the general manager of EA Redwood Shores and Sims studio Maxis.

Is This PS3's and Wii's Launch Line-Up? (Madden NFL 07)

10/10/2006

The PS3 could launch with 24 titles and Wii with 30 titles according to new documents detailing the two companies' plans.

PlayStation 3
Resistance: Fall of Man - Sony
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom - Sony
Genji: Days of the Blade - Sony
Gran Turismo HD - Sony
NBA 07 - Sony
Call of Duty 3 - Activision (600,000)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Activision (300,000)
Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Activision (300,000)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Bethesda Softworks
Fight Night 3 - Electronic Arts (400,000)
Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts (700,000)
NBA Live 07 - Electronic Arts (500,000)
Need for Speed Carbon - Electronic Arts (800,000)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - Electronic Arts (400,000)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight - Namco Bandai
Ninja Gaiden Sigma - Namco Bandai
Ridge Racer 7 - Namco Bandai
Full Auto 2: Battlelines - Sega
Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega
NBA 2K7 - Take-Two Interactive (400,000)
NHL 2K7 - Take-Two Interactive (200,000)
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII - Ubisoft
Rainbow Six: Vegas - Ubisoft
F.E.A.R. - Vivendi

NINTENDO Wii
Wii Sports (bundled with hardware) - Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo
Excite Truck - Nintendo
Call of Duty 3 - Activision (200,000)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision (200,000)
Rapala Tournament Fishing Â¿ Activision (50,000)
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Activision (300,000)
World Series of Poker - Activision (50,000)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Atari (200,000)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion - Atlus
Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts (500,000)
Need for Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts (500,000)
Elebits - Konami
The Ant Bully - Midway m (100,000)
The Grim Adventure...

Analyst: Wii a 'Strong' Next-Gen Contender (Madden NFL 07)

15/09/2006

Colin Sebastian said in a post-Nintendo meeting note, "We continue to believe that Nintendo has a very good opportunity to gain market share in the new cycle with a lower-priced console and unique game-play. We also note that Nintendo is receiving solid support from third-party game publishers, including titles designed specifically for the Wii, such as Tony Hawk Downhill Jam (Activision), Madden NFL 07 (Electronic Arts) and Red Steel (UbiSoft)."

Madden NFL 07 Wii controller gameplay demo (Madden NFL 07)

30/08/2006

Madden NFL 07 for Wii is an exclusive 2007 edition of EA's football franchise, built specifically to do football Wii-style.

A nine minute demo shows how all the Wii controller functions work, very well explained.

E3 06: Madden NFL 07 (Madden NFL 07)

11/05/2006

EA is calling their new control scheme for Madden NFL 07 FreeMotion control... but we call it awesome. The Wii's nunchaku controller gets put to heavy use in the newest iteration for the Madden series and it has to be grabbed to be believed. A number of the movements of real football are aped by the FreeMotion system. When it's time to pass the ball, you have to use your right hand to first hike the ball by snapping your arms back and then throw by arcing your arm forward, mimicking a genuine ...

Wii love Madden (Madden NFL 07)

27/04/2006

The Madden series will be making its way to Nintendo's newly named Wii console as a totally unique product. Going under the working title of Madden Revolution, the game will have the same astonishing detail as other next-gen versions, but you'll interact with the motion-sensitive Wii controller. From the line of scrimmage to the snap, the motion of receiving the ball will have to be mimicked with the controller in hand. Then, to make a pass, you'll have to make the motion of the desired pass ...

Economist: EA's Madden Monopoly Cost Gamers Up To $926 Million (Madden NFL 08)

15/07/2009

Federal Judge: Madden Monopoly Suit May Proceed Against EA (Madden NFL 08)

10/06/2009

Report: Retired NFL Players Plan to Sue EA, Madden (Madden NFL 08)

20/04/2009

$28 Million NFLPA Verdict Reveals Details of EA's Madden Monopoly (Madden NFL 08)

18/11/2008

GamePolitics writes: "I've been complaining (some might say whining) since 2005 that EA's exclusive arrangement with the NFL is, at best, a bad deal for gamers.

At worst, it's a monopoly.

Ultimately, the Federal Trade Commission, looked at the Madden issue in relation to EA's merger dance with Take-Two Interactive. But, inasmuch as the FTC pre-approved the EA-T2 deal, its regulators apparently came down against the monopoly view."