Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Madden NFL 15
The Video Game Canon: Madden NFL Football (Series)
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with an examination into the validity (or lack thereof) of the Madden Cover Curse. Here’s a teaser…
A gambler will tell you that they believe Lady Luck will reward them for respecting a streak, and a professional football player will tell you that he doesn’t believe in the Madden Curse. The former is a wishful thinker, and the latter is a liar.
The sports world is filled with superstitions. As a Little Leaguer growing up, I could show you what a “rally cap” was and explain the importance of never touching the baselines. I understood completely why retired Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland refused to change his underwear during a 12-game winning streak in 2011. I’ve even got strong opinions on what you say to a pitcher in the middle of a perfect game. The answer is you don’t say anything, because talking to him at all is bad luck.
For decades, the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx served as a well-known precursor to the Madden Curse. Those who believe in the Jinx are convinced that any player who appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated will experience some form of terrible luck, even though a handful of high-profile hits have obscured the long list of players who avoided the Jinx over the years. If the sheer number of cover subjects doesn’t dissuade you (more than 3,000 issues have been produced since the magazine’s launch in 1954), the illustrious career of Michael Jordan should. The basketball great has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times, and he’s had the kind of career that other athletes dream about… not counting his detour through Minor League Baseball and Space Jam.
But what of the Madden Curse? Although you’ll find a few executives at Electronic Arts who enjoy hyping up the current year’s game with talk of the Curse, most of them like to downplay it. In 2008, the then-President of EA Sports, Peter Moore, said, “I guess when you look back there’s a grain of truth to the Madden Curse.” At the time, he wasn’t wrong. Five of the last six offensive players on the cover succumbed to some horrible calamity. The publishing giant even considered producing a movie based on the Madden Curse in 2010, though that project seems to have fallen off the radar in the years since.
And that’s probably because the Madden Curse is as mythical as a wild turducken.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in 3DS, DS, Features, Mobile, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Madden NFL 11, Madden NFL 12, Madden NFL 13, Madden NFL 15, Madden NFL 16, Madden NFL 17, Madden NFL 25
EA is giving Xbox Live Gold subscribers free access to all EA Access titles until June 22
Earlier this year, Microsoft and EA opened up the EA Access “Vault” to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers for a week of binge gaming. With this year’s E3 Expo set to kick off any minute now, they’re doing it again.
If you’re an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you’ll have free to all 21 games in the EA Access “Vault” from now until Wednesday, June 22. That includes EA Sports titles such as EA Sports UFC, FIFA 16, FIFA 15, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 16, Madden NFL 25, Madden NFL 14, NBA Live 16, NBA Live 15, NHL 16, NHL 15, and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, as well as Battlefield Hardline, Battlefield 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Titanfall, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Need For Speed Rivals, and Peggle 2. A pair of Xbox 360 games, Dead Space and Plants vs Zombies, will also be available through the “Vault” thanks to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility options.
Xbox One interested in subscribing to the EA Access service can do so for $4.99 per month, or $29.99 for a full year. A paid subscription to EA Access also includes “Play First” rental access to several of EA’s biggest upcoming games (including Battlefield 1, FIFA 17, Madden NFL 17, and Mass Effect: Andromeda) before they’re released to the public.
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline, Dragon Age: Inquisition, E3 2016, EA Sports UFC, FIFA 14, FIFA 15, FIFA 16, Madden NFL 15, Madden NFL 16, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 15, NBA Live 16, Need For Speed Rivals, NHL 15, NHL 16, Peggle 2, Plants vs Zombies, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, TitanFall
Xbox Live Gold members will receive free access to EA Access this week
Electronic Arts is opening the doors to their EA Access all-you-can-play subscription service on the Xbox One this week with a free trial for all Xbox Live Gold members.
Beginning today, Xbox Live Gold members will be able to download and play all 14 games currently available through the EA Access “Vault.” The offer expires January 24 and features a mix of new and old titles including Battlefield Hardline, Battlefield 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition, TitanFall, Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, Need For Speed Rivals, Peggle 2, EA Sports UFC, FIFA 15, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, and NBA Live 15. To access the EA Access free trial, you’ll need to download the EA Access Hub app from the Dashboard.
If you’d rather skip all this free trial stuff and go straight to a subscription, EA offers access to EA Access for $4.99 per month, or $29.99 for a full year.
Vote: Patrick Peterson, Odell Beckham, Gronk, or Antonio Brown for Madden NFL 16 cover
In years past, EA Sports has used the Madden NFL Cover Vote to pit dozens of professional football players against each other to decide who deserves the right to be represent the game on store shelves. This year, only four players will duke it out in a shortened contest that will be completed by next Wednesday.
The voting procedure has also been considerably revamped this year as only owners of Madden NFL Mobile and Madden NFL 15 will be able to cast a vote in the semifinal round. Voting starts today and will end on Monday, May 11 at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time). Players can earn up to five votes per day, and the two highest vote-getters will go head-to-head in an ESPN.com poll on May 13. Full details on the voting rules are available at the official Madden site.
So who’s in the running for the Madden NFL 16 cover? Glad you asked…
- Odell Beckham Jr. (WR) – New York Giants
- Antonio Brown (WR) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Rob Gronkowski (TE) – New England Patriots
- Patrick Peterson (CB) – Arizona Cardinals
Which man has your vote? Does Odell Beckham’s catch still make you gasp? Is Antonio Brown’s 2014 offensive line still impressive? Is you reaction to Patrick Peterson something other than “Who?” Or are you still charmed by Rob Gronkowski’s Mortal Kombat X prowess?
Posted in Mobile, News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Madden NFL 15, Madden NFL 16
Dying Light parkours to the top of the best-sellers list for January 2015
Question… if only one major new title made its way to stores in January, should we be surprised when that game takes the top spot in the monthly sales rankings from the NPD Group? We probably shouldn’t be, and yet, I was still mildly surprised that Techland’s Dying Light was the best-selling game during 2015’s first four-week frame. It was followed by the two biggest titles from 2014… Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at #2 and Grand Theft Auto V at #3.
Minecraft, coming in at #4, continues to rise even without the holiday shopping season to bolster its sales rank.
Every other title in the top ten seemed to land in roughly the same position it held in December. NBA 2K15 held onto the #5 spot while Super Smash Bros. For Wii U / Super Smash Bros. For 3DS dropped two places to #6. Far Cry 4 was lucky number seven once more while the #8 spot was taken by Madden NFL 15 (which dropped five spots from #3). The final two spots were once again held by Destiny (#9) and FIFA 15 (#10).
While the best-selling software list was relatively stable (and saw a 5% year-over-year increase in sales), the PS4 reigned supreme on the console charts after a one-month hiatus. This turn of events was most likely due to Microsoft’s temporary suspension of the Xbox One’s $50 discount (it was reinstated on January 18).
If you’re looking for the full top ten from January 2015 in list form, you can find it after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny, Dying Light, Far Cry 4, FIFA 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Madden NFL 15, Minecraft, NBA 2K15, NPD, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
Madden Super Bowl XLIX Simulation nails Patriots win, final score, Tom Brady MVP
Last year’s Super Bowl Simulation from EA Sports proved to be a bit of a misfire as the Seattle Seahawks handily defeated the Denver Broncos. This year’s prediction, created using Madden NFL 15, was much more on the mark.
The Patriots 28-24 win, Tom Brady’s 328-yard/four touchdown performance, and his MVP award almost exactly mirrored the Madden Simulation, which also included a 28-24 final score, a 335-yard/four touchdown performance from Brady, and an MVP award for the quarterback.
With this correct prediction, the annual Madden Simulation improves to 9-3 over the past 12 years.
EA Sports predicts the Patriots will win it all against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX
EA Sports fired up their in-office copy of Madden NFL 15 over the weekend to play out their annual Super Bowl prediction matchup. According to the Madden makers, Super Bowl XLIX will end with the New England Patriots emerging victorious over the Seattle Seahawks with a final score of 28 to 24.
If EA’s prediction comes true, it will be because of late game heroics from Tom Brady, Darrelle Revis, and Julian Edelman. Revis will intercept a Russell Wilson pass to give the Patriots the ball, enabling Brady to connect with Edelman for the decisive touchdown as time expires.
Per the prediction, Brady will be further rewarded with the Super Bowl MVP award thanks to his 335-yard/four touchdown day. Edelman will lead all receivers with eight catches and 106 yards while Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch will turn on “Beast Mode” to pile up 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
If the Patriots do win it all this Sunday, it will be their fourth Super Bowl victory. However, that’s far from a guarantee as last year’s Madden Simulation completely fizzled out.
CoD: Advanced Warfare goes 2-for-2 as the best-selling game of December 2014
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is on a roll. After being named the best-selling game for all of last year, the NPD Group also confirmed that it was the best-selling game of December as well. Activision’s latest military shooter also took the top spot in November, during its first month of release.
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, December’s sales chart was dominated by big-name franchises including Grand Theft Auto V (#2), Madden NFL 15 (#3), Super Smash Bros. For Wii U / Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Minecraft (#6).. really, just the entire top ten.
On the hardware side of things, the Xbox One once again was the best-selling console, besting the PS4 for a second month in a row. The console’s $50 price cut is really working for Microsoft and the company has decided to reinstate the discount beginning today, possibly on a permanent basis.
The full top ten for December 2014 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny, Far Cry 4, FIFA 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Just Dance 2015, Madden NFL 15, Minecraft, NBA 2K15, NPD, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U