Unless you count the Pro Bowl, which Phoenix Games thinks was only viewed by about 23 people, The 2008 NFL season came to an end earlier this month when the Pittsburgh Steelers won their record-setting sixth Super Bowl title. While there are those Madden fanatics out there who are able to play a football game in the spring, Phoenix Games has never been able to play a football game after the NFL season has ended. When late February rolls around, their copy of Madden usually gets put away, not to be touched again until they trade it in for five bucks off of next year's installment. April, May, June and July are strictly baseball months for them, then August rolls around and the new Madden comes out and football season starts again.
It's a cycle that Phoenix Games enjoys, just like they did this year's installment of Madden. When they first reviewed Madden 2009 last summer, they said it was a good game that perennial football gamers would enjoy, though it didn't redefine the franchise or introduce any revolutionary features. So, with Madden 2010 only a short six months away, here's some of the things they're looking for in the next installment of the world's biggest sports video game.
The United States Supreme Court has delivered their opinion in American Needle v. NFL, the antitrust case surrounding the Madden NFL series of games. The Seventh Circuit had previously ruled that the NFL, if it wishes to promote its brand (in this case, football), it must do so as a "joint venture" rather than in a competitive environment, allowing them to limit sales of NFL products to only a single outlet: something that could affect sales of Madden games. The Supreme Court, however, firmly rejected this idea, thus preserving the Madden series for sale at outlets other than NFL.com. The court highlighted the danger faced by the Seventh Circuit's ruling, had they not overturned it: "There would be nothing to prevent each of the teams from making its own market decisions relating to purchases of apparel and headwear, to the sale of such items, and to the granting of licenses to use its trademarks,” Justice Stevens said.
Avault writes: "It's Sunday. It's halftime and the Bears are down by 24. Cutler has already thrown three interceptions, but you still have hope for a strong second half. Your phone rings. It's your fiancé. She wants you to pick her up at the airport. You have to leave in 15 minutes, but you need to know how the game is going to end. You think to yourself, "I need a simulation. I'll play Madden and see what happens." You don't have time for a full game of Madden so you decide to play Madden NFL Arcade instead. You win by a landslide, and your hopes for a Bears comeback soar. Unfortunately, in real life you can't turn your opponent into a block of ice or make your receivers fast as lightning. You get home from the airport and find the Bears have lost by 40."
EA SPORTS has today announced that Madden Ultimate Team is now available for download as a free update to Madden NFL 10 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Europe. Just throw in your Madden NFL 10 game disc (with an Internet connection) and you'll receive the latest title update.
