EA will release a simpler version of the popular football game called ”Madden NFL Arcade”, which features “pick-up and play” 5-on-5 games.
The game appears to be more casual compared to its more realistic, and complex siblings. Players get four downs to march 60 yards and score a touchdown. The first team to 30 wins. Players can also use “Game Changers,” special power-ups to give players the upper hand, such as freezing an opponent’s receiver or turning off their passing icons.
Madden NFL Arcade will sport visuals similar to what EA used for the Nintendo Wii release of Madden NFL 10, and will sell as a download on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network for $15 this December.
The release of Madden NFL Arcade is also going to try and address one of the sports genre’s biggest issues: As controls for sports simulations bet more and more complicated, it gets harder and harder for newer players to catch on.
I’m going to go out on a limb and disagree with the results of EA’s Madden 09 simulated Super Bowl. They put the game through its paces and the Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top 28-24. I think the Cardinals are going to stomp them, but that’s just me.
In the simulation, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3 TD’s and took home the MVP award. The Steelers then held off a late 4th quarter comeback to keep the game in check.
EA and 2K always run championship simulations, but aren’t always the best at picking the winner. We’ll see next Sunday who really comes out on top.
I’ve been a Madden fan for years. Even back in the days when the NFL 2K series was around and terrific, I always bought Madden as well. The game has been a staple in my late summer schedule for years. But after the debacle that was Madden 08, I vowed not to purchase this year’s installment of EA’s football series. The bad gameplay and serious lack of innovation finally got to me.
This marks the first time in over 10 years I haven’t bought Madden. But once I saw the terrific reviews pouring in (including our own), I knew I had to give it a shot. So instead of throwing down 60 bones, I dropped $8 at BlockBuster to rent the game for PS3. After intentionally sucking at the Madden IQ test so it would set the difficulty to my real skill level, I got down to starting a franchise with my beloved G-Men.
It’s hard to believe that it has been 20 years since John Madden Football came our way. It has stood the test of time against all other football games and is now the only show in town. Gamers have said the past few installments have grown stale and are nothing more than glorified roster updates and weak game play additions such as the passing cone and lead blocker control. Anyone who thinks Madden 2009 is another attempt to lure 60 bucks away from us needs to believe me when I say this: This is the best Madden to date.
Are you cringing looking at that Packers jersey on the cover of Madden 09? Are you in desperate need to see Farve wearing the Green and White of the Jets instead? EA is allowing you have your own choice and is offering high resolution downloadable covers for Madden 09 on its website.
Glad you have the option there. I’d suggest printing this out on photo paper if that’s your thing. I still haven’t decided whether I want this year’s Madden or not, so I’ll be waiting on the sidelines with this one.
It has been a tumultuous off-season in the NFL to say the least, culminating with the trading of the cover athlete. Madden will give us an immediate roster update which will cause all of Green Bay to finally realize the departure of their biggest icon since Vince Lombardi. Hit the jump for all the moves that were made and will be patched. Hit the link for all the player rating increases and a brief reason why.
Everyone knows what tomorrow is. Maddenoliday. The game is supposed to be much improved and we have been waiting. Here is a funny Madden commerical remnant of the “You know How I know you’re gay?” skit from 40 yr old version. Get your shit talking ready.
If you’re like me, each year’s new Madden brings a tough decision. Spend $60 on a roster update with minor tweaks, or pass it up for another year. With all the additions this year, I’m pretty torn. So I’m excited to report that a demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and will show up on the PSN later today.
The demo is a bit over 1GB, so be prepared for a bit of time to download. Hopefully it will be worth it and the game will play much better than last year. If I have to deal with tons of fumbles and interceptions again, I’m not buying it.
I can only ask why? EA has decided it’s worth their while to ship Madden 09 for the original Xbox. Seriously, why?
There hasn’t been a title shipped for the original Xbox is a damn long time. Microsoft gave up on the console pretty much when the 360 shipped. Apparently there’s still enough people who haven’t upgraded that EA sees fit to release their flagship title on the super old platform.
I bet this sells about 100 copies. Yeah, just 100. There can’t be that many people who still use their original Xbox for anything other than pirated games and Xbox Media Center.
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