This coming Tuesday, we would know who would follow the footsteps of Shaun Alexander, Donovan McNabb, Eddie George, and Ray Lewis. The next cover athlete for EA's Madden NFL 08 will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday (or Wednesday depending on where you live). Anyhow, Kimmel is a friend of the Madden game franchise - Shaun Alexander appeared on the show last July and Maddenoliday (last August). The show also featured bands showcased on Madden NFL 07.

Revealing who the cover athlete is on a late night show is a new publicity approach for EA. Usually, QJ and other sites would just get a press release about this kind of news, but now they've upped the ante. Anyhow, there has been speculation as to who the coverboy would be - names of NFL Pros like Peyton Manning, Chad Johnson, Reggie Bush, Tom Brady and Devin Hester have been mentioned. Although Hester had the longest odds because he is a kicks-and- punts kinda player.

Anyhow, let's just wish that the future Madden NFL 08 cover athlete won't succumb to the Madden Curse that has plagued all of the Madden cover athletes.

A lot of Madden fans thought the day would never come when the guys at EA Sports would rate a player's speed at 100, but the impossible is now confirmed: Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears is the first man to receive the pedigree.

"It's an honor -- I don't know what to say, really," says Hester, the man who racked up his six scores on three punt returns, two kick returns and an incredible 108-yard return of a missed field goal attempt all in his rookie season in America's biggest and most popular sports league.

Despite the fact that Hester has achieved the ultimate rocket fuel award in electronic entertainment, he's not completely satisfied with how Madden rates his other stats. In particular, he thought his defense and breaking tackles ratings were a bit underrated.

"I definitely need to break more tackles. On a few of my returns last year I feel like I showed what I can do in that category," says the dissatisfied Chicago return man. What he has to worry more about is getting nerfed in Madden 09 if he becomes a little too unstoppable in this year's release.

Other speed demons have topped previous Madden games with a 99 rating on their pedals, with Hester's mentor Deion Sanders in that elite list, but "the Windy City Flyer"  was deemed a cut above the rest for his insane ability to track down field goal attempts and return them for a score. Incidentally, Hester is also the first NFL player to open the Super Bowl with a touchdown on the first kick.

Here's the "Madden 2007 EA SuperBowl Simulation" video from Electronic Arts. Watch along and keep score. It's less than three minutes long, so the game is over in a hurry. We're pretty sure you won't all agree with the outcome.



Madden 2007 is a top-selling title in the US. It is available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. There are also versions for PSP and DS.

If you've already updated your roster for Madden NFL 2007 (for PS3 and 360 owners), then you can always have your own Superbowl game before the real Superbowl XLI comes around. And if you're lucky enough to have bought a 360 porn copy, then you can have your own halftime show complete with wardrobe malfunction.

Just a quick heads up for those Madden NFL 07 (Xbox 360, Playstation 3) players. Days before the Super Bowl dawns upon us (Go Bears!), a new roster update was released for the both Madden NFL 07 versions. To get the new roster, all you gotta do is start up an online game and the rosters will download to your console. Be sure to back out and save the file once it's complete.

Top Movers

• Frank Gore – 86 to 92 OVR
• Jammal Brown – 86 to 92 OVR
• Marcus McNeil – 78 to 89 OVR
• DeMeco Ryans – 83 to 89 OVR
• Vince Young – 84 to 86 OVR
• Steven Jackson – 92 to 94 OVR
• Brian Westbrook – 91 to 93 OVR
• Lito Sheppard – 88 to 93 OVR
• Asante Samuel – 87 to 94 OVR
• Nnamdi Asomugha – 84 to 91 OVR
• Bart Scott – 88 to 91 OVR
• Devin Hester – 75 to 78 OVR

• Jake Plummer – 87 to 83 OVR
• Trent Green – 90 to 84 OVR
• Terrell Owens – 96 to 94 OVR
• Eli Manning – 87 to 85 OVR
• Randy Moss – 94 to 92 OVR
• Samari Rolle – 90 to 87 OVR
• Santana Moss – 91 to 89 OVR
• Boss Bailey – 87 to 81 OVR
• Fred Smoot – 88 to 83 OVR
• Edgerrin James – 94 to 92 OVR

Buy: [Madden NFL 07  for PS3]
Buy: [Madden NFL 07  for Xbox 360]

They may be a magnet for bad publicity, but it certainly can't be denied that their franchises sell well. Two of Electronic Arts' games have reached rather high sales, making EA games a high seller on two continents.

In the United States, EA Sports' Madden NFL '07 has sold over 5 million copies across the different consoles. As a result of these figures, a press release EA sent out, they proclaimed Madden to be "North America's most popular game of 2006".

Over in the United Kingdom, it's their underground racing game that's taking up the Electronic Arts banner. Gamasutra reports Need for Speed: Carbon as the new leader of the pack by pushing another EA title, FIFA '07, out of the top spot and into second place.

With best-selling games in two countries, as well as additional games in their lineup in the top ten lists, EA should be quite pleased with their results this year. This is one of EA's best years in the business, making them a company to watch out for yet again in 2007.

GameStop, the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer, has just revealed information regarding the PS3's surprisingly low attach rate in its quarterly statement call.

The third and by far most powerful console in Sony's PlayStation series had a pretty low attach rate of 1.5 games per console, with Madden NFL 07 and Resistance: Fall of Man getting the honors for best-selling titles.

GameStop attributed the low numbers for the PS3 to the rash of consoles getting bought just to be sold again to others at a large premium. Yep, it's essentially the Ebay effect all over again, folks.

It is believed however that the numbers will go up once these units make their way into the hands of those who really want them so they can actually play videogames. On the other hand, Nintendo's Wii console had a "surprisingly good" attach rate of 3.0 games per console sold. The top-selling Wii games at GameStop and EB Games were Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Red Steel.

Those interested in getting a PS3 should also note that the second shipments of the console - along with second shipments for the Wii - have already made their way into GameStop and are either in warehouses or in stores. It's expected that new shipments of both consoles will arrive weekly until the year closes.

Why "first of the last" you ask? Well, with less than two weeks away before the PS3 launch and Madden NFL 07's release, this post could very well be one of the last updates you'll probably get before the game hits the shelves.

By this time, you guys are probably starting to make a list of games that you'll be getting right away once you get your sweeet PS3's, huh? Well, we obviously can't influence you in making those life-altering decisions, but maybe we can help. *grins*

With us right now are new screens and two new gameplay vids for Madden's football title, and we don't know about you, but everything's looking swell and goo-hood. And we dunno if it's just us but we're getting the feeling that Madden NFL 07 will somehow be making it to the top of your lists. Hmmm...*pensive*

Anyhoo, here are a few new screens we snagged from IGN, and they give a pretty good picture of how the game will play out on your PS3s. We also put the two videos in one neat bundle to make it easier for you guys. So sit back, chill, grab a beer, and enjoy the videos.

 

Download: [Madden NFL 07 videos]

Ooooh, PS3 game packs! So here's the deal: those lucky folks over at IGN finally got a hold of their first PS3 games (Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 and Madden NFL 07, as you can see). Seeing as how they're nice guys, they decided to take some shots and spread the PS3 love. Now, since we weren't sent any game packs (boohoo for us), we're just gonna get their pictures and post them here for all of you guys out there who want a glimpse at how the new cases stand up to the older game cases for other Sony consoles.

Frankly, we were rooting for black cases like the PS2's, but surprisingly, the clear ones are starting to grow on us. They look much more durable than the PS2 and PSP game cases, actually. The only beef we have with it is that it's gonna look dirtier a lot faster because of the clear plastic. Still, we think that overall the new game cases look pretty snazzy, so why don't you guys take a gander at the shots below and see for yourselves? Don't hesitate to leave a comment.

San Francisco turned into PS3 Central for the entirety of Gamers' Day as everyone got their hands on playable PS3 demos and game media outlets everywhere got their hands on those gameplay clips. Of course, for those of us who are not so lucky to be there, in the middle of all the action, we've had to settle for waiting for the latest news from that day, and to watching the action play out in our PC screens.

It's not that bad, really. It gives us another good look at exactly what Sony's baby can do - playing games and showing clips from Stranglehold, Ridge Racer 7, Call of Duty 3, and more. We're now going to go through the "more" part, this time with four clips from Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, Madden NFL 07, NBA 2K7 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Gee, there goes our original intent of making this a sports-centric article.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07


More videos await after the jump!

Think you already know everything there is to know about Madden NFL 07 (Wii, PS3, DS, Xbox360)? Well yeah, we've given you the game's soundtrack and even the very first vid of the PS3 game in action, but we bet you're still craving like mad for more Madden details, huh?

Then you've just scored a touchdown by clicking on this article baybee because today, we will satiate those cravings of yours with more info on Madden as well as a first batch of screens of the game running on your much-awaited PS3.

The game starts with your character being spruced up in Mini-Camp, where you'll hone his skills by playing through skill-based mini-games, and then when you feel you're skilled enough, there'll be no stopping you from heading to the big stadiums. The Mini-Camp also serves as your refuge and can be used to condition and rehabilitate you before the next season starts.

With the PS3's power and bumped up technology, you can also expect to see advanced animations  when you perform certain actions such as gang tackling, jumping, etc. The game also takes advantage of the Sixaxis' motion sensor feature with the new controller movements you can use to Jump the Snap, Snap the Ball, and for the Lead Blocker Control.

Other features of Madden NFL 07 for the PS3 include the NFL Superstar Hall of Fame Mode, where you get to create and customize your player, including the position you want him to play on the field. The Madden Gamer Level also allows you to keep track of your accomplishments in Franchise Mode, which will earn you Madden Gamer Points that you can use to wage against online opponents and battle it out to become a part of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Now, if all these info still hasn't satisfied your mad cravings, then maybe some visuals should do it, eh? Whaddya say? Alright, so we'll just stop talking here and let you guys have your football feast. Enjoy!