madden-09 posts (Subscribe to this feed)
'Big Dawg' vs. Madden lawsuit dismissed
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Oct 16th 2009 at 5:00AM }
According to a report on Cleveland.com, the lawsuit filed against Electronic Arts by Cleveland Browns fan John "Big Dawg" Thompson has been dismissed. The suit had been filed on the grounds that EA featured Thompson's likeness in Madden NFL 09 without his permission. More specifically, the game featured the likeness of Thompson wearing a dog mask and orange hat, a costume he's worn to Cleveland Browns home games for years.Thompson's lawyer, Alan Parker, noted that his client was happy the matter was closed, but noted that details of the dismissal are confidential. Thompson had been seeking damages "in excess of $25,000," so that's one thing he might be happy about. If his Big Dawg mask is sporting some gold teeth and a diamond encrusted hat during the next Browns home game, we'll know for sure.
Mask-wearing fan suing EA over likeness in Madden 09
by Ben Gilbert { Oct 4th 2009 at 5:30PM }
He might be known for wearing a bug-eyed dog mask and representing the most hardcore of Cleveland Browns fans, but John "Big Dawg" Thompson isn't down with his likeness being used in EA Sports' Madden NFL 09. No, not just because it misrepresents his jersey's number (98 in real life, 92 in the game) -- it's because EA Sports is using his likeness without ever having actually asked permission.So John Thompson (not to be confused with that other Thompson) has filed a complaint at the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas seeking restitution "in excess of $25,000." He's also looking to block EA's ability to sell the game or use "the Big Dawg character" without his expressed permission in the future. We hate to tell you, John, but that game kinda came out last year.
Walmart sells boy 'redneck' version of Madden 09
by Dustin Burg { Jan 26th 2009 at 1:15PM }
Put yourself in this position. Imagine you're a young boy (somewhere around, say, 13 years old) and have saved up all your Christmas money to purchase a shiny new Xbox 360. You're now overjoyed to hear that your dad has finally got around to taking you to the local Walmart to make your Xbox purchase.
After deciding on a console, you pick out Madden 09 as your first Xbox 360 game purchase. Now, still imagining you're this boy, you and your pa make your way back home where you setup your newly purchased Xbox. Caught up in the excitement, you rip open the (scotch tape sealed) Madden 09 packaging and are taken back because Madden 09 doesn't quite look like Madden 09. It looks something like the "redneck sh*t" you see above. Tears run down your cheek as you realize Walmart has failed you. Somehow, you purchased what you thought was a new copy of Madden, but was a returned and previously used copy with the disc swapped out. Oh the horror!
Scariest part, this is a true story.
Madden 09 predicts Pittsburgh Steelers victory in Super Bowl XLIII
by Andrew Yoon { Jan 23rd 2009 at 3:22PM }
The annual Madden prediction has been fairly successful, with the exception of last year's surprise victory from the New York Giants:
- 2004 - Madden: Patriots ; Reality: Patriots
- 2005 - Madden: Patriots ; Reality: Patriots
- 2006 - Madden: Steelers ; Reality: Steelers
- 2007 - Madden: Colts ; Reality: Colts
- 2008 - Madden: Patriots ; Reality: Giants
Madden tramples Wii Fit in Q3 global sales
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 10th 2008 at 2:00PM }
Certainly the most interesting question about the sales figures is: Where would Wii Fit be if it was actually meeting demand? Madden's sales were (obviously) US heavy, while Wii Fit had a regional sales spread based on Wii's install base. Find the full sales figures after the break.
EA loses $310 million in Q209, 6% of employees being let go
by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 30th 2008 at 6:00PM }
Unfortunately, EA's continuing hard times will impact its employees. The company plans to let go of 6% of its work force, which amounts to about 600 jobs. The next two quarters are when EA normally really starts bringing in the cash -- not that it'll mean much to those who'll be unemployed soon.
[Via GameDaily]
Deal: PSP Limited Edition Madden NFL 09 bundle for $170
by Alan Tsang { Oct 14th 2008 at 1:00PM }
What? You want to see an unboxing before you buy it? We've got the unboxing gallery for you below.
[Thanks, David B.!]
Gallery: Blue PSP Unboxing
Madden NFL 09 Pink to support breast cancer foundation
by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 3rd 2008 at 4:15PM }
We called EA Sports to find out how this "new" art still has Favre in his Packers uniform. Turns out the pink ribbon design is actually part of a clear overlay inside the cover. Meaning, consumers can completely remove it if they want, or place the Favre Jets cover in behind it. Behold, the freedom of choice.
Sun. deals: Gift cards with Pure, Silent Hill and more
by Dustin Burg { Sep 28th 2008 at 3:30PM }
Here we go again, a weekly gaming deals roundup thanks to X3F. We search for 360 deals, because we like saving money and because we care about your bank account. So, let's do this.
This week at Best Buy, you can grab a free $10 gift card with the purchase of Pure and a free Silent Hill DVD with purchase of Silent Hill: Homecoming. Target has CoD4, Battlefield: Bad Company, and LEGO Indiana Jones for $39. Our retailer friends over at Circuit City are giving out free Pyramid keychains with Silent Hill: Homecoming, free $10 gift cards with both Pure and Baja: Edge of Control, Rock Band bundles for $139, and they have wireless controllers for $5 off. And the bonus deal this week is over at Circuit City where, with the purchase of either Rock Band, Ninja Gaiden II, Tiger Woods 09 or Madden 09, you can score a free $20 gift card. W00t to that.
NPD: Top 5 best-selling PS3 games from January to August 08
by Alan Tsang { Sep 23rd 2008 at 5:10PM }
The NPD, in collaboration with Gamasutra, disclosed the top 5 bestsellers for each platform today, including the PS3. Without further ado, let's take a look at what they are:
No one is really surprised that GTA IV, MGS4 and Madden 09 made it to the top of the charts. However, Gamasutra remarks on the tremendous momentum Call of Duty 4 has had so far in 2008, especially considering the game was released early November of 2007. They were also surprised to see Gran Turismo 5: Prologue beating out Devil May Cry 4; they even speculate that if the sales on the PS Store for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue were counted, it might have even trumped the sales of the PS3 version of Madden 09. Did any of these games surprise you guys? Is there a game you would have liked to see on the chart? Fire away in the comments below.
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Madden NFL 09
- Gran Turismo 5: Prologue
No one is really surprised that GTA IV, MGS4 and Madden 09 made it to the top of the charts. However, Gamasutra remarks on the tremendous momentum Call of Duty 4 has had so far in 2008, especially considering the game was released early November of 2007. They were also surprised to see Gran Turismo 5: Prologue beating out Devil May Cry 4; they even speculate that if the sales on the PS Store for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue were counted, it might have even trumped the sales of the PS3 version of Madden 09. Did any of these games surprise you guys? Is there a game you would have liked to see on the chart? Fire away in the comments below.
Analyst: Wii is 'inhospitable' for third parties
by Jason Dobson { Sep 13th 2008 at 3:30PM }
Offering an example, Creutz points out that notwithstanding Madden 09's recent NPD dominance, the Wii version of EA's annual gridiron push sold significantly less compared to those on the PS3 and Xbox 360. How significant? Despite a larger console install base, the Wii version sold 87 percent fewer copies than those sold for the Xbox 360, and 79 percent less than those for the PS3 according to the analyst -- his life is obviously split between advising investors where to put their cash and stirring fanboys into a tizzy.
August NPD: Madden sacks the competition
by David Hinkle { Sep 12th 2008 at 11:48AM }
- DS: 518.3K
89.7K (-14.75%)- Wii: 453K
102K (-18.37%)- PSP: 253K
31.3K (12.49%)- Xbox 360: 195.2K
9.6K (-4.68%)- PS3: 185.4K
39.5K (-17.56%)- PS2: 144.1K
11.4K (-7.33%)Head past the break for the software figures.
No curse, but Madden 09 has bugs
by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 5th 2008 at 8:30PM }
Download this Favre-Jets cover for Madden 09
by Majed Athab { Aug 13th 2008 at 4:00PM }
If you head on over to EA's website, you can download a free, brand new cover for Madden 09 which features Favre sporting a Jets uniform. The covers are high quality PDFs, so you just have to make sure you have a good printer and some glossy paper to make the cover look legit. Might want to stop by Kinkos for that. Download the cover and replace it with the old one if you so desire.
[Thanks WhiteSpy!]
Metareview: Madden NFL 09 All-Play
by David Hinkle { Aug 13th 2008 at 3:37PM }
On to the review scores!
- Nintendo Power (90/100) is of the mind the game is the sports title to beat on Wii: "So while EA may not have lived up to its marketing directive, it's succeeded in creating quite possibly the best, most fully featured sports sim available on the Wii." [Sept 2008, p.85]
- IGN (86/100) says it's good, but hardcore gamers might not like some of the changes: "Madden 09 has done a great job of giving every type of player a little to love, but for the Wii-only hardcore out there, you're going to need to realize that times are changing, and Nintendo is synonymous with "everybody" now"
- GameDaily (80/100) thinks the game is easily recommendable: "Even though it lacks complexity, Madden NFL 09 on the Wii achieves more than enough to earn a recommendation. Its user-friendly controls and various modes will keep you scoring touchdowns well into next season."
- Games Radar (80/100) believes the game is a solid title: "Even so, Madden NFL 09 All Play is blazing an important trail to reintroduce lost football fans to the franchise. It's an undeniably fun experience that will please many in its target audience, and even includes roster updates and online play. Not to mention we're really starting to like a little waggle with our football. We may be old curmudgeons, but fun is fun, and Madden does a lot more right than not."
