You might have watched EA Sports' Madden '08 simulation for Super Bowl XLII when it surfaced a few days ago, where it was predicted that the Patriots would take home the Lombardi trophy by a narrow margin -- then again, you might have fallen asleep in the middle of that video, which was more or less a glorified gameplay montage, completely devoid of commentary and music.
Taking a cue from classic NFL films, GameTrailers recently performed their own Madden simulation of the Super Bowl, yielding similar, and much more watchable results. Our knowledge of the mechanics of football is limited, but basically, GameTrailers predicts that the Patriots will run the brown ball into the score zone more times than the Giants, winning with a score of 20 touchdowns to 10 touchdowns. They also predicted the entirety of Tom Petty's halftime show set list -- strangely enough, it is sans "Free Fallin'".
Here we have GameTrailers presenting a side-by-side comparison video of Madden '08 on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. We know what USA Today thinks is better -- they went with the Xbox 360. We also know what "EA tech support" thinks on the issue. They "fully understand and respect" if you go with the Xbox 360 version, because with the PS3 version it was "very difficult to get it right the first time."
Now, it's very difficult to get a proper grip on how much of a difference the two console's respective frame rates bring to the presentation in this video, because the video goes at its own frame rate, so whatever that's set at is what you're watching. Essentially, you're just looking at whatever pops out as being different. What do you all think?
Update: We added GameVideos comparison video after the break.
It's been no secret that the Xbox 360 version of Madden '08 was going to be better than the PS3 version, but nobody really expected it to be this big of a difference. Less than 24 hours into Madden's release, the difference between the two versions has become a serious point of contention. Maxconsole has the alleged response from EA technical support about the frame rate issues on the PS3 version of Madden '08.
"Rob M." from EA Sports technical support says he understands gamers "frustration," but says that EA has been "developing titles for the Xbox 360 for over 3 1/2 years" and has only been working with the PS3 for over a year. He goes on to say it's "very difficult to get it right the first time." He goes on to say that that 30 frames per second is the same for all PS3 sports games, and they're happy to point out that the same holds true for 2K Sports as well. He finishes by saying that "if you choose not to purchase the [PS3 version], it is a choice [they] fully understand and respect." Definitely expect a little bit more ire about this PS3 Madden thing as people start making lists of all the issues.
Trying to decide which version of Madden 08 -- PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 -- you want to buy? If you want USA Today's advice, the Xbox 360 version is the way to go.
Issues cited include stutters in action and half-second delays. "Even close-ups between play look dull when lined up against the 360's sleeker cut scenes," the article reads.
Of course, there's always an explanation available for technical deficiencies, from the rational to the conspiratorial. Let's see how the two version stack up for Madden 09.
Is paying full price for Madden '08 just not going to cut it? Need a little bit more incentive? Well, CheapAssGamer found the best deals to go with your Madden purchase if you're looking for a little bit more. Toys R Us takes the cake with their deal that when you buy Madden '08, you get a second game of equal or lesser value at half off. This applies to all systems, despite the sporadic placement of the deal on their website. Toys R Us really does find ways to treat gamers well.
The other deals are the Blockbuster $10 off coupon and, if you still don't have an Xbox 360, you can get the premium system with an extra controller and Madden for $410 at CompUSA (that's about $50 off). If you know of any other Madden deals, drop them below in the comments. GameFly subscribers, if you've rented Madden, let us know the "Keep It" price.
"I can't hear you!" shouted Ozzy atop the Hard Rock marquee. "I wanna fucking hear you!" he spat, as several onlookers chuckled at the sound of the massive F-bomb amplified throughout Times Square. A few cheers followed, but mostly silent bemusement. "What are we standing here for?" somebody wondered aloud.
Just the day before, we'd received a last-minute invitation from Microsoft PR inviting us to "Maddenoliday," a public celebration of the Xbox 360 version of Madden 08. (A Microsoft representative insisted that we not blog about the event prior to its start -- though sister site X3F gave late word by way of Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog.) With little publicity beforehand, the event mostly preyed on the droves of tourists who spend these comfortable summer nights in crisp 'I ♥ NY' tees, shuffling up and down Broadway and 7th Avenue. Set up a few iron blockades, blow some smoke, and they'll stop and linger.
First off: Best new release week image ever. Second: It's Madden week! And this one's apparently pretty good. But what if you don't crave the feel of the pigskin in your grip? Well, there are a few oddball releases in the portable arena, but is it worth the risk? For the next couple of weeks, the game store is going to be hostile ground, with a jock-to-geek ratio that's going to be downright dangerous. Go get your DS RPG, just be careful to avoid a wedgie.
Want to wear your Madden skillz on the street as bling? EA is giving you the chance this season with a customizable, unlockable "Ring of a Champion" that you can actually order from Jostens -- ring maker of the Super Bowl ring ... and countless graduation rings across the nation. You might even be able to convince some gullible soul that you actually scored a real Super Bowl ring, and possibly get yourself bumped up to first class on occasion. Plus, if you get into a street brawl, you've got some serious hardware on your fingers.
The rings are unlocked by progressing to various levels as you play the game. Once you reach level three, you'll get a code in the game that will let you order the ring. The further you progress, the more you can customize your ring. You'll also be able to stick any of the NFL teams on there, and you can get the cheapo version in a "non precious ring" (Gollum will be so upset) for $149, or the flamboyant 14k gold version for $495. The finger bling comes studded with cubic zirconium, but Jostens will let you add real diamonds if you have a bottomless savings account and a real desire to toss your money away.
The rings will be available only on the "next gen" (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) systems, sorry Wii-ers. Check out the pix of the bling below, and you can read the press release after the break.
Football is a game of split second decisions, and simulating the sport on the Xbox 360 will soon let you split those seconds more finely. 1UP is reporting that this summer's major pigskin simulators -- EA's Madden NFL 08 and NCAA Football 2008 and 2K Sports' All-Pro Football 2K8 -- will run at 60 frames per second on the Xbox 360 and 30 frames per second on the PS3. The move represents a jump from previous Madden games, which ran at 30 frames per second on all platforms, including the Xbox 360 and PS3.
While the additional frames mean smoother, more fluid animation in the 360 versions, it's still unclear how the jump will impact graphical fidelity or resolution. A comparison between both versions of last year's Madden 07 conducted by Gamespot showed the 360 version had "sharper textures on the character models in the close-up shots shown between plays." In comparing this year's games, 1UP simply stated that "All-Pro Football 2K8 definitely runs better on Xbox 360."
The reasons behind this frame rate difference are hard to pin down. Todd Sitrin, EA Vice President of Marketing Sports Branding, told 1UP that there are trade offs in designing football simulations and that "every company making a football game this year made a decision that the best experience for the Xbox 360 included 60fps whereas the best experience for the PS3 was 30fps." Extra time and familiarity with the Xbox 360 hardware could have influenced the development, as could the purported difficulty in programming for the PS3's multi-processor architecture.
One of the new features of Electronic Arts'Madden08 is the use of weapons -- special medals associated with certain players to signify their strengths. These aren't real weapons, mind you, but O, how we long for the days of Mutant League Football. These are more like situation-specific special moves. A player with the Big Foot Kicker weapon, for example, can kick the ball "farther than anyone in the game."
IGN is outlining the 24 weapons featured in the game, so that enthusiasts can start planning and dreaming up their weapon combinations. Cannon Arm QB with a Quick Receiver? Let's hope one of their defenders doesn't have the Speed weapon.
The next installment of Electronic Arts'Madden08 will feature online multiplayer but will not be using Nintendo's friend code system, according to associate producer Damian Zerr in an interview with IGN.
"Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play," he said. "This is something we're still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account." IGN does not press further as to why EA made this decision, leaving us to only speculate the reasons why. Perhaps EA is as distraught with the system as many Joystiq readers have conveyed.
No voice chat will be available during online play, relying instead on EA Messenger for communication (details on how were also not given), but alongside DS connectivity was not ruled out for Madden 09.
June 14, 2005: Asafa Powell runs 100 meters in 9.77 seconds.
April 5, 2007: ESPN reveals Devin Hester will have a speed rating of 100 in Madden NFL '08.
Not only does EA think Hester is faster than any other football player in history, the noted kick returner is set to become the first player to get a perfect rating in any stat category in the perennial football franchise.
Hester said he was honored by the, er, honor, but not exactly surprised -- according to ESPN, "Hester has been known to have been lobbying members of the Madden NFL 08 development team for the top speed rating." NFL players exerting undue influence on developers? We smell a scandal. Maddengate!
Our main question now is what will happen if someone faster than Hester comes along? Will EA create a 101 rating? Or will the 100 rating eventually become like a "perfect ten" game review -- good, but not perfect?
