EA Sports Message Board older than one year ago

Several college football players yesterday showed support for the National Collegiate Players Association, writing the initials of the group's slogan—"All Players United"—on parts of their uniform. It's a show of solidarity with those suing over the use of player likenesses in the NCAA Football series.Read more...

We said we'd keep any eye on this nutball wager between Madden endorsers Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, NFL quarterbacks whose teams met last week. Looks like neither star lost anything, thanks to the magic of digital editing.Read more...

NBA Live is actually coming back: EA's troubled basketball series will return on November 19, launching on both Xbox One and PS4.Read more...

They don't get much attention from gaming sites, probably because lol EA Sports, but every year Electronic Arts goes nuts with their live-action commercials for FIFA.Read more...

Do Not Adjust Your Picture: Yep, the super awesome watch-a-shitload-of-the-NFL-for-free offer through Madden NFL 25's $100 Anniversary edition promo with DirecTV is, of course, experiencing big technical difficulties as thousands log in to the service on opening day.Read more...

Good news, Madden fans. The objection to a $27 million class action settlement in the case brought against the exclusive license held by the series has been dropped. Your money should be on the way soon.Read more...

Usually, if someone wants to convince you that the video game they're making is going to be great, they tell you what they're putting in it. But what if they made nearly the same game a year ago? They have to take a different approach.Read more...

A sizable badge on the box for NHL 14 proclaims the series has been named 'Sports Game of the Year' by over twenty-six outlets throughout the life of the franchise, yet EA's hockey series rarely gets the same attention from its publisher as Madden and FIFA. Despite its critical success and commercial adoration from lifelong fans, the NHL franchise rarely gets promotion from EA Sports, as evidenced by its absence in the upcoming Xbox One and PS4 launches and EA's own industry press conferences.

Huddled in its own corner as the least-promoted sports series under EA's arm, the NHL franchise has made marked improvements to its mechanics year over year. This year, NHL 14's collision system sees a massive upgrade, borrowing tech from EA's top-tier FIFA franchise. But NHL 14 shows its age with presentation packages and commentary so old and recycled that they give the impression developer EA Canada is either unwilling or unable to make changes to the more costly elements of NHL's development.

EA's COO has reiterated that the company isn't favouring Microsoft over Sony, despite a host of decisions that would seem to suggest otherwise.

A rousing look at the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, complete with Patrick Stewart voiceover.

The history of Madden NFL in the age of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is a history of inconsistent execution, of hit-and-miss features, some more easily marketed than implemented or understood. Of all the memories Madden NFL 25 could evoke in the series' silver anniversary year, the strongest are of the gimmick Maddens, thanks to an unnecessary new gameplay mechanism and under-delivered promise across the board.Read more...

Zach Farley didn't know much about the others in his residence hall when he moved back in at Westfield State University as a sophomore about seven years ago. He did know one suite had a PlayStation 2 and a copy of Madden, the communal fire of a dorm for most of its 25-year existence. Farley introduced himself to that room first.Read more...

Madden NFL has a "fantasy draft" option—which disperses all of the players and has every team draft a new roster before beginning your career mode. If you pick that, here's how the game's fake Twitter stream reacts. Good to see that ESPN's tinhorn orchestra, Skip Bayless, stays true to character in it.Read more...

'Same great gameplay.' People were pissed that FIFA 13 on the PS Vita was essentially a reconditioned FIFA Soccer, the launch title for the device. Well, there's more where that came from for FIFA 14, reports Eurogamer. Read more...

Down in Florida this week, EA Sports challenged people to run the NFL's all-important 40-yard dash—traveled nearly 25 years ago by one Barry Sanders of Wichita, Kansas in 4.37 seconds—and offering copies of Madden NFL 25 to 100 winners. We hope the guy at 0:16 got one as a consolation prize.Read more...

Let's take a pop quiz—all gamers, not just sports fans. I'm going to show you this video on the "Enforcer Engine," which is the remade way to fight in NHL 14. Don't take any physical notes. Then I want you to wait 30 seconds before reading and answering the following questions. Ready? Read more...

We'll soon learn which lone university will bail on EA Sports' college football video game, ending an 18-year run in which the series featured all of the more than 100 major-division teams every season—a bedrock expectation of any "it's in the game" claim.Read more...

Today, EA Sports' FIFA series is critically acclaimed and globally dominant. Internally, football means football, not American football as played in Madden. Twenty years ago, though, the publisher wanted nothing to do with it, according to this retrospective by MCV.Read more...

The next edition of EA Sports' embattled college football series will lose only one school from a lineup of more than 120, though two conferences will opt out of licensing their trademarks to the game, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The Southeastern Conference, which yesterday told ESPN it would opt out, will in fact appear in this game.Read more...

The athletics director at the University of Washington—members of the Pac-12 conference and the 1991 National Champions—said his office will advise the university's administration not to license the school's appearance in future video games such as EA Sports' college football series.Read more...

The Pac-12, the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference—cornerstones of major college football—will no longer license their league's symbols or trademarks to EA Sports. While the 40 members they represent may still appear in future video games, the departure of these leagues is a painful blow to the series.Read more...

The Southeastern Conference, whose teams have won the past seven national championships, announced today it will no longer license the use of its symbols and trademarks in EA Sports' college football title, joining the NCAA in leaving the game under a cloud of litigation brought by former players.Read more...

Everyone sits on the turbo button in a sports video game. Its use was so ubiquitous, Madden's makers even removed turbo, before bringing it back. If the Madden NFL 25 demo is any indication, players will now clamp on two triggers: good old turbo, or a "precision modifier" that didn't exactly win me over when I tried it.Read more...

With the first week of the preseason in full swing and regular season NFL games on the way, players that are eager for Madden 25 might want to do a little game-planning in advance. Prima Games put together a nice tool for armchair QBs in the form of a free, simple Facebook app that shows every team's offensive and defensive playbooks in the game.

The app breaks down plays by formation, so it's easy to find your favorite gun snugs routes without sifting through strong I-formation plays. I like the look of Seattle's mix of plays in the pistol formation, which will go well with the running game improvements and combo moves in the game.

Madden 25 will launch on August 27 for Xbox 360 and PS3, and will head to next-gen systems at a later date. The game's demo, which features a Super Bowl rematch between the Ravens and the 49ers, will be available next Tuesday, August 13.

Pre-order FIFA 14 at Gamestop and take three exclusive dance moves to the pitch: "The Business," "Riding the Wave" and "Bellyflop." Riding the Wave, as demonstrated in the gif below, is kind of like an impression of an amputee octopus saying hello and goodbye.

Pre-orders at Gamestop also get 24 Premium Gold FIFA Ultimate Team Packs and probably other adjectives. Any early purchases of FIFA 14 through Best Buy, Target, Amazon, Wal Mart or Origin get Ultimate Team gold packs, without the "premium" designation. FIFA 14 launches on September 24 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and will come to Xbox One and PS4 using EA's Ignite engine.

The demo for Madden NFL 25 comes to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on Aug. 13, two weeks before the game's release date. Two matchups will be offered: a replay of the Super Bowl between San Francisco and Baltimore, and Seattle at Green Bay.Read more...

The cheapest way to watch a buttload of NFL games this year—all of them live—is with a copy of Madden. You don't need an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or satellite dish to do it, either. Maybe the people behind the deal can't tell you, but I can: This will work.Read more...

Well, looks like I won't be grocery-shopping with a bra on my head anytime soon: Michael Vick's superhuman 2004 self was indeed named the quarterback of Madden's "All-25" team, as I guaranteed in yesterday's column. Vick is rated 90.Read more...

Madden NFL celebrates its 25th anniversary this year—that's why it's called Madden NFL 25, not 14—and will observe that milestone with something it calls the "All-25 Team," comprising the best players from past editions of the game.Read more...

Twenty teams get new alternate uniform sets in NCAA Football 14 on Xbox 360, thanks to the first free offering from the game's Uniform Store. PlayStation 3 owners will get them tomorrow. This video showcases them all.Read more...