Owen, Noah, Aaron, Rylen, Bruce, Holden, Parker, Matthew, Spencer, Dawson, Brandon, Trey, Tucker, Nathan, Kain, Jacob, Alexander, Collin, Benjamin, Nicholas, Austin, Joshua, Evan, Jack, Neco, Cooper, Elijah, Kyle, Oscar, Keegan, Malcolm, Mason, Bregan, Madden, Myles, Caeden, Brenden, Pryor, Maurice, Nicky.

Gabriella, Jillian, Lillian, Audrey, Ruby May, Erin, Bianca, Jade, Rylee, Aili, Trynity, Meghan, Olivia, Elise, Quinn, Ariana, Charlotte, Beatrix, Abigail, Layla, Kenley, Caoimhe, Cailyn, Ava, Carolina, Mia, Ailey, Alena.

From/De: EA

Madden NFL Arcade Now Available on the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE Arcade

5-on-5 Pure Adrenaline NFL Football Arrives Just in Time for Thanksgiving

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Madden NFL Arcade is now available for download on the PlayStation® Store, and on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Perfect for pick-up-and-play action during halftime, Madden NFL Arcade provides an all-new way to experience the Madden NFL franchise, featuring a unique art style and fast-paced gameplay. Madden NFL Arcade is available on the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE for $14.99 and 1200 MS points respectively.

Madden NFL Arcade takes everything you love about your favorite NFL stars and stadiums and brings them to life in a fun, high-scoring gridiron battle. Featuring all 32 NFL teams and stadiums, including the top five offensive and defensive stars from each team, with all-new arcade style animations, every play looks like a highlight reel. From linemen to wide receivers, each player is 100% authentic to the NFL and injected with over-the-top personality unique to Madden NFL Arcade.

Catch your opponent off-guard with 13 unique Game Changers to break the game wide open in a single play. Freeze one of your opponents players, add extra lineman to sack the QB, turn off your opponents passing icons, and more. With action-packed Game Changers, no two plays are ever the same.

Madden NFL Arcade is the perfect video game for game day, allowing up to four cooperative players on a single console. You can also take on the world online in head-to-head matches and track your performance via interactive leaderboards. To commemorate your gridiron success, Madden NFL Arcade also provides a host of achievements and trophies to boost your gamer score.

Madden NFL Arcade is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and EA SPORTS™ MMA.

For more information about Madden NFL Arcade visit: maddennfl.easports.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet athttp://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ABOUT NFL PLAYERS

Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS takes the helmets off the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the companys official website, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates more than 4,000 player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and internet. All player participation is facilitated by NFL PLAYERS, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM. Arcade – Trailer

Pure Adrenaline NFL Football Arrives Just in Time for Thanksgiving!

Electronic Arts announced today that Madden NFL Arcade is now available for download on the PlayStation Store, and Xbox LIVE Arcade.  Perfect for pick-up-and-play action during halftime, Madden NFL Arcade provides an all-new way to experience the Madden NFL franchise, featuring a unique art style and fast-paced gameplay.  Madden NFL Arcade is available on the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE for $14.99 and 1200 MS points respectively.

Madden NFL Arcade takes everything you love about your favorite NFL stars and stadiums and brings them to life in a fun, high-scoring gridiron battle. Featuring all 32 NFL teams and stadiums, including the top five offensive and defensive stars from each team, with all-new arcade style animations, every play looks like a highlight reel.  From linemen to wide receivers, each player is 100% authentic to the NFL and injected with over-the-top personality unique to Madden NFL Arcade.

Catch your opponent off-guard with 13 unique Game Changers to break the game wide open in a single play.  Freeze one of your opponent’s players, add extra lineman to sack the QB, turn off your opponent’s passing icons, and more. With action-packed Game Changers, no two plays are ever the same.

Madden NFL Arcade is the perfect video game for game day, allowing up to four cooperative players on a single console.  You can also take on the world online in head-to-head matches and track your performance via interactive leaderboards.  To commemorate your gridiron success, Madden NFL Arcade also provides a host of achievements and trophies to boost your gamer score.

Madden NFL Arcade is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and EA SPORTS MMA.

Now I’ve always had what my parental units would call an “unnatural” affinity for shoes. But how could I resist and deny the delicious adrenaline that rushed through my veins when I first laid eyes upon such wonderfully crafted and beautifully proportionate lady oxfords?

Now I don’t usually dish out more than $50 for shoes, seeing as how I wear them out in a matter of weeks with all my running about, but for these Steve Madden babies, I just might have to make an exception. Speaking of which, this season’s new thang is the black ankle bootie with sheer black tights. And DV by Dolce Vita’s version is geometrically attractive. The heel’s design and shape will support your weight and won’t give you too much trouble. And the design’s classic silhouette, color, and material is a wise choice for someone who’s looking to buy a pair that will last for a couple of seasons. After all, $140 is a pretty steep price to pay in these tough times.

And in looking to the future, I do believe that Spring’s choice of footwear includes the ‘wedge’ and the ‘clog’. Though a long standing fan of the wedge for its reminiscent cool 70’s style, I find that the clog is just one of those things better left un-revived. (Similarly, one can connect this clog concept to the 80’s parachute pants and the 90’s belly shirts.) ModCloth’s Tiki Lounge Wedges in Pina Colada  is a perfect combination of the two designs. Wedge in heel and clog in spirit. These babies would be pretty adorable paired with that insanely cool flower patterned sheer dress, a knit boyfriend cardigan, a coupla antique gold accessories here and there, and a daisy in those perfectly tousled locks of yours. Tread lightly, darlings!

Yours truly,

Lili Darling

Bengals, Kitna, and Carson.

Nothing like good football on Sunday. Today was pretty good. Nice surprise was the Cleveland vs Detroit game. Nothing like 2 crappy teams performing like its a playoff game between 2 actually good teams.  And I’ve warmed up to the Detroit Lions’ crappiness over the years. Its the Kitna connection. Kitna was the replacement QB for the injured Carson in the 2006 season playoff game. Carson Palmer was injured on the opening play and Kitna went on to lose with the Bengals. Since then Kitna had a short stint as starting QB with the Lions and is now backup for Tony Romo. Bengals didn’t too well their following seasons. They Bengals have a shot this season even with the bizarre loss today against the Oakland Raiders.

Raiders, Titans

Speaking of. The Oakland Raiders is a crazy franchise. So far this season they have strangely squeaked wins by Philly and now Cinnci. Another 3 win team  – Titans with Vince Young. Always thought he was a good player, he has Monday Night Footballs honors to continue to prove it this season. He faired much better in his NFL start than other newbie quarterbacks this year.

Viking Favre Peterson

This guy is old with some badass younguns with him. There are the constant jokes about the media and fans slurping him up but he’s such an easy sell. If I tell my non football fanatic friends hey there’s this 40 year old dood playing football and he’s damn good, they’re impressed. Add Peterson and everygame will be easy to entertain.Vikings of course had another great game thisweek against Seattle.

Steelers and Polamalu

Nice overtime win over Steelers by the KC Chiefs. I saw Troy Polamalu on Fallon some weeks ago (with January Jones, woo!) and he may be my new fave player. Too bad the Madden Curse persisted this year. till Next time.

Assassin’s Creed 2

Been playing this on 360 lately. Good decent game. The underlying engine hasn’t changed much. This really should have been how good the first game was. Nice addicting collection missions keep the game length going.  Good story and I feel Italian playing it.

Definitely not the MVP of Football games. Not even close.

I was listening to this story on the CBC this week about this guy who grew up in East Germany during the Cold War.  He talked about the fall of the Berlin Wall and how one of the things people were the most excited about, besides reuniting families after decades of seperation, was shopping.  This was because in the former German Democratic Republic (it wasn’t really either of those things but whatever), there was only ever one brand of anything.  If you went to the store to get butter, you had one butter to choose from.  In the West, however, people could chose from all sorts of butter!

So the controvercial thing I’m saying here is that in terms of sports games we have reverted to a Soviet-approved system based on a complete lack of competition.  That’s pretty remarkable considering how much we’re apparently scrambling to keep capitalism together.  There is only one football brand, Madden, thanks to an agreement with the NFL Players Association.  Other football games, like Blitz, rely on almost football with no recognizable named players (I should note that growing up, we didn’t care about this, but now we’re spoiled).  Any other football game worth mentioning (NCAA or NFL Pro Street) is still made by Electronic Arts.  But back in the day, we had so many choices!

I'm totally digging the Windows 95-style menu screens.

What’s even more crazy about this is that history seems to be teaching us that a lack of competition actually makes for better games.  How’s that for irony?  Madden games improve every year despite a vacuum in terms of real competition (arguably because they have to do more than a roster update because they will aggravate their rabid, semi-literate fan-base), but when we had twenty-five different football games, most of them were garbage.  I call this sports-game-based inverse-capitalism the Greater Madden Theory of Gaming Economics.  The GMToGE (gimtoge) simply states that in a market filled with competition, all competitors can produce a mediocre product and most people will buy it because it has the word “Football” on it and all they know is that they want a Football game, but if there is no competition, those people demand a better product on which to spend their hard-earned dollars and might just opt for last year’s version or not purchase any football games (oh noes!)

So anyway, Capcom MVP Football was terrible, and if this were the former Soviet Union it probably would have had a tarp laid out for it and the bill for the bullet sent to its creators.  That’s all I’m trying to say here.

If you were paying attention, and I’ll assume that you were, as hanging on my every word is quite unavoidable, you’ll notice where I called this page a sports site. This is only partially true (you’ll find, as we go forward, that partial truths are one of my many fortes, along with sneaky lies, eloquent hyperbole, and expertly placed scorn). In addition to sports, I will also be covering games. To deal with issues of server space and short attention spans, the two have been amalgamated under the catch-all phrase “sports” in such a way that they’ve lost all distinction. Well, I’m here to set the record straight… which should have been listed amongst my fortes… setting the record straight. I’m very good at it.

And actually, the distinction is quite simple to understand… and here’s the litmus test; if a fat 60 year old can do it moderately well, it’s not a sport, it’s a game. Simple as that.

So let’s get to it, shall we?

But first, let’s start by saying I’m not going to mention anything that’s so obviously a game that its’ combatants won’t even complain at having it called so. These include poker, backgammon, Madden challenge, Scrabble, spelling bees, etc… These have at most a very little physical aspect to them, and thus don’t qualify as a sport under any definition of the world. Plus, a fat 60 year old, after some practice, could be the best in the world at any of them.

American Football – Sport. Clearly, our fat 60 year old could strap on a helmet and shoulder pads and proceed to play the game, but this is where the “moderately well” portion of our litmus test comes into play. I would also recommend a stretcher, ambulance, priest and his loved ones be nearby.

Archery - Game. Games can be broken down into two categories… strictly mental games, like the ones mentioned above (Poker, Backgammon, etc…), or games that combine both mental and physical aspects. Alas, when it comes to archery’s physicality, we’re talking hand-eye coordination (true of many games) and average levels of strength. A fat 60 year old can handle those aspects.

Australian Rules Football – Sport. I would, though, like to see our fat 60 year old in one of these. Wait, no I wouldn’t. Forget I said that.

Auto Racing – Game. Let’s be honest here… the cars are the athletes. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The drivers, not so much. Yes, it’s physically and mentally demanding… but can you really sit there and tell me, perched on your high chair like you most certainly are, that a fat 60 year old couldn’t win one race, let alone do moderately well? Already, Mark Martin of Nascar fares quite well at age 50, and the oldest winner was 52. Formula one’s oldest winner was 53. And we’ve got a fat guy that regularly wins in Tony Stewart. Would he win? Probably not. Could he do moderately well? Definitely.

Badminton – Sport. Yes, our fat 60 year old, depending on what strata of society he finds himself within, might play regularly… probably with regular breaks for tea and judging people. But put that same fat 60 year old in a competitive environment, and he loses every time. There’s nothing “moderately well” about that.

Baseball – Sport. Baseball’s one of the trickier ones to call, actually. Most players are involved in a sport, but pitchers, particularly those pansies from the American League (what with the designated hitter rule), might be playing a game. We’ve seen plenty of successful fat guys… C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, Bartolo Colon, Jumbo Brown… most of them pitchers (though certainly the aforementioned designated hitter and first base are prone to successful fat guys, like Cecil Fielder, and John Kruk)… but could our 60 year old do it, at least moderately well? Maybe, but he’d have to be pretty special. And since most baseball players qualify as athletes playing a sport (unless you could see our fat 60 year old chase down a fly ball, or steal second… I don’t), we’ll call baseball a sport.

Basketball – Sport. Through and through. Even if our fat 60 year old was 7′4″, he still wouldn’t hold up, and that’s saying something.

Bobsleigh – Game. Any activity where gravity does the most work is a game. That fact should maybe be at the top, but at least it’s here. A fat person actually benefits from these kinds of games. As a matter of fact, until the governing body instituted a weight-limit rule in 1952, bobsleigh crews were very heavy. It should also be noted that bobsleigh inverse to baseball, as the pusher might actually be playing a sport, at least at the start of the race. This is of course before the gravity takes over, and it’s the pusher’s job to get the sled moving. But for most of the race, all members of the team are playing a game, hence, its’ designation here.

Bossaball – Sport. And a wild one at that. And just look at that photo (you’ll have to hover over “bossaball” to see it)… if any of you know a fat 60 year old that could even do that without gravely injuring him/herself, I want their name and number. I have an idea for a viral video. Oh, and if you want to know just what the hell bossaball is, check this out.

Boules – Game. Uh, yeah. This one’s obvious, right? From a class of games that includes Bocce, Lawn Bowling, Petanque, Boule Lyonaisse, Klootschieten and Varpa… games seemingly specifically created for the elderly (but fun nonetheless).

Bowling – Game. Again, no questions here, right? If so, just head to your local bowling alley. You’ll see plenty of fat, drunk 60 year olds bowling in the 200’s regularly. Not a sport.

Boxing – Sport. This one’s a bit thorny. George Foreman, at this very moment, is a fat 60 year old (ironic for a man synonymous with the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, but I digress). Could he really not fare at least moderately well in the ring today? Probably so… but this one comes with a caveat. The only way this could work is in the heavyweight division, where lumbering, plodding heavy punchers will always have a place. You can be all of those things as a fat 60 year old. In no other weight class would this be plausible. So on the whole, boxing’s a sport, whether the heavyweight division is a game or not.

Competitive Dance – Sport. So us macho types, like, for instance, myself, don’t like to admit that dance is a sport. But step back and take a look at it… extreme athleticism? Check. Very competitive? Check. Exclusion of fat 60 year olds? That’s a big fat check. And those of you who have been to a competitive dance… uh… competition?… and seen the merciless backstabbing and cutthroat sabotage that regularly unfolds know damn well that this is no game.

Cricket – Sport. The art of bowling sets cricket apart from baseball. As opposed to the standstill throw a pitcher delivers, the bowler’s is a violent, full-body action with an extended run-up that would certainly throw out the backs of most fat 60 year olds. Even the act of batting is more involved, as batsmen have been known to switch sides of the wicket while the bowler is in his run-up (this would be akin to a right-handed batter jumping over home plate to bat left-handed during a pitcher’s windup). No easy feat, and no place for a fat 60 year old to tread.

Curling – Game. There’s nothing about this game that a fat 60 year old couldn’t handle. They might be the best in the world at it, for all I know.

Cycling – Sport. A fat 60 year old in spandex? We don’t think so.

Darts – Game. One of the few games where being a fat 60 year old is an advantage.

Decathlon/Heptathlon/Pentathlon – Sport. This would, of course, be the end of our fat 60 year old. We had some good times, fat 60 year old. We’ll always remember you.

Disc Golf – Game. Another addendum; if stoners, hippies and other movement-reluctant bums fancy it, it’s a game.

Discus Throw – Game. The actual throwing of the discus any fat 60 year old could handle, and while some of them might be hilariously awful, some could reach the “moderately well” threshold… that’s the rub. It’s the leadup to the toss that gets a bit dicey. Most athletic 25 years olds will end up on their ass following it… and a fat 60 year old? He’ll get vertigo… unless… he/she was already an experienced discus thrower. A former champion, let’s say. Could he/she still fare moderately well? Of course.

Diving – Game. Here’s the thing… at the elite level, yes, diving is heavily populated by 15 year old, 58 pound Asians. But tack on 45 years and 200 pounds to those same Asians… and splashy, cannonball-esque entry aside, could they not at least fare reasonably well in a diving competition? I think so, yes.

Downhill Skiing – Sport. OK, let me explain. Yes, gravity plays a major role here, in fact, it’s the agent propelling the skier down the hill. But what sets downhill skiing apart from say the bobsleigh or the luge is that the skiier must use his/her athleticism against gravity, to turn, sometimes sharply. Without the ability to do so, the ability to fare, oh, I don’t know, let’s say moderately well, goes down the tubes. Our fat 60 year old would be carried faster than most down the hill, thanks to the “fat” part, would his/her 60 year old muscles be able to turn him/her appropriately? We have our doubts.

Equestrian – Game. Again, who’s the athlete here? Is it the person riding the horse, or the horse doing all the work? The horses are certainly competing in a sport… the person sitting on the horse? Not so much. Though we will admit that we certainly feel for the horse that has a fat 60 year old on its’ back.

Fencing – Game. We’ll admit, fencing takes incredible instincts and quickness, and the reflexes of a… uh…. well, something that has really fast reflexes. So we’re under no illusion that a fat 60 year old could be a champion. But let’s say renowned champion Sergei Golubitsky hits 60 and has let himself go a little (or a lot, whatever picture you throw into that head of yours). Were he to enter a competition, could he not fare at least moderately well? It says here he could.

Figure Skating – Sport. Unless points were awarded for sliding along the ice on your ass or stomach, our fat 60 year old would stand no chance here. None at all. Though, this does give me an idea. Who wouldn’t pay money to watch fat 60 year olds attempt some of these advanced moves. It’d be a train wreck, and train wrecks make good televsion… hmmmmm…. We’d have to come up with some appropriate clothing, but yeah, I think I could make it work.

Fishing/Angling – Game. Go watch your local fishing tournament this weekend. Take note of the number of people that aren’t fat 60 year olds. Now, nod in agreement with me.

Gaelic Football – Sport. A fat 60 year old would spend the entire game getting embarrassed, thus causing him, if he’s Irish (as we would expect, if he’s playing Gaelic Football), to pick a fight with every player on the pitch, followed by that particularly intoxicating brand of Irish violence… utter chaos, generally speaking… which would subsequently lead to everyone getting drunk together and singing songs. Stereotypical? You betcha… but I’ve lived it. And stereotypes exist for a reason, right?

Golf – Game. First, it’s a favorite of fat 60 year olds. Second, you could easily see one heating up and shooting a 70 on the same day Tiger Woods shoots a 72. An activity where you could play better than the world’s best? That’s a game, my friends. Let’s put that same fat guy up against Lebron James in a game of one-on-one. Does he ever win? Of course not. If we tied one of James’ arms behind his back, does the fat 60 year old ever win? Of course not. I believe I’ve eagled this one.

Gymnastics – Sport. OK, picture the fat 60 year old, and let’s go with a male. Now… and this won’t be easy… picture him in a unitard. Get past it, you can do it. OK, good. Now, picture him going through a routine on the pommel horse. How many times did he crush his nuts? 30? 40? No, this is no place for a fat 60 year old.

Hammer Throw – Game. Like the discus throw, the problem lies in the lead up to the throw. And like the discus throw, most people would end up on all fours attempting such a thing, with probably a vertigo supplementation for our fat 60 year old. But, like the discus, an experienced discus thrower who just happens to be fat and 60 could fare moderately well… thus… it’s a game.

Handball – Sport. Like many sports, a fat 60 year old could play handball, and like all of them, against decent competition, he’d get embarrassed to the point of taking up shuffleboard.

Hockey – Sport. Whether it be the ice or the field variety, the end results are the same. Our fat 60 year old hospitalized, probably with a feeding tube and catheter. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Horse Racing – Game. A great sport for horses, a decent game for humans. Again, how is this a sport for jockeys? Actually, let’s put it this way, if the real athlete in the sport (the horse) would be better off without human involvement (you know, faster without something on its’ back), then it’s no sport for humans. There. And yes, we’d need a very special, strong horse for our fat 60 year old, but there’s one out there that could lead it to a moderately decent finish.

Hurling – Sport. And one I’m not sure should be legal. Picture, Americans, a combination of baseball, soccer and handball. That’s right, they run around with what amounts to baseball bats in their hands, freely swinging them on the field of battle, with others all around them. Hence the helmets. I don’t think we should allow our fat 60 year old to even try this one. Let’s move on.

Hydroplane Racing – Game. Another sport where the humans are just controlling the athletes… in this case, crazy-fast boats. And another one a fat 60 year old would fancy his chances in. He might even prevent things like this from happening, what with the extra weight and all.

Jai Alai – Sport. I don’t think “the fastest sport in the world” is any place for a fat 60 year old. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me, but I’m gonna go ahead and give this one the sport nod, and move on, thus saving the life of our fat 60 year old, in all probability. Ed Honcho, hero.

Javelin Throw – Game. As with most throwing sports, where your average fat 60 year old wouldn’t be able to compete, one with experience should be able to at least fare moderately well. Hence the designation as a game. They are the Olympic Games, after all, right?

Jumping – Sport. This includes the High Jump, Long/Broad Jump and Triple Jump, not to mention certain obstacles for fat 60 year olds… namely, the whole jumping part.

Luge – Game. This falls under our aforementioned gravity rule (see: bobsleigh). Our 60 year old’s girth would do nothing but help him/her. Sure, he/she might end up in the hospital, but that’s true of thin 26 year olds as well.

Martial Arts – Sport. Unlike boxing’s heavyweight division, there are very few plodding, heavy hitters when it comes to any discipline of the martial arts. My recommendation to our fat 60 year old? Start tapping out as soon as the competition begins. I’m tired of these hospital bills. It’s starting to add up.

Motorcycle Racing – Game. Again, and maybe I should just put this on repeat. The humans here aren’t the real athletes. The motorcycles are. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The humans… simply enjoying their game. And sure, your average 60 year old would struggle… but a former motorcyle jockey who spent 10 years gorging on Tastykakes? He could fare, you guessed it, moderately well.

Netball/Korfball – Sport. Very similar to basketball, though not quite as arduous physically as one’s movement is restricted. Thus, at amateurish levels, a fat 60 year old could hold his/her own. But once we start to creep into the levels of “moderately decent”, the fat 60 year old falls short.

Orienteering/Rogaining – Game. Navigation-based competitions will always fall into the category of games, for obvious reasons, the most clear being that many fat 60 year olds already participate, and can certainly fare at least moderately well. The “fat” part undoubtedly doesn’t help, as these competitions are all on foot, but this deficiency can be made up for in other areas.

Pole Vault – Sport. The mere idea of a fat 60 year old attempting the pole vault has me sitting in my chair laughing my ass off (or SIMCLMAO, from here forward). This is no game.

Polo – Game. This is a combo event between the horse and the human, with the horse playing a sport and the human playing a hand-eye-coordination-based game. Our fat 60 year old could play this game, with a big enough horse, and play it quite well.

Racewalking – Game. This one just feels like a game, doesn’t it? It’s got that game funk all over it. And I’m not coming at this from a “what’s shoved up those guys asses?” point of view either. Nope. I know they’re great at what they do, and it takes talent. It’s just, what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re walking? And what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re a former racewalking champ who’s put on a few and 60 years old? Are they that far apart? That’s the thing. The slower racewalking speeds allow for the discrepancies in time to remain close, as opposed to running, where the difference increases exponentially. Thus, our fat 60 year old can log his/her moderately well and move on with his/her life.

Rock Climbing/Bouldering – Sport. Yeah, our guy would be dead. Fat and rock climbing/bouldering go together like…. uh, fat and… modeling. I don’t know. Two things that don’t go together very well. Cut me some slack, I’ve run out of coffee.

Rowing – Game. This one’s not so easy. Could a fat 60 year old row well. Yes, and with great power. Would his/her girth keep him/her from our “moderately well” standard? We say no, not if he/she were an experienced rower. This one definitely toes the border between sport and game, though. But hey, the rules are the rules… hard and fast. Just like me. Except for fast. Sometimes… depends what we’re talking about. Let’s just move on.

Rugby – Sport. Sure, Rugby (both League and Union) has its’ fat guys, but they’re not really fat guys, they’re just sports fat guys. You know, the kind of guy that drinks all night and doesn’t pay any attention to what he puts in his body… fish & chips, meat pies, etc… But they’re not really fat, not by society’s standards, at least. They’re just sports fat. Our 60 year old is society fat, plus, you know, he’s 60. He might hold his own in a scrum, but otherwise, it’s back to the hospital with him.

Running – Sport. Including sprints, marathons, hurdles, etc… And we’re moving on.

Sailing – Game. Now, we certainly don’t want to downplay what they do, but could a fat 60 year old be part of a winning team? You betcha. Could he win an individual competition? Unlikely, but could we expect him to do reasonably well? Were he a former champion, yes, we could. And I’m sticking with it, no matter how many hateful emails I get.

Shooting – Game. Encompassing sporting clays, skeet and trap shooting, our fat 60 year old is already moving into the semifinals.

Shot Put – Game. Our fat 60 year old is excited to try this one out. No running, no jumping, just sheer strength. And it says here they’ll fare at least moderately well.

Shuffleboard – Game. Funny story, our fat 60 year old is actually the reigning world shuffleboard champion. True story.

Skateboarding – Sport. We’re eagerly anticipating our fat 60 year old’s turn on the half-pipe. We’re guessing the judges don’t throw the term “moderately well” around. Maybe something more along the lines of “OH MY GOD! CALL 9-1-1!!!”

Ski Jump – Game. The ski jump, as opposed to downhill skiing, requires very little active resistance to gravity. Gravity hurls it’s participants down the ramp, a small, quick, powerful burst of the legs when the ramp turns up, then it’s all about holding your form. Our fat 60 year old, a former ski jumper, could handle this sort of thing, and his performance would be deemed “moderately well,” grammar be damned.

Snowboarding – Sport. And this includes virtually every form of snowboarding sport there is, whether it be boardercross, halfpipe, big air, slopestyle or simply racing. Now, some of them do start to creep into game territory… for instance, our fat 60 year old could get good air, and maybe perform enough tricks to fare moderately well… but we doubt it. And the rest of the events would leave him/her at the ski lodge in a full body cast… so yeah, we’re going sport.

Speed Skating – Sport. It’s a matter of sheer physics, really. As our fat 60 year old made a turn, provided he/she had any sort of speed built up, the centrifugal force would carry him/her into the boards, everytime… partly because their mass would be difficult to stop/turn, and also because their older legs wouldn’t be able to do it. I like to call it the “law of hilarious crashes where hopefully nobody gets hurt”. I am having some trouble getting it to stick. Maybe you guys can help me out? Spread the word. Spread the love.

Soccer/Football/Calcio/Futbol – Sport. Sure, lots of fat 60 year olds play soccer, but have you watched them? Let’s just say that their version is a sedentary one, rife with mis-kicks, hand-balls, shin-shots, beer and singing. OK, so it’s not that much different than the EPL… but just enough that our fat 60 year old narrowly fails the test.

Softball – Game. Though really, the way women play it, it’s a sport. But the way the vast majority of people play it, it’s barely a game. More like a mixer, or a party, or something between grilling and horseshoes. Our fat 60 year old is right at home.

Surfing – Sport. First of all, fat, in the surfing world, means shark food. Second, well, let’s go back to physics. The best surfers don’t sit too far down in the water. They skim the surface. Fat means skimming becomes more difficult… means jumps don’t look as good… means tubes aren’t properly navigated… means “moderately well” is out of the picture.

Swimming – Sport. Unless you consider drowning a success, in which case, you need to go talk to someone. Seriously.

Table Tennis – Game. To play at the highest level, with the best of the best, you cannot be fat, or 60. It takes hummingbird-like reflexes that, let’s face it, have left our fat 60 year old over time. But to play the game moderately well? Our fat 60 year old can handle that, especially if he/she has history in the game.

Tennis – Sport. It’s like table tennis, if the table were expanded to 10 times it’s normal size and you got on top of it. This means 10 times more ground to cover for our fat 60 year old. That’s about 9 times too much.

Triathlon – Sport. Maybe if the swim were 25 yards, the bike 1/4 of a mile, and the run 30 steps… maybe, our fat 60 year old could fight his/her way into the “moderately well” category. Anything more and he/she suffers a stroke.

Ultimate Frisbee – Sport. That’s right. Ultimate has moved out of the realm of hippies and stoners and been taken over by real athletes. The amount of athleticism required to catch the many errant throws that occur alone dooms our fat 60 year old (and if you don’t believe me, check out the photo if you hover over “ultimate frisbee”, or this one).

Volleyball – Sport. If we’re talking water volleyball, our 60 year old might stand a chance. But beach, or indoor? Uh, no. Even if he/she were 7′0″ tall, his/her lack of quicks would doom him/her. Plus, that’s not even an insurmountable heighth these days when it comes to volleyball. No, we’re quite sure our fat 60 year old would be humiliated.

Water Polo – Sport. Treading water is an underestimated exercise. It’s exhausting. Trust me. Ed Honcho spent his formative years as a lifeguard (what did you expect?), where part of the certification process was to hold a brick over your head and tread water for 1 minute. Go ahead and try it, we’ll wait… no? Pansies. What you’d find is that it’s not the sort of thing a fat 60 year old should be attempting under any circumstances, brick or no. Though, I will admit, it might come in handy during a lifeguard certification class, as you would most certainly be dragging them off the bottom of the pool, maybe putting them on a backboard, and potentially administering a little mouth-to-mouth. Three birds with one stone. I’m surprised they haven’t thought of this one yet. What I’m not surprised about, is that I have.

Waterskiing – Sport. Have you seen some of the things these people do? Yes? Can you imagine a fat 60 year old doing any of them? Yes, but only poorly, and quickly followed by a horrible wipeout? Me too!

Weightlifting – Game. Plenty of fat people excel at weightlifting… remember, fat people can be very strong, whether they be 20, 40, 60 or 80 years old.

Wrestling – Sport/Game. Truly, in wrestling moreso than any other sport, it depends on the discipline. Freestyle or Collegiate wrestling is a sport. Fat 60 year olds would get twisted into pretzels. Greco-Roman wrestling is a game, since it relies almost solely on upper body strength, which a fat 60 year old might have in spades… or, at least enough to fare moderately well. Submission wrestling is a sport, as a fat 60 year old wouldn’t have the speed to contain someone at the top of their game… not to mention someone at an average level of their game. Arm wrestling is a game, which should be patently obvious to anyone but the dullest of minds. Sumo wrestling is a sport, as, though our 60 year old is fat… that gives him no advantages. Instead, it’s about quickness at that size, something that puts our 60 year old at a decided disadvantage. And, of course, professional wrestling is neither a game or a sport, it’s what we like to call “acting” in the business.

So there you have it… I would normally spend the next few hours waxing poetic about my prophetic… ness. But it does appear as if our fat 60 year old is in need of immediate attention. What do eyes rolled back in the head usually mean? Is that bad? Yeah. OK, I gotta go. Spread the word people. Let’s make this stuff fact. Oh, and if you want to send any particularly hateful emails my way, sure, I can take it. Just send it to icanbesurprisinglysensitive@edhoncho.com. Yo.

I come from Greek heritage so I remember, as a boy, my father telling me stories of demigods. Demigods such as Hercules that walked among normal humans and did things that us normal humans could only dream of. Even though I knew these myths were just stories, I always hoped that one day I would see someone in my lifetime that was as powerful and astonishing as these characters. Then one day… I saw him. The first time I saw him work his magic, I couldn’t believe it. I called bullshit, and figured that I would never see such magnificence again. Hours later, I sat there in front of my TV even more awe-struck than I had been before. This man was doing the impossible, things that normal people only dream of. To some, he was a hero. To others, he was the ultimate villain. I’m talking of course about this man:

Zeus ain't got shit on this

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with video game Peyton Manning. Although that’s like 10% love and 90% hate. Back in my formative Madden playing years, video game Peyton Manning was my only answer to the unstoppable video game Michael Vick. If you’ve ever had a friend who played with him like my buddy Drew used to, Vick would run 30 yards backwards and then run around for 15 seconds until a receiver inevitably got open. The only way to combat this was by running the same bullshit plays over and over, and back in the day there was a play-action pass to Marvin Harrison that was more guaranteed to work than a group of immigrants sitting outside a 7-11.

But I digress; this article is not about a human-controlled Peyton Manning. While he is good, he is no better than Tom Brady or old-school Kurt Warner when he’s being controlled by a real person. I’m talking about computer controlled All-Madden Peyton Manning. He is more undefeatable than Samson pre-haircut, James Bond and Mike Tyson from Punch-out combined.

You see, I’ve owned every Madden since Madden 2003 on Xbox, so I’ve been dealing with Peyton Manning since I’ve been playing the game. I grew up a Jacksonville Jaguars fan (why? fuck you that’s why), which meant that if I wanted to do a franchise with my favorite team, I would have to play against this asshole twice a year since the Colts are in our division. There are two ways you can lose to All-Madden Peyton Manning. One is where he absolutely dominates you from start to finish. The other is where the Colts decide to run the ball the entire game for some reason, let you build a good lead, and then stomp your heart once they unleash Peyton in the 4th quarter.

The difference between those demigods I mentioned earlier and All-Madden Peyton Manning is that all of those heroes in Greek stories always had a tragic flaw of some kind. Achilles had his heel; All-Madden Peyton Manning has no flaws. I’ve seen Peyton Manning throw touchdowns into triple coverage. I’ve seen him throw 50 yard passes off his back foot and I cannot count how many times I’ve seen him come back and beat me after I thought I  had put the game away. I’ve had actual nightmares about losing to All-Madden Peyton Manning.

I once played a game where All-Madden Peyton Manning went 25-27 for 336 yards 5 TDs and 2 INTs. That doesn’t seem like something worth me writing about until you realize that NO BALL HE THREW TOUCHED THE GROUND AT ANY TIME. Of his 25 completions, 20% of them resulted in touchdowns. The two interceptions were at the beginning of the game at which point he was 8-10. This means that he followed up those two picks by going 17-17 for the rest of the game. I lost in the 4th quarter at the end of the game when I had to punt back to him up less than a touchdown.

63 is walking off the field because at this point the Colts have already won the game.

On Sunday night, the Patriots played the Colts in a huge game on NBC. The Patriots were leading 34 – 28 with 2:08 left in the game on 4th and 2 at their own 28 yard line. Now, anyone who has ever watched sports would imagine that Patriots coach Bill Belichick would have punted the ball and believed that his defense could make a stop. Those people have never faced All-Madden Peyton Manning. He went for it on 4th and 2, deciding that it was better to take a chance to seal the game then to let Manning roll down the field at will as he’s done to anyone who’s played him a hundred million times. You just don’t give the ball to All-Madden Peyton Manning in the 4th quarter. I don’t care if your defense is made up of the Thundercats, The Super Friends, and the Death Star. All-Madden Peyton Manning is going to find Aquaman in single coverage and torch you for a touchdown.

Not Pictured: Reggie Wayne streaking wide open while Aquaman is trying to convince 2 dolphins to have a three-way

So in conclusion, fuck you All-Madden Peyton Manning, and I’ll see you in Madden 11.

En signant Marian Hossa, les dirigeants des Blackhawks de Chicago étaient clairs : leur objectif était fixé, et c’était de remporter la Coupe Stanley, ni plus ni moins.

Des jeunes qui arrivent à maturité (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane…), une attaque explosive, juste assez de robustesse, une défense solide et équilibrée (Brian Campbell, Brent Sopel, Duncan Keith…), l’ajout de Hossa et d’un joueur d’expérience en John Madden, tous les éléments ici sont.

Tous ? Non… il y a une position qui semblait avoir été oubliée. En effet, avec le départ de Khabibulin vers d’autres cieux, c’était à Cristobal Huet qu’on donnait la tâche la plus importante de l’équipe. Évidemment, cela a fait douter les experts et les fans : Huet, malgré ses performances impressionnantes à Montréal, avait été chancelant à sa première année dans l’Illinois et n’avait joué que 41 parties. De plus, il n’avait rien prouvé lors de ses trois présences en séries éliminatoires. En fait, “Bulin” lui avait volé le poste lors des séries de 2009.

Et voilà que le début de saison de Huet est venu confondre même ceux qui croyaient le plus en lui. Il n’a eu qu’une seule victoire à ses quatre premiers départs, incluant une performance affreuse durant laquelle il a accordé 3 buts sur… 5 tirs avant d’être sorti du match. Antti Niemi, son suppléant, qui l’a remplacé dans ce match-là, a réussi à l’emporter dans une remontée spectaculaire de 5 buts de son équipe. Huet perdait des points, le jeune Niemi en gagnait.

Mais Joel Quenneville, le coach, n’est pas idiot, et il sait que son Français a du talent. Il lui a mis un peu de pression en donnant des matchs à la recrue Niemi, avant de re-tester Huet. Et ça a eu l’effet escompté : après avoir été “plus ou moins” bon, avec quatre victoires en sept matchs, il s’est repris et est sur une séquence de quatre victoires et de huit gains en onze possibilités.

Évidemment, on pourra toujours dire que sa défense ne l’abandonne pas et limite les tirs adverses ; en effet, Huet n’a pas reçu plus de 29 tirs en un match à date, ce qui est assez impressionnant ! Ce à quoi je vous dirai qu’il maintient quand même une moyenne en haut de ,900, qu’il est solide au bon moment (en prolongation et en tirs de barrage, entre autres) et qu’il s’est bien implanté et semble apprécié des joueurs.

Avec tout ça, qui peut arrêter les Hawks maintenant, eux qui dominent la section Centrale et ce, sans avoir compté sur les services de Hossa pour un seul match, lui qui est blessé depuis le début de la saison ? Difficile à dire. Une saison, c’est long, mais pour moi, les Blackhawks sont d’ores et déjà de sérieux prétendants à la victoire finale.

Today I entered my work in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. I almost missed the deadline but thanks to overnight shipping it looks as though the DVD’s will make it to California on time. I entered my work in the television features reporting catogory. I entered the Cherry Crusades piece which is displayed on an earlier post and also this Madden Tournament package I created this fall. Check it out!

Last night Patriots coach Bill Belichick made one of the worst coaching decisions ever.  If it weren’t for his previous track record of greatness there would be a public outcry in New England for Bill to lose his job.  The idea to go for it on fourth down at your own 28 with a lead and around two minutes to go in the game is an awful move.  The only thing dumber than the call to go for it was Merrill Hoge trying to defend the call, even Tedi Bruschi doesn’t think that was a good idea.  It’s one of those plays you wouldn’t even make it a hotly contested game of Madden. So it got us thinking what other coaching decision would have the guys from Madden Nation scratching their heads, so we compiled a list at HMHD.

5. Dennis Green takes a knee

In the 1999 NFC championship game then head coach Dennis Green chose to take a knee with 30 seconds still left in the game.  Normally, that wouldn’t be all that big of a deal, but this was one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history with Chris Carter, Randall Cunningham, and Randy Moss in his prime.  How Green decided to just run out the clock baffles me still.  However, they won the coin toss, but lost in overtime 30-27.  All they needed was to get in field goal range, what were you thinking Dennis?  Every Madden player knows if you throw it up to Randy Moss he is gonna give you hell and if you have two timeouts this is a no brainer go for the win.

4. Barry Switzer

This one is very similar to the Belichick decision except for Barry Switzer’s team was tied when he chose to go for it. Even though Barry Switzer did win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys, he was an awful coach.  He had one of if not the best team in NFL history, that had it not been for Jerry Jones giant ego would have won 4 consecutive Super Bowls.  That is beside the point, but one particular call of  Switzer’s illustrates his incompetence as a football coach.  During the 1995 season the Cowboys were playing the Eagles at Veteran’s Stadium and with 2 minutes remaining on their own 29 yard line tied at 17 Switzer decides to go for it on 4th and 1. The Eagles stopped Emmit Smith and the Cowboys short and Switzer watched as the Eagles kicked the game winner from 42 yards out.  After the game Switzer said he didn’t want to kick into the wind, good idea Barry……not.  Every good Madden player knows if your going to go for it on 4th and short you either go with the fullback dive or the sneak, never trust your tailback in that situation.

3. Kevin Steele

Baylor football isn’t usually on anybody’s radar unless it’s just to see how far Oklahoma or Texas is going to beat them by to move up in the BCS standings, but coach Steele deserves a place on our list.  Steele and his boys from Baylor were playing UNLV in 1999, while both teams were lousy something significant came out of this game.  Steele made a rookie Madden player mistake, he didn’t take a knee.  Baylor was beating UNLV 24-21 with 20 seconds left and UNLV had no timeouts left, but rather than taking a knee Steele opted to try and run up the score.  Darrell Bush made it all the way to the 1 yard line and fumbled the ball, UNLV’s Kevin Thomas scooped it up and ran 99 yards down the sideline for a UNLV victory.  Everyone wants to embarrass their opponent, but any Madden veteran will tell you when you have the game in hand you just have to take a knee.

2. Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson the pitcher was awesome, Bob Gibson the Offensive Coordinator, not so much.  Gibson is the man who famously orchestrated the Miracle at the Meadowlands.  The Miracle at the Meadowlands is one of the most famous moments in Philadelphia sports history.  The problem for Gibson is that he was the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, or the team that lost that game.  You see Gibson called for quarterback Joe Pisarcik to handoff to Larry Csonka with 20 seconds left and the Giants leading 17-12.  Csonka in the huddle even said, “Don’t give me the ball.”  The exchange between Pisarcik and Csonka was botched.  Herman “you play to win the game” Edwards scooped it up and ran 26 yards for a touchdown, and the Miracle at the Meadowlands was born and Eagles fans have Bob Gibson to thank.

1. Marty Mornhinweg

Everybody knows the Lions are bad and have been for a while, but the Marty Mornhinweg decision has to be number one on the list of coaching moves you wouldn’t even try playing Madden.  In sudden-death overtime, the Lions won the flip and Marty chose to kick.  What, you’re asking, was Marty thinking?  He wanted the Lions to have the wind at their back when they have the ball.  Problem with this decision is that the Lions didn’t get the ball because the Bears went right down the field and scored.  I remember watching this game and the commentators didn’t know what to say even the officials had to ask twice to be sure that the Lions’ captain hadn’t misspoke when they deferred to the Bears.  How the Lions won a game with this guy as their coach is the thing that baffles me.  Everyone who has ever played a game of Madden knows you always take the ball.

Excuse me. I’m no NFL analyst. I’m not the most up-to-date football fan. Nor, friends, am I a Patriot’s fan, so this may sound slightly biased. But, Bill Belichick’s choice to go for it on 4th and 2 on his own 28 yard line with 2:08 remaining in the game was probably one of the worst coaching decisions I’ve ever seen. After the game, he stated:

“We thought we could win the game on that play. We picked up that play and we would have been able to either run out the clock or run out most of all the clock. And that was a yard that I was confident we could get.”

Rather than taking the safe route, he decided to take the road less traveled by. No let me rephrase that more objectively, rather than following the game plan that every other coach has taken in the history of football, he made a decision that is only utilized when you’re playing a video game with a friend. And believe me, I’ve gone for it on 4th and 37 many times in my life, even when Madden, countless times, told me not to, and that barely ever worked.

It was just one of those situations where you’re either a genius or the dumbest person in the stadium. And, if I had to guess, this emotional decision, this choice to go with gut instinct and not logic will likely hang over Belichick’s head for a long time.

EA have admitted that they’re struggling with profitability on multi-platform ports for the Nintendo Wii.

The company cites the most recent edition of the Madden franchise as a shining example of this, with sales figures far from meeting EA’s initial expectations.

“To be honest, the Wii platform has a been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated and there’s no lack of frustration to be doing that at precisely the time where we have the strongest third party share. We’re reaching out to Nintendo to find ways to partner to push third-party software harder. I frankly think they [Nintendo] need more beats in the year than what they get out of a first party slate to be able to have the Wii software platform perform as well as they would like.”

“Wii is where we’re missing it, I really do think that the opportunity exists to find different ways to partner with the first party [Nintendo] in this case to help establish in the minds of the consumer legitimacy of some of these other brands when they’re going out multi-platform because very, very few multi-platform titles are succeeding on the Wii so far.”

- EA CEO, John Riccitiello

Source

Many games come close to perfect, but few break the plane.  This game hits the pylon of greatness, and is so far the most graphically accurate football title around.

The Madden football series has been around for 21 years, and the time and effort over this period is shown in Madden 10.  All current players are modeled, as well as every NFL coach that is a part of the NFL coaches association.  Since EA has the exclusive rights to the NFL video game product, it has no competition, which allows for focus to go into doing their best instead of beating their competition.

The gameplay recipe hasn’t changed much over the past couple of years, but major changes have gone into the superstar mode.  When creating a superstar, you can use the same creation mode, adding towels and hand warmers to the mix of wristbands and helmet styles.  However, the actual gameplay no longer includes points you can rack up in practice to improve yourself and your team in an actual game.  It makes it more realistic, but it makes practices next to irrelevant if you know about plays and how to run them.

In the franchise, games run similar to the exhibition games, but the team management is much more in depth, especially in the off season with the draft and trades to get your team right where you want it to be.  You have to deal with players retiring (don’t pick up Brett Favre, like anyone really needs to tell you that), and players contracts expiring (do you REALLY want to sign back Jason Campbell?).  However, if you don’t feel the urge to have a hand in the process, you can simply simulate the entire off-season and have the built in advisors do for you what needs to be done.

Online play is decent, but I believe it can get a little crazy for someone who likes a team that may not be a high caliber squad.  Most people play to win, and choose teams like the Colts or the Patriots to try and get an easy win over the lesser teams.

During games, some players stats can make it so they achieve outlandish plays on a regular basis.  Most of the time this doesn’t happen, but when it happens against you in a game, you have a chance to spotlight the culprit in the defensive preplay screen.  This way, any doubled up coverage will specify that target to be covered.

More about online games, EA has begun to offer online franchises to those who are willing to pay.  This allows players to get together in a group of friends to play through a season at whatever pace they decide.  There are also a plethora of add ons that can be purchased that will improve your team or specific aspects of all of the different aspects of the game.

Overall, EA has produced yet another innovative NFL title, and it’s a must buy for hardcore football fans everywhere.  However, if you just enjoy the gameplay and like football a little bit, stick with Madden 09.

Final Verdict: 9/10

A major push from the video game industry in recent years is to get you to pay for downloadable content (DLC for those people who haven’t played a game since consoles started connecting to the Internet). At first, this was embraced by the gaming community, as it was a way to make a game that were once stale brand new again by adding maps and other goodies. We shrugged off that we were paying 5 dollars for one good map and a series of shitty ones because at least we could have new places where we could bitch about people camping and the server being laggy.

However now, we’re starting to see the signs of greed rear its ugly head. There have been grumblings for a long time about conspiracies that games are pushed out incomplete, or having things taken out of them, so that we can later pay $2.99 for them. I tried not listen, which was easy at the time because the guy yelling this at me had aluminum foil on his head and hadn’t showered in days. That won’t happen to games I said, I mean how could video games do that to us? I know they need to pay the rent but push a game out that’s incomplete just to make a buck? That’s preposterous. I’ve never heard of a developer (Bungie) pushing out a game (Halo 2) without it feeling complete. Yes I’m still bitter.

It's time to finish this fight...in the next game. (Image Source: GameSpot)

Even though I saw it coming with FPS games and RPGs, I never thought the day would come when DLC would ruin sports games the way it has. You see, sports games are how I spend a good part of my gaming time. I play other games from time to time (such as Uncharted 2 soon and NFS: Shift) but for the most part I’d say I’ve spent my time playing the Madden, NBA 2k and NCAA Football series. When DLC came to Madden this year, I was disappointed. The DLC didn’t really affect the game that much. They were just there if you were incredibly lazy and didn’t feel like doing all the work of trading and making your players better. It annoyed me, but it didn’t really affect me that much. NCAA was worse. A heavy part of the game is recruiting, and to really becoming a big recruiting power in the game, they made you pay to add things like more pipeline states. You see, when I play sports games, I don’t actually play the game at all. I spend most of my time in Franchise mode, making my team better by making trades, working on recruiting or whatever and then play in the playoffs/championship games. So when they started screwing with my ability to recruit I made the same face Hillary Clinton had for the entire Bill presidency after the Lewinsky scandal. Again though, you were still able to recruit without having to buy the add-ons, so the game wasn’t entirely ruined. In this case it was that they were dangling this ability to make your life easier for a nominal fee, and I commend them for the genius of it.

I also have an oversized American Flag in my living room.

Now I expect this from EA Sports, but the makers of 2K have been my friends for years. I mean they put out a football game for 20 dollars at one point. 20 dollars!! I have played their NBA games for so long that I remember trading for Kobe Bryant because of his “upside”.  Surely they wouldn’t get into this DLC fad right? Well I obviously wouldn’t have wasted your time with how much I love 2K if it hadn’t. I was preparing to write a post for this blog and I decided to write it about how much better 2K was than the NBA Live series, which has always been like playing an arcade game. I decided to download both of the demos for the game and was intrigued when I saw that 2K’s demo was about rookie camp. I played NBA Live first, and although it was better, the game still sucks. Feeling vindicated I went on to play the 2K demo thinking that all it had to do was be a repeat of last year for me to shower it in praises. I started to play the Rookie Mode, which was kind of stupid, but I went through it thinking at least they were trying to give me a new gaming experience. Surely I’d be able to save my character and use him when I purchased 2k10. Nope. You had to pay 5 dollars to unlock the ability to save a player that you could just create the instant you bought the actual game. It might seem minor now, but ladies and gents, that’s a sign of what’s to come.

If people are ok with paying 5 dollars to save a friggin’ character, soon they’ll be fine with paying so that they can go beyond a certain number of years in franchise. And don’t think that this live roster thing is going to stay free. Heed my words, within 3 years we’re going to have to pay for all that. The gaming industry is no different from any other business, and if they can find a way to get you to pay just a little bit extra, they’ll bleed that money out of you. Well that’s all for now, I’ve got to find some aluminum foil and take over that guy’s shift for the night.

From/De: EA Sports

Build Your NFL Dream Team with Madden Ultimate Team

EA SPORTS Introduces All-New Game Mode for Madden NFL 10

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today the addition of Madden Ultimate Team, a new, strategic game mode for the critically acclaimed Madden NFL 10 on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system. Take the challenge to create the definitive NFL team, by collecting virtual cards that include everything from NFL superstars, head coaches, stadiums and much more. Perfect for card collectors and fantasy football gurus, Madden Ultimate Team provides a unique football experience, giving you total control over building a single team in the quest to be crowned the ultimate Madden team.

The award-winning Madden NFL 10 has achieved new franchise records for online play, with over 45 million online games played on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, since its worldwide launch on August 14, 2009. With more than 2 million online users waiting for a new challenge, Madden Ultimate Team provides the opportunity to put your personally crafted team up against the rest of the world.

“Madden Ultimate Team is yet another example of how EA SPORTS is expanding the Madden NFL experience to all types of gamers. Card collecting and fantasy football are huge parts of an NFL fan’s lifestyle and we took the best of both worlds and combined it with Madden NFL 10,” said Jeremy Strauser, Executive Producer for Madden NFL 10 and Madden Ultimate Team. “It’s not just about building a team of players, as you have to also manage coaches, injuries, and team chemistry. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hardcore Madden NFL player, a fantasy football fan, or just an NFL fan – Madden Ultimate Team brings something for everyone.”

Madden Ultimate Team allows fans to collect up to nine types of cards through, platinum, gold, silver and bronze virtual packs. The customization options are endless as you are responsible for selecting everything from the team playbook to the uniforms. Earn coins to buy new cards or card packs through your performance on the field, acquire new cards through the auction block, or purchase card packs through the in-game store. Collect cards with players from the same pro and college team to get an on-field chemistry boost. Collect rare, legendary player cards to put your team over the top, like the 1999 Vikings Randy Moss and the 1995 Packers Brett Favre player cards. You can even back up Brett with his 2009 Vikings player card. Build a dynasty through weekly online deals or find the final missing piece to your team’s puzzle.

Easily select the starting offense, defense, and special teams or have Madden Ultimate Team do it for you. Once your team is set to your liking, put it to the test against human opponents or against the CPU. See how your team stacks up against other Madden Ultimate Team players via online learderboards and prove you are the best of the best.

The Madden Ultimate Team game mode will be available free for Madden NFL 10 in January, via Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. NFL fans can experience the new game mode by creating a team with the provided starter pack of players and other virtual cards, and jump right onto the field. Madden NFL 10 and an internet connection is required for play.

Madden Ultimate Team is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and EA SPORTS™ MMA.

For more information about Madden Ultimate Team visit: http://maddennfl.easports.com

For screenshots and other Madden Ultimate Team assets visit: http://eaus.gamespress.com/release.asp?i=1244

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ABOUT NFL PLAYERS

Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. NFL PLAYERS provides EA SPORTS with the rights to use player names and likenesses in Madden NFL 10. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS “takes the helmets off” the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company’s official website, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates more than 4,000 player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and internet. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM

Family setting for new apps on xbox live
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Demon Souls director discusses difficulty and sequel
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Square Enix reduces staff by 10%
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Investigators track down Modern Warfare 2 cyber pirates
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Microsoft hiring for new Halo game
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Rockband 3 will actually teach people how to play music
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Online retailer refuse to sell Modern Warfare 2
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Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Announced
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343 industries worries about Halo oversaturation
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EA sports announces Madden Ultimate Team
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GT5 budget and release date
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Nintendo considering HD/DS hybrid console
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Halo Legend on Blu-ray in Feb
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Sony: Industry needs new IP to survive
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Super Street Fighter IV’s Juri was cuter and chubbier
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Comic-Con Founder has died
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WOW pet store
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Demon Souls official strategy guide replacement program
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Microsoft lays off 800
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Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack
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BlazBlue PSP port
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99 Nights II coming to North America?
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Modern warfare 2 PC capped at 9v9
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Nintendo to offer wiiware demos
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Left 4 dead 2 demo on Xbox Live for All Gold members
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English Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker demo coming soon
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Heavy Rain demo in works
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Pachter: Modern Warfare 2 exceed $500million 1st week
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Bayonetta pre-orders cheaper at 2 retailers
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Sony’s Software Strategy
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No Assassin’s creed II demo
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Bayonetta PS3 sales double that of Xbox 360
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KOF XII finally gets patched
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I was perusing the internet last night, when I stumbled across this from 2001:

DAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNN!!!!   Ol’ girl got trucked by the Dark Chocolate Sisqo.  Lets see that in slow motion:

You see the dude’s reaction in the back in the orange?  He could see it coming from a mile away.  And what was up with Sisqo, why did he look like he was about to start crying after he laid her out.

Dude is about to pull a James Van Der Beek on the track (and no, not a single ATI contributor watched Dawson’s Creek, so you can stop while you are ahead).  This hit kind of reminded me of a hit by Hines Ward on Ed Reed:

- Oscar Mayer Robertson Hotdogs

Another week down and another crazy shake-up in the rankings. The Bears and 49ers faced reality checks, and I finally gave the Bengals the ounce of credibility they deserve. Due to midterms, I’m keeping the intro short and sweet this week.

Get used to that seat, JaMarcus. You'll be keeping it warm for a while.

On to the rankings.

32 (32) – Rams:
Poor, poor Steven Jackson. 143 rushing attempts on the season and still no touchdowns. Somebody give this man a hug.

31 (31) – Buccaneers:
Tampa Bay can now say they suck in two countries, which is probably more exciting than watching Josh Johnson try to throw a football.

30 (29) – Browns:
In his five games since taking over for the disgraced Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson has posted QB ratings of 30.9, 68.8, 15.1, 51.0, and 36.4. With a completion percentage of 44. Did Quinn beat up the GM? What does he have to do to get back on the field?

29 (27) – Chiefs:
On the bright side, that was an amazing touchdown catch by Dwayne Bowe. Unfortunately, it was their only one.

28 (25) – Raiders:
Andre Ware, Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf, Rick Mirer, Cade McNown, Jim Drunkenmiller, Todd Marinovich, Joey Harrington, David Carr, JaMarcus Russell. Not a good list to be on.

27 (29) – Titans:
Best PR move of the week goes to Jeff Fischer wearing a Peyton Manning jersey to a charity event: “I just want to feel like a winner.” Classic.

26 (28) – Lions:
Cancel your plans and clear your schedules for this Sunday. You don’t want to pick up the in-laws from the airport anyway. Why? St. Louis comes to town. I can barely wait.

25 (22) – Panthers:
Jake Delhomme’s three interception performance on Sunday actually raised his QB rating for the year. Sad. Hey John Fox, Delhomme sucks, your backups are worse, and you have two of the best running backs in the NFL, don’t you think it’s time to try the wildcat? There couldn’t be a better situation.

24 (26) – Redskins:
“I had to go to the senior center and cancel my bingo calling,” said the 67-year-old Sherm Lewis, who last worked in the NFL with the Detroit Lions during the 2004 season. “And I had to cancel my Meals on Wheels today.” This team is a joke. Need I say more?

23 (23) – Seahawks:
Has there been a team more decimated by injuries in any sports the last two years? Other than the New York Mets this year, I can’t think of any. Brutal. I actually kind of feel bad for them, except for when they play the Niners.

22 (24) – Bills:
Did you know Ryan Fitzpatrick has won his last five starts? Me either. Unfortunately, I don’t think that stat alone is going to make Terrell Owens feel any better. Oh well, T.O. is probably working on his next reality show anyway.

21 (21) – Jaguars:
Jacksonville plays the Titans and Chiefs in the next two weeks, teams with a combined 1-12 record. Can you imagine the Jaguars as a 5-3 team? Even if it happened, it would just be a façade because four of their five wins would be against teams with a combined one win (Rams, Chiefs, Titans twice).

20 (20) – Dolphins:
If you’re going to blow a 24-3 lead at home, it might as well be to the Saints. In fantasy news, is it time to take Ricky Williams seriously as a legitimate starting running back? I think it might be.

19 (11) – Bears:
ESPN seriously can’t find somebody better than Jeffri Chadiha to do their NFL Power Rankings. Here’s his weekly gem: “The Bears are 1-3 on the road this season. That doesn’t bode well for their future.” I appreciate all the hard work and analysis you put into that one, buddy.

18 (10) – 49ers:
You know things are bad in San Francisco when Mike Singletary turns to Alex Smith to be the savior. At least Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree are fun to watch.

17 (19) – Jets:
ESPN’s Michael Clayton: “Mark Sanchez showed great hot-dog security in not fumbling the dog he ate in the second half of the win over the Raiders on Sunday.” Take it down a notch, cowboy, you’re trying too hard.

16 (18) – Texans:
Gun to your head, who has the most passing yards and TDs in the NFL? 99% of people would guess Peyton Manning. And 99% of people would be wrong. The answer? Matt Schaub.

15 (13) – Chargers:
San Diego’s wins are against Oakland, Miami and Kansas City. Their losses are against Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. Just beat one good team and I’ll believe in you, that’s not too much to ask for, right?

14 (17) – Cowboys:
Miles Austin, the undrafted wide received out of Monmouth, is the sole reason the Cowboys have a winning record. He already has almost double the entire yardage from the first three years of his career. Not too shabby.

13 (16) – Cardinals:
Arizona plays Carolina, Chicago, Seattle, St. Louis and Tennessee in the next five weeks. There’s a legitimate chance the Cards could be 9-2 heading into a crucial week 13 matchup against Minnesota.

12 (9) – Falcons:
Hey Matthew Berry, Michael Turner’s looking pretty good, huh? He’s currently ranked 11th behind Ricky Williams, and even Fred Jackson has over 150 more total yards.

11 (14) – Packers:
Green Bay went an entire game without giving up a sack. Definitely good news, but it would be a little more convincing if they weren’t playing the Lions.

10 (12) – Eagles:
Philadelphia actually got outgained by the Redskins. Good thing Andy Reid bought the Costco pack of Butterfingers so he could afford to give one to Antwaan Randle El.

9 (9) – Ravens:
In contrast with recent history, Baltimore has the third highest scoring offense in the AFC and sixth in the NFL, thanks to the emergences of Joe Flacco and Ray Rice. But Denver will provide a huge test this week. A loss would put them at 3-4, with two games still looming against Pittsburgh.

8 (15) – Bengals:
Ok, a 35-point blowout of a playoff-caliber team does a little bit to convince me that Cincinnati is for real.  I still can’t believe Cedric Benson is the NFL’s leading rusher.

7 (6) – Giants:
I’ve been waiting all season to say this: Hey Eli Manning, never go full retard.

6 (7) – Steelers:
That Lamar Woodley fumble recovery was eerily reminiscent to the one a few years ago against the Colts in the playoffs.

5 (5) – Patriots:

I really want to believe the 2007 Patriots are back, but until they do it to a team with a win, I can’t believe it. At Indy in two weeks will be a telling game.
4 (5) – Broncos:
If Denver beats Baltimore this Sunday, you can just go ahead and give him the Coach of the Year Award on the field after the game.

3 (1) – Vikings:
Brett Favre looked a lot more like the Brett Favre of recent memory than the one from the first six games this season. Maybe he forgot he has the best running back in the NFL in his backfield. Speaking of Adrian Peterson, that was one of the best hits I have seen this season.

2 (3) – Colts:
I’m scared that the Colts are going to absolutely destroy my Niners this weekend. Please NFL Gods, have mercy.

1 (2) – Saints:
The Saints are winning games they never would have won before. And how cool was it to see Reggie Bush make one of his signature plays from his USC heyday by jumping a legitimate five yards for a touchdown?

Shameless plug:  If you made it this far, please share this blog with friends, family, or even people you don’t know or don’t like. Thanks!

This was one of the worst sports weekends of my life. The Oregon Ducks had the week off, the 49ers were on a bye, the A’s are long gone, and it’s still preseason for the Warriors and the Sharks (wait, we’re two weeks into the NHL regular season already? I had no idea).

Thinks the Chiefs are regretting that Jared Allen trade now? Hell, they probably regretted it the moment they made it.

Without the privilege of watching my beloved Ducks on Saturday, I was forced to watch something only one step below water boarding on the torture scale—Big Ten football. Iowa-Wisconsin, Ohio State-Purdue, Penn State-Minnesota? Gross. And by the way, what’s Michigan doing playing an FCS team in Week Seven?

It was so bad I chose to write my four-page philosophy essay instead. The only reason I retained my sanity through the weekend was the NFL Red Zone channel.

But all will be made up for next weekend, when I travel to Seattle for the first time to support the Ducks in Husky Stadium. Who cares if my seats are in Lake Washington.

On to the rankings.
32 (32) – Rams:

Somebody please tell me why the Red Zone channel kept flashing back to this game during the last few minutes of the Ravens-Vikings game? Really. Did anybody outside of St. Louis or Jacksonville care? Hell, did anybody in St. Louis or Jacksonville care?

31 (30) – Buccaneers:

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they lose to Jake Delhomme’s Carolina Panthers. At home. The only bright spot was Cadillac Williams’ performance, because now my roommate can shut up about him being the reason why his fantasy football team is 1-5.  Your QB is Mark Sanchez! Cadillac isn’t the problem.

30 (25) – Titans:

This team couldn’t find an identity—until this week. They are now officially the best worst team in the AFC. And after witnessing Derek Anderson’s appallingly dreadful performance last week, Kerry Collins had to one-up him. He threw for negative seven yards in 12 attempts. Seriously. How bad can Vince Young be?

29 (27) – Browns:

Just so you get a sense of how truly pathetic Cleveland is, their top performer, according to the Yahoo! Sports box score, was fullback Lawrence Vickers, who had one touch for one yard.

28 (26) – Lions:

Scrappiness can only take you so far when you have almost zero talent. Jim Schwartz is a good coach, but can you really expect them to score even once when their QBs are Dante Culpepper and Mike Stanton and their number one wide out is Dennis Northcutt?

27 (28) – Chiefs:

That’s an odd way to score 14 points. Four field goals and a safety.

26 (24) – Redskins:

Washington has faced a winless team in every single game so far and they are still 2-4. If that doesn’t deserve firing, then I don’t know what does.

25 (31) – Raiders:

This could be the biggest upset in the history of survival football. Servers are still crashing as we speak.

24 (28) – Bills:

You force seven turnovers and still need overtime to score 16 points? Something tells me the Jets lost this game more than Buffalo won it.

23 (19) – Seahawks:

Fourteen total rushing yards. 0-11 on third down. Five sacks allowed. Seventeen minutes of possession. Talk about a bad football team. The bye week couldn’t come at a better time.

22 (23) – Panthers:

Why wouldn’t teams stack nine in the box? Jake Delhomme now has thrown 14 interceptions in his last six games and has a 56.8 QB rating for the season.

21 (22) – Jaguars:

The Jags were 11-16 on third down, outgained the Rams by 230 yards, and had only three penalties for 15 yards, yet still needed overtime to beat the least talented team in the NFL. How does that happen?

20 (17) – Dolphins:

The home team coming off of a bye week theory gets a big test this weekend when the Saints come to town. Not buying it.

19 (11) – Jets:

Congratulations to Mark Sanchez for becoming the first two-time winner of the weekly Simple Jack Award. Hey Mark, never go full retard.

18 (21) – Texans:

Houston made the Bengals look like, well, the Bengals. Matt Schaub has become a fantasy must-start every week.

17 (18) – Cowboys:

The epitome of mediocrity. 3-0 versus losing teams and 0-2 versus winners. Fantasy note: I am never drafting Roy Williams again.

16 (20) – Cardinals:

What is Arizona going to do when they play a team that takes away the pass? Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower are getting it done less than my food situation at home. I’ve been living off of Power Bars and instant oatmeal packets for two weeks. College.

15 (10) – Bengals:

This is what Jeffri Chadiha had to say about Cincinnati in ESPN’s power rankings this week: “Matt Schaub shredded them in their loss to Houston.” Thanks for all the hard work and insight you put into that one, Jeffri.

14 (16) – Packers:

And if his analysis of the Bengals wasn’t enough, Chadiha had this to say about Green Bay: “They still haven’t found a way to protect QB Aaron Rodgers.” ESPN, you seriously can’t find anyone better than this guy?

13 (15) – Chargers:

I hate fantasy football. Losing by three coming into Monday Night’s game, I owned Eddie Royal and Darren Sproles. Thanks to the amazing score settings in my lone remaining undefeated league, I received a total of 1.40 points from the duo, despite a combined three return touchdowns. Is there any activity more popular than fantasy football that causes so many complaints?

12 (6) – Eagles:

Is there anything more embarrassing for a head coach than losing to JaMarcus Russell? I can’t think of anything.

11 (13) – Bears:

Another gem from Chadiha: “Red zone problems killed them in a loss to Atlanta.” My freakin’ 11-year-old brother could have told me that.

10 (12) – 49ers:

Michael Crabtree is starting!! Michael Crabtree is starting!! Michael Crabtree is starting!! Michael Crabtree is starting!! Michael Crabtree is starting!! Yeah, I’m kinda excited.

9 (9) – Ravens:

Baltimore almost completed the greatest comeback of the season. Too bad almost counts for diddly squat. We almost made the playoffs. I almost won the lottery. They almost successfully completed your kidney transplant. You get the idea. Almost isn’t good.

8 (8) – Falcons:

Atlanta and New Orleans could be the most exciting division race this season. Their Week Eight will tell us a lot.

7 (14) – Steelers:

Big Ben is back, thanks to the re-emergence of one of the toughest football players in the NFL: Hines Ward. Man, does he play football the right way.

6 (4) – Giants:

The Saints stomped Eli Manning and the Giants so badly, that New Orleans even let Mark Brunell onto the field. Yes, that Mark Brunell. The one who hasn’t attempted a pass since 2006, and is making just under $5 million this season. Seriously.

5 (7) – Patriots:

This game looked eerily reminiscent of 2007. Have Tom Brady and the boys finally got their mojo back? We won’t find out until they play Indy in Week Ten, but it will be fun to see how many points they can put up at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Is 60 out of the question?

4 (5) – Broncos:

Josh McDaniels for Coach of the Year. That is all.

3 (3) – Colts:

I don’t have anything new to say because of the bye, so I’ll just repeat what I said last week:

The only thing better than Peyton Manning is this article from CNN. For all guys past puberty, Christmas just came early. This could transform college campuses, save marriages, and possibly bring world peace. Seriously, guys, you want to read this.

2 (2) – Saints:

Drew Brees passed for 369 yards and four touchdowns and I was still outscored by my opponent’s QB. I would be mad if I didn’t have such crazy man-love for Tom Brady.

1 (1) – Vikings:

I think someone brainwashed Brett Favre into thinking it’s 2001. He cannot possibly still be this good. So far, this is statistically the best season of his career. Wow.

This past Saturday I had the chance to moderate the keynote panel at Play: The Berkeley Digital Media Conference, an annual Haas Business School conference that covers a variety of tech, media, and business issues. It was a gorgeous day to be back at Cal where I graduated, and in a nice added touch, Cal stomped UCLA down in LA.

The keynote panel was entitled “The Monetization Game,” and the panelists included Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, Neil Young, president of ngmoco, and Kai Hwuang, co-founder of RedOctane, plus little ol’ me.  The topic was as broad as they come: How is the video game industry changing the way it’s monetizing the sales of games?

I brought an outline that ranged from discussing the emergence of social games, smart phone games, retail versus digital distribution, next generation consoles, the recession, death of the music genre, and more. we had one hour to discuss it all, and we covered almost everything in front of a 90% packed auditorium. IGN, Games Radar, and Kotaku covered it.

Here are their stories:

IGN: EA: Core Business Model a ‘Burning Platform’

Kotaku: Talking Points Brought to you Mostly By Peter Moore

Kotaku: Guitar Hero, Madden, Eliminate Play the Money Game

GamesRadar’s page was broken tonight. I’ll update their link when it’s back up.

There should be video of the conference available in a few days, too. I’ll post the link when it’s ready.

One of my favourite games released this year was Fight Night Round 4 on the Xbox 360 not just is it because I’m a huge boxing fan but also because the game is exactly what a sports game is meant to be. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s clever and yet it never tries to do too much at onces as a result it’s hard to get tired of the game. Unlike another of the great sports games out this year, Madden 10 seems to suffer slightly from getting rather repetitive easily and despite being brilliantly fun just lacks the magic of Fight Night. What reminded me of how much fun they were was what was meant to be a 5 minute blast on Fight Night turning into a 3 hour session showing how easily a good game can make time fly.

Heres a question for everyone, whats the opposite of inflammable? please contact me with the answers, as it’s been bugging me for years and proves the English language is stupid at times, only an Englishman would use opposite “words” to mean the same thing.

Anyway I will do a proper blog sometime, but I’m finding myself pre-occupied recently, just remind me if I want to book things in future don’t leave it some idiots with red tape to go through, they make things so much more difficult than things ever need to be.