All Articles: Madden NFL 13
Call of Duty: Black Ops II nukes the competition in November 2012 NPD report
Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Halo 4 set records in November 2012. The Wii U also opened strong with sales of over 400,000 consoles. And the Christmas rush resulted in big numbers for new releases like Assassin’s Creed III, Just Dance 4, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. But that still didn’t stop The NPD Group from reporting that retail game sales dropped 11% from November 2011.
“Despite an overall retail video game decline of 11 percent, November had the smallest year-over-year decrease we have seen for dollar and unit sales so far this year. This is a sign of momentum going into the December holiday period,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
You can view the complete top ten from last month after the break, and remember, despite what The NPD Group says, the console game market is still in good shape. (more…)
NBA 2K13 slams it home as the bestselling game of October 2012
The NPD Group has released their report on the bestselling games of October 2012 and NBA 2K13 has come out on top. The basketball sim’s lack of competition from the now-canceled NBA Live 13 surely pushed it to greater heights and enabled it to hold off other October releases like Resident Evil 6 (#2), Pokemon Black 2 (#3), Dishonored (#4), and Pokemon White 2 (#5).
New releases performed very well in October as Medal of Honor: Warfighter (#8) and Skylanders Giants (#10) also cracked the top ten even though game sales dropped 25% from October 2011. Of course, things like that happen when you’re competing with the one-two punch of Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City.
The full top ten for October 2012 can be found after the break. (more…)
Madden NFL 13, Borderlands 2 lead all September bestsellers
Boom! The annual juggernaut that is the Madden NFL Football has once again taken the top spot for September sales as Madden NFL 13 reigned supreme last month.
Gearbox’s Borderlands 2 followed close behind with strong sales of its own. In fact, they were so strong that the sequel managed to top the first month sales of the original Borderlands by 234%. That is just an insane number.
New releases controlled much of the top ten with FIFA Soccer 13 (#3), Guild Wars 2 (#5), NHL 13 (#6), and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (#7) also performing well.
The full top ten for September 2012 can be found after the break. (more…)
Madden NFL 13, Walking Dead Episode 3, Rock Band Blitz, more added to PS Store
As has been their custom all Summer long, Sony dumped another massive amount of games onto the PlayStation Store yesterday.
This week, PS3 gamers can download digital versions of Madden NFL 13 and Record of Agarest War Zero. Several previously bundled HD remakes can also now be had separately from the store including Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD, Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.
Wait, we’re not done yet! Also available this week is Harmonix’s controller-based rhythm game Rock Band Blitz, The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – “Long Road Ahead” from Telltale Games, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, and the PlayStation Move party game Lights, Camera, Party.
Sony also added a lone PS2 Classic to the store yesterday, Double Fine’s psychotic platformer, Psychonauts.
Finally, Vita owners will also get a chance to download Madden NFL 13 and the PSone Classics on Vita patch is now live, but it’s not exactly perfect. Vita support has officially been added to just thirteen PSone games.
A complete list of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog and more information on all of these new games can be found after the break. (more…)
New Releases: Madden NFL 13, Ratchet & Clank Collection, God of War Saga, More
Summer is almost over, but that just means there’s still one more week for publishers to put out a few more Summer games.
An August tradition, this week’s biggest new release is Madden NFL 13. The EA Sports mainstay will make it to the Xbox 360, PS3, Vita, and Wii this week, with a Wii U version scheduled for release later this year.
Also available this week is a quartet of Sony-published PS3 collections including the Ratchet & Clank Collection (which is available on the PS3 for the first time), the God of War Saga, the InFamous Collection, and the Journey: Collector’s Edition.
Finally, peripheral maker Mad Catz has jumped into the game publishing business with Damage Inc: Pacific Squadron WWII for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Wait, I almost forgot one… Sandman: Whispered Stories, a budget PC title, is also new in stores this week.
Madden NFL 13 announced for Wii U
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s FIFA Soccer 13 announcement comes the news that EA Sports will also be bringing Madden NFL 13 to the launch of the Wii U.
As you might have expected, Madden NFL 13 for the Wii U will make extensive use of the Wii U GamePad for play calling and audibles. Players will be able to sort through their entire playbook from the touchscreen while also being able to make changes on the fly.
Those changes include quick access to audibles through the touchscreen as well as customizable hot routes for receivers. If the players on the field aren’t to your liking, the touchscreen will also include the option to switch out personnel (on the Personnel screen, naturally) with the swipe of a finger.
The defense will also have access to on-the-fly play customizations with the touchscreen including repositioning players and assigning a player as the one to control.
Madden NFL 13 will be available for the Wii U at launch, whenever that is.
EA @ E3 12: Madden NFL 13 has a new engine, Connected Careers mode
It won’t be the same old Madden when Madden NFL 13 launches this August. The latest football sim from EA will include a brand new engine, the Infinity Engine, which is a brand new run-time physics engine. According to EA’s Cam Weber, “No two plays will be the same.”
Collisions will be affected by a player’s size, their speed, and how the hit begins. If a player is hit on the arm, they could lose the ball, but tackle animations are no longer the end of the play. Players will be able to “regain balance after contact to fight for a few more yards.”
Former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin also took the stage to showcase the game’s RPG-like Connected Careers mode. In Connected Careers, players will select a current player, a created player, a legendary player, or a coach in a story-based mode. Completing goals will earn XP that can be used towards a Canton career. Goals can also be shared on Twitter and Facebook.
Madden NFL 13 will launch on August 28.
MS @ E3 12: Xbox SmartGlass will make your life better
Can you imagine your life without your smart phone or tablet? Neither can anyone at Microsoft. They’ve developed Xbox SmartGlass, which will marry your smart devices to your television in a way that’s almost uncomfortably intimate. Watching a movie on your tablet or phone but you’re home now and want to switch it to your television? Just one button press will do it. Your device now has information about the movie, such as the cast and crew and other details.
Going even further, you can watch “Game of Thrones” on your television while you follow the characters on a map of Westeros on your smart phone or tablet. That’s a level of intimacy I’m not sure I’m ready for.
On top of that, game developers showed what they would do with this kind of technology, including a neat program that lets you draw out plays for Madden NFL 13.
“Everything is better with SmartGlass,” which will be ready this Fall, compatible with “the TV, phone, and tablet you already own.” Now your TV can be smart, too!