Madden NFL 07

GameSpot writes: Wii Remote pack-in leads list of all-time titles; Guitar Hero III, GTA: San Andreas, Modern Warfare 2, Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, Call of Duty 4, Madden NFL 07, COD: World at War, and Namco Museum also make chart. Last week when NPD released its December 2009 US sales numbers, it declared that three of the 10 games of all time were from the Call of Duty franchise. Today, the industry-research firm released its list of top 10 domestic non-PC games to date, which reconfirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the fourth best seller of all time. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came in seventh place, followed by Call of Duty: World at War in ninth. Don't call it a comeback--it's been here for years. Unfortunately, NPD's number-one best-selling software game is a game many people don't consider a game at all. The Wii Remote pack-in minigames compilation Wii Play is now the top-selling software game product of all time in the United States, beating out Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (second) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (third).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dimorphic360 writes: It seems that Australia once again is getting shafted when it comes to limited edition releases of games. First Mass Effect and Devil May Cry 4 were given cut down limited edtion releases (in the case of Mass Effect we only got a small pre-order bonus) and the limited edition bundle of EA Sports Madden franchise looks like the next in line...

U.S. soldiers might soon be trading their M16s for plasma ray guns or virtual footballs, thanks to Microsoft. The tech giant revealed Tuesday that it is in the process of equipping USO centers around the world with Xbox 360 consoles so that armed forces personnel can play games like Halo 3 or Madden NFL 07 during time off. The soldiers will also be able to chat with loved ones back home using headsets linked to the Xbox Live online service.

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.

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