The New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 35-31 in Super Bowl XLIV simulation run by Madden NFL 10 on Xbox 360. The Colts leading 24-21 after three quarters. The fourth quarter begins with a big play, courtesy of the Saints' special teams, when Reggie Bush returns a punt for a 42-yard touchdown. However, with minutes left in the game the duo of Joseph Addai and Peyton Manning put the Colts back on top with a go-ahead touchdown pass. With the game hanging in the balance, Drew Brees hits David Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown and the game winning score. Drew Brees takes home MVP honors as the Saints earn their first Super Bowl Championship title in the franchise's 46 year history.
Madden NFL 10 used each team's current roster and the latest player statistics. EA Sports says it has correctly predicted the Super Bowl winner for five out of the last six years, since the official Madden NFL Super Bowl simulation began in 2004. Here is a video of the Super Bowl simulation.
This arcade version of putt putt uses a real golf club and ball and combines it with a digital game. The game's computer detects the golf ball and turns into a digital version.
Up to four competitors can play on two virtual courses using a real putter and real balls--you can explore the casino-themed Las Vegas course or the tiki torch-themed Paradise Island course on the large, high-definition 32" LCD. Just like real courses, you can shoot your ball through obstacles, such as a secret door at the base of an Egyptian pyramid for a one-way route directly to the hole... if you can time it correctly before it closes. Shot controls allow you to adjust your view left or right, providing overhead or ball view to plan the optimal path to the hole. The putting green allows left- and right-handers to play easily. Simply putt your ball at the base of the video screen; when the ball is detected by the game's computer, the virtual world takes over, calculating both the direction and speed of the ball, "shooting" it toward the hole; balls return automatically.
The putt putt game can be purchased here on Hammacher.com. It will set you back a mere $6,900.
Video Games Sales Drop Continues. Even Madden Sales Fall
The WSJreports that data from the NPD Group shows video game sales plunged again in August for the sixth straight month.
Market research firm NPD Group said overall sales fell 16% to $908.7 million last month from August 2008. Of that, hardware sales fell 25% to $297.6 million and software sales fell 15% to $470.3 million. "The back four months of the year would have to be up 14% in aggregate for 2009 to come in flat in comparison to 2008 sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement.
But he also indicated that the industry continued to have a tough time in August as demand has slowed dramatically. "This week, market research for August will show that year over year, the industry was down in North America — and that August sales of Madden NFL 10 are down with that trend," Riccitiello wrote.
Madden NFL has been a hit year after year so falling Madden sales indicate that the recession is probably pulling video game sales down. People are likely buying less titles than before and being more selective about the games they buy. Early hopes in late 2008 that video game would be recession proof have been annihilated by sales results in 2009.
CNET has a review here of a new football game for the iPhone from Gameloft called NFL 2010. The game isn't going to rival the Madden console games but it doesn't sound bad for $4. What's interesting here is that other game publishers can make mobile NFL football games besides Electronic Arts. Electronic Arts has an exclusive NFL license for
consoles and PCs but it doesn't extend to mobile games. That does mean EA won't create a Madden iPhone game and dominate anyway but they will have rivals in the mobile world without an exclusive license with the NFL.
Joystiq reports that the Wii Sports from Nintendo is approaching 50 million units sold. It has sold 47.62 million copies. This does included bundled sales.
It was an even better quarter for the Wii's evergreens. Wii Fit sold an additional 3.6 million copies, bringing its LTD to 21.82. Mario Kart Wii sold 2 million, making its total 17.39 million. And Wii Sports sold an additional 1.91 million copies, bringing its total sales number to a ridiculous 47.62 million, including copies sold in hardware bundles.
Dart champion Phil Taylor is helping promote the Wii darts game, PDC Championship Darts. The experts say the dart game is great practice for real darts. GameSpot has information about theg ame here. Here's a video from IDN showing Phil Taylor playing the game.
The classic game Punch Out is now available for the Wii. If the name "Glass Joe" rings a bell then you have probably played the game before. He is the easiest opponent weighing just 110 pounds. Joystiq has gathered up several reviews for Punch-Outhere. They say it may not be a TKO but it is "is certainly a knock-out."
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Trailer
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a new Wii and DS game being devloped by Sega under the guidance of Shigeru Miyamoto. The game will take players to Olympic venues where they can choose from a cast of playable characters. The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games video game sold over 10 million copies worldwide so Sega is hoping this Winter Games sequel will be another big hit. Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating are a couple of the events that will be part of Winter Games with more events to be announced throughout the year. The game is due out by the end of 2009. MTV has more details. Here's the trailer:
Electronic Arts responded with this video of Tiger Woods walking on water when Levinator25 reported he had found a glitch in the game that showed Tiger Woods walking on water. (via Golfers Golf)
Madden 09, the latest incarnation of EA's successful Madden NFL franchise is now in stores. This is the 20th anniversary of the franchise. Over seventy million units of Madden NFL have been sold so far. The 2009 version of the game has been getting great reviews - EA has rounded up a few of them here. Sports Illustrated has a review here.
Brett Favre was traded to the Jets in an odd turn of events over the summer. Where's Favre in Madden 09? It depends which version of the game you are using. A roster update with Favre as the Jets' starting quarterback is available for Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP and Wii. Offline users will find Favre on an all-time greats team in the final packaged version of the game and can place him on whichever team they choose. Here's a video with Brett Favre as a Jets QB.
It is no surprise that a sequel to Wii Sports is on the way. The beach-focused package called Wii Sports Resort is sure to be a bestseller when it is released in Spring 2009. The game will ship with an updated controller called the Wii MotionPlus. Wiifanboy describes a few of the beach games in the package.
The theme here is beach games -- perfect for people like us who don't particularly enjoy going outside, let alone baring our flesh. On stage at Nintendo's E3 press conference, we were treated to demos of games such as Disc Dog (lobbing a frisbee for your dog), Jet Ski (self-explanatory), and a sword-jousting minigame in which players attempt to knock each other off of a platform.
Here's a presentation of Wii Sports Resort and the Wii MotionPlus from the E3 conference. There's a few more screenshots of the game here on Wiifanboy.
Sega Names Cover Athletes For Beijing Olympics Game
Sega landed the licensing deal to create the official video game of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. They are calling the official game Beijing 2008. It will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC sometime this summer. Sega has announced that U.S. gold medal contenders Amanda Beard, Tyson Gay, Nastia Liukin and Reese Hoffa will be on the box cover for the video game.
Amanda Beard, a seven time Olympic medalist, is expected to continue her success as she prepares for her fourth Olympic Games this year in Beijing, China. She has competed in the Atlanta 1996 Games, Sydney 2000 Games and Athens 2004 Games, making her one of the most prolific Olympic athletes ever. Amanda became the second youngest gold-medal swimmer in USA swimming history when she won her first gold medal at the Atlanta Games at the age of 14. She currently holds the Olympic Record in the 200m breaststroke and the American record in the 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.
Tyson Gay will be sprinting for the title of "Fastest Man on Earth" as he makes his bid to win gold and shatter Olympic Records this year at the Beijing 2008 Games. Last summer, he became a double World Champion at 100m and 200m, and topped that off by winning gold as part of the U.S. 4x100m relay team. Tyson was selected as the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) male World Athlete of the Year for 2007 and is currently ranked #1 in the world.
Nastia Liukin is a Senior International Elite gymnast and is expected to be one of the top contenders on the U.S. Women's Gymnastic Olympic Team. Specializing in uneven bars and balance beam events, she is a two-time world champion, a six-time world medalist, a four-time U.S. National Champion and has won the American Cup titles in 2006 and 2008. Tied for the most ever, Nastia is a nine-time World Championship medalist and is widely considered to be the most graceful and artistic gymnast in the world today.
Reese Hoffa is poised to take home gold in men's shot put, when he makes his second Olympic Games appearance of his career this summer in Beijing. A member of the U.S. Olympic Team in the Athens 2004 Games, he has earned a number of prestigious titles in his shot putting career including 2007 USA outdoor champion, 2006 world indoor champion, 2004 world indoor silver medalist and 2003 Pan American Games gold medalist. Reese is the reigning world champion in shot put and currently ranks 11th on the world all-time list for the sport.
Hopefully this won't cause any added pressure for these athletes :-) Sega also has a Mario and Sonic Olympics video game coming out this summer. You can find information about both of the games here.
Nintendo has revealed plans for Mario Super Sluggers for Wii. The game features Mario
"Mario is truly a one-of-a-kind character; clearly fans can't get enough of him and his friends," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're giving Wii users brilliant new ways to enjoy him while expanding our series of active-play games."
In the same spirit as other sports-themed Mario games on Wii like Mario Strikers Charged and Mario Kart Wii, Mario Super Sluggers blends richly interactive baseball action with eccentric characters and elements from across the popular Mario universe. Players can swing the wireless Wii Remote just like a real bat or wave it toward the plate to deliver a masterful pitch, enjoying the same intuitive, easy-to-learn controls that helped make Wii Sports a living room hit. With Mario and his unpredictable pals filling out the roster, imagination and active-play innovation are sure to dominate the diamond in this lively title, scheduled for release later this year.
It was just a matter of time before game makers combined sports games with the popular series stars. Most adults prefer the serious games populated with "real" baseball stars but kids are happy to have the lovable Mario and friends around. Wikipedia has a list of the Mario characters that will appear in the baseball game.
Unfit Wii players don't have to wait too much longer to get "fit" or at least to achieve Wii balance. Wii Fit will be released on May 19th according to a WSJarticle that you can't read unless you subscribe. (via Kotaku). The game and companion balance board created quite a buzz when they were announced last year.
The videogames business, after hitting a new sales high last year, this week plans to showcase new technologies to help spur further growth -- including a new product from Nintendo Co. to get users to exercise using their Wii game consoles.
Nintendo announced today that it will ship a new exercise product on May 19 in the U.S. called Wii Fit that comes with a weight-and-motion sensing device called the Wii Balance Board.
The game and Wii Balance Board is rumored to cost about $70. In case you missed it you can see a video about Wii Fit here. You can also view a funny Wii Fit spoof here.
Jon Stewart engaged in a game of Wii tennis at the Oscars last night. He then asked "Was I supposed to be winded?" If the video below isn't loading try this search.
Electronic Arts issued the following press release about the Super Bowl XLII game. They ran a simulation (see video below) and found that the Patriots were able to defeat the New York Giants by a score of 38-30. They claim Madden NFL has correctly predicted the winner in the last five Super Bowls.
EA Sports revealed their prediction for the outcome of the highly anticipated Super Bowl XLII game. Based on simulations using the award winning Madden NFL 08 video game, the New England Patriots were victorious over the New York Giants by a narrow margin of eight points with a final score of 38-30. Over the past five years, EA Sports has a perfect record predicting the winner of the Super Bowl.
The Madden NFL 08 engine simulated the game based on each team's roster and their players' statistics. Using the most current information available, the Patriots and the Giants went head-to-head in a computer-generated match up. The New England Patriots came out on top, making them the first team in NFL history to record a perfect 19-0 season.
The simulated game got off to a very close start with two touchdowns by Patriots running back Laurence Maroney and three field goals by Giant's kicker Lawrence Tynes. Late in the third quarter, the Patriots led by only one, 24-23. They were able to add to their lead with a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady to wide receiver Randy Moss. Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants trailed 31-23 with an opportunity to tie-up the game with a big drive. But instead, a tipped pass by quarterback Eli Manning was picked off by Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel. The Patriots scored with their possession from the turnover, increasing their lead to 38-23. The Giants scored one last time and the game ended 38-30.
Super Bowl XLII kicks off Sunday, February 3rd at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. We will then know whether EA Sports has extended their own winning streak using the Madden NFL engine to predict Super Bowl champions.
Here's the simulation of the game from Electronic Arts' Madden NFL '08.
Study Finds Wii Burns More Calories Than Other Consoles
PC World reports that the Wii burns more calories than other consoles like the Xbox. However, it isn't a big enough calorie burner to keep you fit. The biggest calorie burning games are the Wii sports games where you have to move your arms to swing the tennis racket or bowl the bowling ball.
Wii is unlike other video game consoles out there. A standard videogame only requires players to move their thumbs and index fingers, whereas the Wii actually requires players to move their hand or occasionally their entire arm to interact with the game. The Wii console has done much to get couch potatoes off their duff and playing video games - but apparently not enough.
For the British Medical Journal study boys and girls between the ages of 13-15 were selected to play both an Xbox 360 game (Project Gotham Racing 3) and Wii games (Wii Sports). Later the Journal would compare calories burned by the kids while playing each of the games.
The results were unsurprising. The Wii used on average 51 percent more energy than playing a sedentary Xbox 360 game. The Wii Sport game Tennis demanded the most energy from study participants with an energy expenditure of 750 kilo joule (a kilo joule is an international system unit for measuring energy). Wii Boxing expended 730kj and Wii Bowling at 700kj. By comparison, playing Xbox 360 games had a mean energy expenditure of 450kj - a measurement just slightly higher than resting (300kj).
If you have ever seen a child of seven or eight play Wii tennis or Wii boxing you will be convinced that they are actually burning some calories. Sure you can stand there and play Wii tennis and hardly burn any calories but small children will often run back and forth as if they are on an actual tennis court. For adults some calories burned is better than none at all. Advantage Wii.
It's the Erickson Sports' first Wii Bowling Tournament Championship. Watch as the teams compete for the inaugural Erickson Sports trophy. The winners get to bring the trophy home to their retirement community. You can see episode two here and read the Erickson Sports' blog here.
Nintendo announced Wii Fit at the recent 2007 E3 Media & Business Summit. Wii Fit is a very interesting attempt to encourage people to engage in exercise and fitness routiness using the Wii. Wii Fit uses a specially designed Wii Balance Board to allow people to engage in interactive fitness games and exercises. Here's how Nintendo describes it on the E3 press page.
The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.
Engadget, GameSpot and Wiifanboy also have articles explaining Wii Fit. Wired's Game|Life says the U.S. will not see a Wii Fit release this year - only Japan will have a 2007 Wii Fit release. It looks like 2008 for Wii Fit in the U.S.
The video below offers the best explanation of Wii Fit -- sometimes you have to see it to be able to understand the concept.
Jay-Z is suddenly a talented basketball player -- at least in the video game world. Jay-Z's character in NBA Live 07 (Electronic Arts) was modeled after Jay-Z's favorite NBA players. According to a recent press release, Jay-Z will boast the baseline to baseline quickness of Allen Iverson, the above-the-rim leaping ability of Baron Davis and the three-point touch of Peja Stojakovic among others.
Jay-Z's appearance in NBA Live 07 is part of an advertising concept devised by Reebok and EA. If you purchase the new Reebok S.Carter Basketball IV shoe at Champs Sports you will receive a unique unlockable code to access the Jay-Z character.
A unique partnership between Reebok, Jay-Z, Electronic Arts and Champs Sports will allow consumers the opportunity to play as Jay-Z in EA SPORTS' NBA LIVE 07, marking the music icon's first foray into the gaming world. Exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, gamers who purchase Rbk's new S. Carter Basketball IV shoe at Champs Sports will receive a special code to unlock Jay-Z's character for use in the game.
"Reebok is committed to being at the forefront of cutting-edge programming for young consumers, and gaming represents one of the most innovative platforms in today's interactive youth culture," said John Lynch, Reebok's Vice President of Global Marketing Communications. "The partnership between Reebok, EA, Champs Sports and Jay-Z presents each of us with an ideal opportunity to reach our target audience through their passion points of footwear, sport and gaming."
"I always want to reach out to people in new and ground breaking ways and this collaboration with Reebok and EA does that by combining several things important to me: basketball, gaming and footwear," said Jay-Z. "NBA Live has always been one of my favorite games and I'm excited to play the latest edition and to be a part of it."
There is no way the rapper Jay-Z could be anywhere near this good at basketball but gamers will likely want to use the super talented Jay-Z character anyway. The press release says nbalive07.com has more details about the code.
The unlockable Jay-Z character will also be available as a free agent to join gamers' favorite NBA team in both Season and Dynasty modes in NBA Live 07. Fans can go to nbalive07.com for more details on how to get one of the unique codes.
Good thing it wasn't a promotion featuring Jadakiss since he was just arrested for weapon possession.
Gamasutra reports that Digimask's face rendering technology will be available on some future Xbox 360 titles. The software takes pictures of a person from multiple angles and renders it for use in the game. The player's head will be placed on the game-character's or avatar's body. The rendered image is capable of showing different emotions. An animated head can be seen on Digimask's website.
Digimask's face rendering technology has been used in a number of applications, including cell phone greetings, a promotional campaign for the Hulk feature film, television programs, and, yes, video games.
In fact, Digimask's middleware technology has been utilized in a number of PlayStation 2 titles, using Sony's EyeToy accessory, under the name of "Eyetoy Cameo." Published titles include EyeToy: Play 2 (Sony, 2004), Karaoke Party Revolution (Konami), games in the Tony Hawk series, and various sports franchises, released by both Sony and Electronic Arts.
At the Gamefest Expo, we tested out this technology - which will be utilized in at least two upcoming titles - running on Xbox 360 hardware. The following photographs show internal demonstration software, and are not indicative of what will be seen in-game.
It is a little weird but could be fun for some games like action, adventure and sports games. (via Xirdalium -> Boing Boing)
Electronic Arts has announced (thx 2old2play) they will shutting down game servers for the older versions of several online sports games.
Servers for the games listed below will be shut down on the indicated dates. You may continue to play the games online up until these dates, but certain community programs may begin to close down prior to the shutdown dates.
All of us at EA would like to thank you for your valued participation in our online gaming community and hope that your enthusiasm for these games extends to our current lineup and beyond.
Here is a list of the game servers EA is shuttering.
August 1, 2006 Online Service Shutdown
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PS2
FIFA Soccer 2005 for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 Demo for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PC
EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 2 for PS2
EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 2 for Xbox
NCAA March Madness 2005 for PS2
NCAA March Madness 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for PC
NBA LIVE 05 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for Xbox
NCAA Football 2005 for PS2
Need for Speed Underground 2 Demo for PC
Need for Speed Underground 2 for PC
Need for Speed Underground 2 for Xbox
NHL 2005 for PS2
NHL 2005 for Xbox
NHL 2005 for PC
Total Club Manager 06 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2005 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2004-2005 for PS2
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2004-2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2004-2005 for Xbox
October 1, 2006 Online Service Shutdown
Madden NFL 2005 for PS2
Madden NFL 2005 for Xbox
Madden NFL 2005 for PC
NFL Street 2: Unleashed for PS2
NFL Street 2: Unleashed for Xbox
Previously Shut Down Online Service
MVP Baseball 2005 for PC
MVP Baseball 2005 for PlayStation 2
MVP Baseball 2005 for Xbox
If the World Cup has you fired up you can try Puma's free Beat the Keeper game featuring Italy's great goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. It is a lot fun for an advergame. Buffon will mock you now and again but if you score enough you can make him angry. BloggersBlog.com has a large collection of World Cup resources if you are interested in following the games.
When we last left Rockstar's Table Tennis game bloggers were shocked that Rockstar would even be considering developing a ping pong game. However, it may have been a good move. The BBC is delighted by Rockstar's move from gangster car jackings to the calm game of ping pong.
There are no guns, no fast cars and no prostitutes, just two bats, a ball and a net.
Instead of a sprawling city to explore, this game gets close up and personal.
But Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 proves an unexpected delight - fast, frantic and fun.
Rockstar Table Tennis allows players to choose from multiple characters and compete in over a dozen different arenas.
Instead, players can choose from 11 characters with a range of skills and styles and compete in 15 international arenas. It makes for a welcomed change and makes it easier and quicker to get to the action.
In single-player mode, gamers can try their hand at tournaments to unlock additional players and goodies such as new outfits.
But there is also the opportunity to pit your skills against the world via Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live.
It is easy to see the appeal of challenging friends online and earning bragging rights after a closely-fought match.
As the BBC explains even if the game is great fun will it be something that Grand Theft Auto fans will enjoy?
For all its gloss, this is after all ping pong. It is uncertain whether the legion of Grand Theft Auto fans will embrace this game with the same fervour.
You can learn more about Rockstar Table Tennis on the game's website and on Amazon.com.
The logical next step for Rockstar Games after making Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, one of the most controversial games in video game history, would be to make a table tennis video game? If you are surprised by Rockstar's move you are not alone. But you have to give them credit for creating the most press ever for a ping ping video game. Here is a roundup of some of the blog coverage:
IGN has an interview with Rockstar's COO Terry Donovan. Apparently, Rockstar just loves table tennis.
Mainly because we absolutely love table tennis and wanted to try and make something that could show the audience what could be possible -- on a relatively focused level -- in the next generation of videogames. Our mission brief at Rockstar has been clear to us from when we founded the company -- to make titles with innovative game play about subject matters we were interested in. We have always been a company that likes to take risks, and do things differently from everyone else. For us this does not just mean gangster films, or car chases or westerns (much as we still love them), but anything that we think is interesting and has not been successfully handled elsewhere in a videogame. From our perspective, table tennis fitted the bill perfectly -- especially as games with a very strong two-player component are very fun to make -- and play! Above all, Table Tennis allows us to showcase what we believe the key characteristics of the high definition era of console gaming will be. These are not just higher resolution graphics, but using higher resolution graphics and hugely advanced animation systems to impart physical and emotional information to the player, so that the control and tactics of the game are more real and more diverse than on current-generation titles. To put it another way -- improved animation and higher resolution graphics on their own are not enough -- but when they can directly improve the quality of gameplay and experience, then they become very interesting. We were keen to test out these theories on a smaller scale, and Table Tennis felt like the perfect fit. And, yes, you will be able to hold the racquet in both styles.
They do sound very excited about table tennis at Rockstar but will gamers be as excited? Ping ping video game enthusiasts will have to be patient -- Table Tennis (for the Xbox 360) will not be out until May 22nd. So far the game has not been listed on the Rockstar Games website.
A Japanese version of football for the Nintendo DS called Eyeshield 21 looks like a Manga version of American football. An entry on Wired Game|Life blog says the game is based on a popular manga comic about a fictional "big-eyed football playing youth." Wired also says the genre description is listed as "sports action RPG." The Anime News Network has more details about the character the game is based on:
Kobayakawa Sena is a little guy who always get picked on by the bullies in school. Since elementary school, he always play the role of the 'errand boy' to the extent that he has become swift and fast in his movements. Coincidentally, Hiruma Youichi and Kurita Ryukan are looking for a fast running back for their American Football team (Amefuto) and want to put Sena in the team. To hide their new 'star' player from the eyes of other High Schools, Hiruma encases Sena in a Amefuto helmet with a dark visor and name him Eyeshield #21.
So that explains the giant green visor the character is wearing.
EA Signs AFL Star John Dutton for Arena Football Game
Electronic Arts continues to expand their lineup of sports games. They have signed Arena Football League star John Dutton to star in their upcoming AFL videogame. MTV News has more on the news.
Even though the Arena Football League is still miles behind the National Football League, the game still has its stars. John Dutton, a former pigskin tosser at the University of Nevada is one of the sports' brightest, and will be immortalized as the first cover athlete for the first game of Electronic Arts' Arena Football franchise.
Dutton led the Crush to the 2005 championship, and he has a history of winning. The QB also earned some finger hardware in 2002 when he was named the MVP of ArenaBowl XVI as the play-caller for the San Jose SaberCats.
EA says Arena Football will feature 8-on-8 play, including six players who play both sides of the ball, and the ability to send players into and over the walls. The game will be available for the PS2 and Xbox. Like EA's last games Arena Football will probably be popular but it obviously doesn't have the reach of college and NFL football games. More information about the game can be found here on EA's website.
Reuters reports that Electronic Arts has cut prices on several of its games by $10 from $49.99 to $39.99.
Electronic Arts Inc., the world's biggest video game publisher, has reduced prices on some titles by 20 percent to spur sales and thwart competition, an analyst said on Monday.
"NBA Live 06" and racing titles "Burnout Revenge" and "NASCAR 06" were among the console games subject to the price cut from $49.99 to $39.99, Banc of America Securities research analyst Gary Cooper said in a client note.
Video game sales have been soft in recent months as consumers await new console technology. Microsoft Corp. is releasing the Xbox 360, the first next-generation gaming machine from a major player, on November 22.
Other games being cut in price, according to Reuters, include Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 and Need for Speed: Rivals for Sony's PSP. Gary Cooper, the analyst Reuters talked to also told Reuters he thought EA will also lower the price for Madden 06 and FIFA 06. It is good to see some price cutting because the $50 price tag is pretty high. EA might be thinking that cutting the price will motivate some of the game renters to become game buyers again. The Evil Dead Regeneration game we discussed yesterday may have been a trendsetter with its price tag of just $20.
Reuters also said Electronic Arts is working on three other Xbox 360 games.
Additional EA titles under development for the Xbox 360 include, "The Godfather," "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat" and a new game from the "Burnout Revenge" franchise.
Release dates for the three additional Xbox 360 titles have not been announced.
If you aren't a fan of sports or racing games it sounds like you will have to wait for EA's second round of Xbox 360 releases.
The Street
reports that Electronic Arts has resigned football commentator
John Madden for multiple more years of NFL football video games. The deal, which certainly came as no surprise
to anyone, means Madden NFL 06 will become a reality with
Madden continuing as the face and brand in the 16th version of
the game. The Madden and EA football games have been the
top-selling sports games for years. The image on the right is a screenshot from John Madden Football, 1989. The EA website has a section with information on the development of the game over the last fifteen years.
The Street article
also does a good job of summarizing the ongoing sports games
batttle between EA and Take2 Interactive.
But last year, that division saw its first significant challenge in years
after Take-Two Interactive teamed up
with Sega to co-publish Sega's critically acclaimed ESPN line of sports games.
The result of Take-Two's effort -- which focused on offering premium titles at
cut-rate prices -- was a price war that cut into EA's bottom line.
EA has since attempted to head off Take-Two's challenge by signing a long-term exclusive relationships with the NFL and college football and by luring away ESPN from Take-Two with another long-term deal.
Take-Two has responded by buying several development studios that focus on sports games and by signing its own semi-exclusive deal with Major League
Baseball.
All In Media and Time/Warner Retail Sales and Marketing
have announced the launch of a new print magazine called Sports Gamer.
The video gaming magazine will cover the sports game genre. The premiere
issue will coincide with the release of Madden 06 from EA Sports.
Sports games are one of the most popular game genres and
Dale Oehler, TWR Senior Vice President/Client Group noted that
"Over $1 billion in exclusive license fees have thus far been paid by game
publishers to the NFL, MLB, NBA, FIFA and NASCAR." Oehler said this fact shows
there is a great deal of interest in sports gaming. All In Media also
publishes All In, a poker magazine.
When you think of Electronic Arts (EA) Sports Games you usually think
of Madden Football or baseball -- but EA also makes international
favorite like cricket. Cricket 2005 lets gamers compete as a fully
licensed English team against a host of international opponents including
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Players can play as today's
cricket stars or build their own cricket players.
One of the features in Cricket 2005 is the create-a-player facility that allow players to create their own cricket star. On the right is a screenshot from
EA's 2005 Cricket. EA Sports is also developing a rugby sports game.
See the EA Sports UK site for more information.
If you really like golf video games then you might be interested in this new online golf game called Shot-Online from OnNet Co., Ltd. The golf game also acts as an RPG. OnNet also offers online golf tournaments with prizes. Players can choose from several characters including Zygmunt, descibed as an all-around charming and even tempered golfer, with skills to match. The company descibes the game as follows:
Shot-Online is not just an online sports game either, but it is a highly accurate simulation and a deep role-playing experience. It is the RPG quality that makes Shot-Online the unique game it is, especially with the community interaction and the enhancement and leveling of your character. A proprietary physics engine was used in Shot-Online to accurately recreate the ball and course dynamics. In other words, the ball will behave as it should over the geography of the course. Characters also benefit from accuracy through technology ? motion captured golf swings from a PGA golfer were used to match the most spot-on feel of a real golf swing, putting, chip shot, and other golfing actions.
Now that electronic gaming and sports games have become popular to
have electronic gaming sports leagues and star players it makes sense
that virtual game commentators would emerge as well. Marcus DJWheat Graham, who provides play-by-play commentary for gaming tournaments, told the BBC: "Just as a golf enthusiast might
follow every move or match of Tiger Woods, many gaming enthusiasts
follow their favourite teams or players." Commentators are
already covering competitions for the Team Sportscast Network and
Global Gaming League. If you want to be an e-sports commentator you
will need to have a deep understand and superior knowledge of the
moves, skills and layout of the game involved.
Electronic Arts (EA) has cut another sports gaming deal as reported by
USA Today and Gamespot.com. This time EA has signed an exclusive 15-year licensing deal with ESPN. The ESPN deal follows a recent agreement EA cut with the NFL allowing it exclusive rights to use NFL players and teams in sports video games for five years. The exclusivity deal resulted in some concern from analysts who felt the exclusive nature of the deal could curb innovation in football video games. Meanwhile, Gamesindustry.biz reports that Take-Two might be seeking an exclusive Major League Baseball deal to counter EA's power grab in sports gaming. However, dominating sports gaming is just a small part of Electronic Arts' long-term goals. The BBC reports that EA's ultimate goal is to become the world's biggest entertainment company.
2004 proved that sex, violence and sequels can work in games
as well as it does at the box office. In fact, "Sex and Sequels"
is the headline of a CNN column that looks at what to expect
from gaming in 2005. There is no question this trend of sex and violence will continue with games in 2005 -- however sales of these types
of games could slow some if states manage to block the sale
or renting of M-rated games to minors. So far this has been attempted
but never successfully. The CNN article also mentioned some
2005 games that might be big hits including: F.E.A.R., God of War and Black. Other trends in 2005 will be the continuing explosion in online gaming. These types of games
are seeing rapid subscription growth as well as active players
willing to pay monthly for unlimited use. It remains to be seen
whether online game providers will try and charge extra to
heavy users. An unfortunate trend in 2005 could be more ads
in games, as discussed in a recent PCWorld.com article. And
we could see more exclusive deals like the agreement Electronic Arts made
with the NFL for Madden NFL Football. Next year we will also see
new and improved game playing systems like the Xbox 2 and maybe the
Phantom game system from Infinium Labs. CNN's Chris Morris said to look for the Xbox 2 in Q3 or Q4 of 2005 but the Phantom machine might have financial problems.
Electronic Arts (EA) has cut an exclusive licensing deal with the National Football
League and Players Inc. to develop, publish and distribute interactive football games. These five-year agreements give EA the exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums and players for use in its football video games. Both agreements also include exclusive rights for console online features. However, the rights do not include games accessible from the Internet or wireless devices,
including cellular phones. Critics argue that the exclusive deal could curb innovation. Critics are also concerned EA could raise prices on the Madden
NFL Football game. EA has already sold more than 42 million copies of the game in its 15 year history. Michael Pachter, a video game industry analyst from Wedbush Morgan Securities
told Newsday, "I'm really curious to see how EA will defend this, but at the end of the day, the consumer has fewer choices, and that's bad." Gamespot.com reports that Take-Two, which produces a cheaper competitor called NFL 2K that retails at $19.99, said the deal is a "tremendous disservice to the consumers." The move for exclusivity could have a detrimental impact on the NFL and Electronic Arts. A New York Times story points out that some game developers are already planning anti-NFL type games. The Timeswrites, "Midway Games has already begun bragging about the N.F.L.-free title it will issue late next year, called Blitz: Playmakers. It is full of things that the N.F.L. would never allow in legally licensed games. A promotional image for the game shows the bloodied knuckles of a player along with scantily clad women and vials of pills and drugs." That sounds like a football game styled after the success of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Regional tournaments are continuing for the Madden Challenge 2004, a tournament
started by interactive sports game publisher Electronic Arts in 2002 for its bestselling Madden NFL series of sports games. The tournament allows players to enter for $10 and compete at a regional level. Winners from 32 different regions then go onto the finals, which will be held in Los Vegas on December 10-12. The prize includes $50,000 and the bragging rights that go with being the top Madden NFL player.
David Stepney, the 21 year-old winner from San Diego, offered Madden players the following tip, "Never pass up on free points. If you can take three, then take it, because this year’s defense is so tough, you really can win 3-0." News.com has a new report that offers a glimpse of what it is like being in the tournament.
The WSJ 
It is no surprise that a sequel to Wii Sports is on the way. The beach-focused package called Wii Sports Resort is sure to be a bestseller when it is released in Spring 2009. The game will ship with an updated controller called the Wii MotionPlus. Wiifanboy 
Nintendo has revealed plans for Mario Super Sluggers for Wii. The game features Mario
Unfit Wii players don't have to wait too much longer to get "fit" or at least to achieve Wii balance. Wii Fit will be released on May 19th according to a WSJ 
Jay-Z is suddenly a talented basketball player -- at least in the video game world. Jay-Z's character in 
Gamasutra 
If the World Cup has you fired up you can try Puma's free 
When we 
The logical next step for 
A Japanese version of football for the Nintendo DS called 
Electronic Arts continues to expand their lineup of sports games. They have signed Arena Football League star John Dutton to star in their upcoming AFL videogame. MTV News 
The Street 
All In Media and Time/Warner Retail Sales and Marketing
have announced the launch of a new print magazine called Sports Gamer.
The video gaming magazine will cover the sports game genre. The premiere
issue will coincide with the release of Madden 06 from EA Sports.
Sports games are one of the most popular game genres and
Dale Oehler, TWR Senior Vice President/Client Group noted that
"Over $1 billion in exclusive license fees have thus far been paid by game
publishers to the NFL, MLB, NBA, FIFA and NASCAR." Oehler said this fact shows
there is a great deal of interest in sports gaming. All In Media also
publishes All In, a poker magazine.
When you think of Electronic Arts (EA) Sports Games you usually think
of Madden Football or baseball -- but EA also makes international
favorite like cricket. Cricket 2005 lets gamers compete as a fully
licensed English team against a host of international opponents including
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Players can play as today's
cricket stars or build their own cricket players.
One of the features in Cricket 2005 is the create-a-player facility that allow players to create their own cricket star. On the right is a screenshot from
EA's 2005 Cricket. EA Sports is also developing a rugby sports game.
See the 
Electronic Arts (EA) has cut an exclusive licensing deal with the National Football
League and Players Inc. to develop, publish and distribute interactive football games. These five-year agreements give EA the exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums and players for use in its football video games. Both agreements also include exclusive rights for console online features. However, the rights do not include games accessible from the Internet or wireless devices,
including cellular phones. Critics argue that the exclusive deal could curb innovation. Critics are also concerned EA could raise prices on the 
