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The Madden Curse Strikes Back: A Midseason Report on All 32 Cover Finalists
The 2011 NFL season is only at the halfway point and the Madden Cover Curse has already claimed another victim. Fans selected Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis as the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, and while some joked about the curse at the time, few gave it much thought as the lockout consumed all NFL news. But here we are: the lockout is over and it’s safe to say that few players have been victimized by the curse like Hillis has.
The running back has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and he has already been ruled out for this weekend’s upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams. Hillis also missed the Browns’ week three game against the Dolphins with a serious strep throat infection. Some reports say he lost as much as ten pounds in a single week.
As if these injuries weren’t bad enough, Hillis has only had one breakout game the entire season. In week two, against the Colts, Hillis ran for 94 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-19 Browns win. He even managed to catch four passes as well. It’s a disturbing return to form for the Madden Cover Curse, which spared Vince Young, Brett Favre, Larry Fitzgerald, and Drew Brees in recent years. Troy Polamalu (who shared the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Fitzgerald) was the last victim of the curse, missing 11 games in 2009.
But what about the other 32 players that Hillis defeated in EA’s single-elimination tournament to select the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete? Have they been cursed by association? All told, seven players besides Hillis have succumbed to the Madden Cover Curse, even though they were never on the cover! Two more are currently nursing injuries and may join their ranks.
I’m not sure if I believe in curses and superstitions. But the Madden Cover Curse has affected nine of the 13 cover athletes chosen since John Madden gave up his spot on the box, and while a regression to the mean is to be expected for the top players of the previous season, the curse seems to go beyond that. I’m sure some statistics grad student could create an interesting paper out of the percentage of NFL players that suffer a statline reduction from season to season. But until then, this study is the best we have. (more…)
Madden NFL 12 blitzes the September NPD list
Boom! After taking the month of August off thanks to the NFL lockout, the debut of Madden NFL 12 has reclaimed its rightful spot at the top of The NPD Groups’s monthly rankings.
The football sim was joined at the top of the charts by other big new releases: Gears of War 3 chainsawed the second spot and Deep Silver’s Dead Island landed at #3 (behold the power of hype, folks). EA Sports claimed the rest of the top five with FIFA Soccer 12 at #4 and NHL 12 a spot below. Resistance 3 at #7 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine at #10 round out the bevy of new releases on this NPD list.
Holdovers from previous months include Deus Ex: Human Revolution (#6), Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (#8) and Call of Duty: Black Ops (#9).
The complete top ten can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dead Island, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, FIFA Soccer 12, Gears of War 3, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Madden NFL 12, NHL 12, NPD, Resistance 3, Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
New Releases: Rage, NBA 2K12, Dark Souls, More
The Fall release rush began with some big titles in September, but now that we’re moving into October the new release list is going to get a lot more interesting from here on out.
This week’s biggest new release is id Software’s first game in over seven years, Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). The post-apocalyptic shooter will also include Mad Max-style vehicle chases and more deserted lanscapes can you can shake a cactus at.
Speaking of deserted landscapes, 2K Sports will release NBA 2K12 (PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360) even though the 2011-2012 NBA season is currently in limbo.
If battling the forces of darkness is more your thing, perhaps you’ll want to look into Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls. The spiritual sequel to Demon’s Souls brings the series to the Xbox 360 for the first time.
Also available this week, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 will have to do battle with the forces of darkness in two time periods if they want to save Peter Parker’s life in Spider-Man: Edge of Time (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).
Finally, Ubisoft is serving up another dance lesson, on the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 this time, with Just Dance 3. And speaking of Kinect-powered games, Majesco will release Hulk Hogan’s Main Event for the Xbox 360.
Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Dark Souls, Hulk Hogan's Main Event, Just Dance 3, NBA 2K12, Rage, Spider-Man: Edge of Time
New Releases: FIFA 12, Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, X-Men Destiny, More
A soccer showdown highlights this week’s batch of new games as EA plans to release FIFA Soccer 12 on nearly every platform imaginable (3DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360) while Konami brings Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 to the PS3 and Xbox 360.
But the biggest new release this week has nothing to do with the beautiful game… well it is a collection of beautiful games, that’s for sure. I speak, of course, of The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection. Two of the greatest and most acclaimed games of all-time have been remastered in high definition and are now finally available on the PS3. Oh, and speaking of HD remakes, Ubisoft is bringing Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy to the PS3 as well.
Also available this week is Activision’s X-Men: Destiny (DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) and the first Tetris game on the 3DS, Tetris: Axis.
Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged FIFA Soccer 12, The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, X-Men Destiny
New Releases: Madden NFL 12, Bodycount, Sims Medieval: Pirates & Nobles, More
The Summer of No Games is finally over!
This week, that annual Summer ritual, the release of a new Madden game, continues with Madden NFL 12 (PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360). Also available this week is the first expansion to The Sims Medieval, The Sims Medieval: Pirates & Nobles, and Bodycount, a wild first person shooter from the creator of Black.
And there’s also a ton of family-friendly DS games.
Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
2K fills out “NBA’s Greatest” roster in NBA 2K12
After teasing NBA 2K12‘s new “NBA’s Greatest” mode at the beginning of the month, 2K Sports is ready to announce the full roster of 15 basketball greats:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1986-87 Lakers vs. 1986-87 Celtics)
- Larry Bird (1985-86 Celtics vs. The 1985-86 Hawks)
- Wilt Chamberlain (1971-72 Lakers vs. 1971-72 Knicks)
- Julius Erving (1984-85 76ers vs. 1984-85 Bucks
- Patrick Ewing (1994-95 Knicks vs. 1994-95 Magic)
- Magic Johnson (1990-91 Lakers vs. 1990-91 Blazers)
- Michael Jordan (1992-93 Bulls vs. 1992-93 Hornets)
- Karl Malone (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Spurs)
- Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 Rockets vs. 1993-94 Nuggets)
- Scottie Pippen (1995-96 Bulls vs. 1995-96 Sonics)
- Oscar Robertson (1970-71 Bucks vs. 1970-71 Lakers)
- Bill Russell (1964-65 Celtics vs. 1964-65 Lakers)
- John Stockton (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Lakers)
- Isiah Thomas (1988-89 Pistons vs. 1988-89 Bulls)
- Jerry West (1970-71 Lakers vs. 1970-71 Hawks)
“Fans across the country were ecstatic to see Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover of NBA 2K12, and have speculated for weeks about who would fill out the rest of the ‘NBA’s Greatest’ roster,” said Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports. “These 15 legendary athletes will allow sports fanatics to create the NBA’s most storied matchups – and lock in bragging rights for their favorite teams in NBA 2K12.”
Players who pre-order NBA 2K12 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 will receive access to two additional teams/players in NBA’s Greatest mode. The bonus babies include the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (with Chris Mullin) and the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings (with Chris “Timeout!” Webber). According to 2K, these teams will only be available to those who pre-order NBA 2K12.
NBA 2K12 will be released for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.
[Source: ESPN]
NBA 2K12 soundtrack revealed
NBA 2K12‘s soundtrack was released today by 2K Sports, featuring tracks and collaborations by Eminem, Cee-Lo Green, Busta Rhymes, and many more. Alex K. and D.J.I.G. made the soundtrack through a contest called “Duck Down,” giving them the opportunity to collaborate and create the track “Now’s My Time.”
2K Sports’ Vice President of Marketing, Jason Argent, emphasized how important music is to the series. “Music has always been an integral part of our NBA 2K video games, as it further immerses players into the world of basketball and enhances their gaming experience,” he said. “It was important to us that the NBA 2K12 soundtrack was not only what you hear while navigating the menus, but also in real-life situations like pre-game highlight introductions and during timeouts, just as you would hear a song while at a game or watching on TV.”
NBA 2K12 will be available October 4 for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360. Hit the jump for the full track list. (more…)
Kareem, Dr. J say “I am the greatest” in NBA 2K12’s NBA’s Greatest mode
What do you do for an encore after you add His Airness to NBA 2K11? You throw the ball back onto the court and see who else wants to play.
2K Sports plans to make NBA 2K12 legendary with the new NBA’s Greatest mode. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ten more basketball legends will relive their greatest game and then match up against current NBA stars like Lebron James and Dirk Nowitski.
“One of the things we’re really proud of as a franchise is that we’ve transcended video games and have become part of the talk about basketball and the NBA,” says Jason Argent, 2K’s Vice President of Marketing. “So we’re going to leverage that with NBA 2K12 as every person who loves to debate sports, every person in every barber shop and bar and everywhere else always wonders: What would happen if today’s Lakers played one of the Jordan teams?”
With ten spots remaining, I hope there’s room for The Round Mound of Rebound, Sir Charles Barkley himself!
[Source: ESPN]