Here’s a bit of history for you folks: John Madden has had his name on EA-developed football games since the Reagan era. The first was John Madden Football, which came out for the C64 and Apple II on June 1, 1988 (it was also later released for the Genesis). The most recent was Madden NFL 08, which was released on August 14, 2007. Now, EA has come full-circle: they’ll be putting out a 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of Madden NFL 09. And why not? Premium-priced special editions have become all the rage these days.

The Collector’s Edition will be available alongside the no-frills version of Madden NFL 09; both will launch on the same day, August 12th. But for your $89.99, you’ll actually be getting two full games: the Collector’s Edition will include full versions of Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09, in addition to “exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of exclusive bonus video content”.

There’s some rather curious phrasing in the press release that caught my eye (see for yourself after the jump). Towards the end, it states the following:

NFL Head Coach 09 is scheduled to ship only as a part of the Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, which, at a suggested retail price of $89.99 for the complete package of Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09 plus additional exclusive bonus content, will ship on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION

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I don’t know about you, but after playing through countless hours of video games saving the world in more worlds than I can count, I’ve grown tired of the same old thing. I can live with sword fights and looting, but more than anything else, I’m sick and exhausted of cutscenes that break up the action.

Can anyone give me one good reason for why cutscenes are really that necessary? Sure, they help move the story along and I can appreciate that, but I don’t need fancy renderings of my pixelated heroes speaking to each other when all I really want to do is slay some more beasts.

Bioshock does it right.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

As far as I can tell, this idea of cutscenes, which was made brutally unbearable by Hideo Kojima in the Metal Gear series is nothing more than an attempt by game developers to display their graphical prowess and make a video game feel more like a movie.

I don’t want a movie. I want a video game.

…

source The Digital Home

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Here’s a bit of history for you folks: John Madden has had his name on EA-developed football games since the Reagan era. The first was John Madden Football, which came out for the C64 and Apple II on June 1, 1988 (it was also later released for the Genesis). The most recent was Madden NFL 08, which was released on August 14, 2007. Now, EA has come full-circle: they’ll be putting out a 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of Madden NFL 09. And why not? Premium-priced special editions have become all the rage these days.

The Collector’s Edition will be available alongside the no-frills version of Madden NFL 09; both will launch on the same day, August 12th. But for your $89.99, you’ll actually be getting two full games: the Collector’s Edition will include full versions of Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09, in addition to “exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of exclusive bonus video content”.

There’s some rather curious phrasing in the press release that caught my eye (see for yourself after the jump). Towards the end, it states the following:

NFL Head Coach 09 is scheduled to ship only as a part of the Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, which, at a recommended retail price of $89.99 for the complete package of Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09 plus additional exclusive bonus content, will ship on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION

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Have you ever gasped out loud while playing a videogame? Even superior, have you ever been so surprised by a moment that you’ve looked over and expressed your shock to someone that wasn’t even there? I can’t even tell you how many times my sofa pillows have heard me scream “Oh my God, did you just see that?!” while gesturing their way, as if anticipating some kind of response. It’s a tiny sad, sure, but I guess it just proves the power of videogames.

One recent example of a moment that made me shout out loud was in the masterpiece Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (I played the Xbox 360 Orange Box version, but I’m sure the reaction would have been the same had I played it on my PC). This moment in particular didn’t just affect my pillows — my poor dog who was trying to sleep nearby will never rest peacefully again (and most likely still has a bruise on her paw from my clenched fist). Sorry, Luna.

Hit the jump to experience one of the most gasp-inducing moments in videogame history, but please be warned: this is a very current game that a handful of you might not have played yet. Please proceed with caution as I don’t want to be the guy who spoils anything for you. Spoiling Half-Life 2: Episode 2 might be worse than punching a dolphin. Well, nearly as bad.

Via Destructoid

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This is it, folks: the final trailer for Rockstar’s upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV. After this there is only waiting to look forward to until the game hits shelves on April 29.

What do I think, you ask? Well, I think it looks great. I love the scope of all the action. I love the voice acting. I love the polish. I love the rain. Most importantly, though, I love the way it all feels like GTA, just a lot shinier.

But my humble view doesn’t matter. What do you all think? Are you more excited than ever? Is this enough of a final tease to get you through this last agonizing month?

Via Destructoid

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This is it, folks: the final trailer for Rockstar’s upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV. After this there is only waiting to look forward to until the game hits shelves on April 29.

What do I think, you ask? Well, I think it looks great. I love the scope of all the action. I love the voice acting. I love the polish. I love the rain. Most importantly, though, I love the way it all feels like GTA, just a lot shinier.

But my humble view doesn’t matter. What do you all think? Are you more excited than ever? Is this enough of a final tease to get you through this last agonizing month?

Via Destructoid

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As most of you already know, Grand Theft Auto IV will be released on April 29. Even though its launch will undoubtedly be huge in and of itself, Rockstar Games is going even further by unleashing a new Web site called the Rockstar Social Club on the very same day.

In addition to having leaderboards that follow your various in-game statistics, performance-based competitions and awards will also appear on the site. You’ll be able to register using your gamertag or PSN ID as early as April 15, so that way we don’t all sign up on GTA IV’s release day and bring down the servers.

Specific details on some of the different challenges we’ll see on the Rockstar Social Club can be found after the break.

Via Destructoid

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As most of you already know, Grand Theft Auto IV will be released on April 29. Although its launch will undoubtedly be huge in and of itself, Rockstar Games is going even further by unleashing a new Web site called the Rockstar Social Club on the very same day.

In addition to having leaderboards that follow your various in-game statistics, performance-based competitions and awards will also appear on the site. You’ll be able to register using your gamertag or PSN ID as early as April 15, so that way we don’t all sign up on GTA IV’s release day and bring down the servers.

Specific details on some of the different challenges we’ll see on the Rockstar Social Club can be found after the break.

Via Destructoid

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This morning, Midway passed along the long-awaited (well, by somebody…right?) list of Ballers who will be playable in their upcoming arcade basketball title, NBA Ballers: Chosen One. The full list features 81 NBA stars altogether: 67 present-day ballers, alongside 14 of the game’s legendary players.

They also put together a short montage that shows off in-game renders of each of the Ballers’ faces, as well as some previously unseen game footage. You can check that out above; the complete roster (in no particular order) is available after the jump, so you can begin your cheering and/or complaining in the comments.

It’s a pretty solid group of players, and there’s plenty of variety, even among the legends. But how can you have an arcade basketball game, which is ostensibly all about doing crazy things with a basketball (including dunking), and not include Spud Webb? I call shenanigans!

NBA Ballers: Chosen One will be out for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 21st.

Via Destructoid

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All of you Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 fans are in for a treat. First off, Comcast and GameStop are holding a tournament on the exclusive GameStop map called the Comcast Optimized MLG Map where players will have a chance to win $10,000. Registration ends on April 4th and the tournament kicks off on April 11. Check out GameStop’s Web site for more details and rules for the competition.

Vegas 2 fans will have another tournament they have the ability to enter in as well. Starting this Friday, players can enter a number of events with lots of prizes being given out. Among them will be a 72-hour Play & Win Sweepstakes with a winner every hour. Some of the prizes include customized Vegas 2 bowling shirts (Umm … ), and Microsoft Points. The Grand Prize is an autographed Xbox 360 Elite signed by the Montreal Development Team with 12 months of Xbox LIVE Gold.

All you need to do is download the free Vegas 2 picture pack before March 30th. Full rules and details can be found at Xbox’s Web site. Players will also have a chance to play against some of the folks from the Vegas 2 team. Watch the above video for the gamertags you need and when you’ll have a opportunity to kick the dev team’s ass.

That’s not all! Gamers can also enter this sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas, a terabyte hard drive, Xbox 360 Elite or copies of Vegas 2. On top of that, players will also have a chance to win a 360 Accessory Kit, LIVE subscriptions, and more free duplicates of the game by customizing their character in the game with the Vision camera. Full details on that can be found here.

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