Those nice guys at EA Sports - always looking out for you, the consumer.

Concerned that the excess cash in your pocket might slow you down, they find new and creative ways to separate you from your money. Last year's innovation was to jack up the cost of Madden by $20 over the previous edition.

EA was able to raise Madden's price because they eliminated the competition (NFL2K series) by scarfing up an exclusive NFL licensing deal. That little maneuver reminds GP of another famous game.

Now comes word that EA Sports and ESPN are thoughtfully prepared to help you part with yet another Andrew Jackson. This time, it's by charging real money to watch one of those "behind the scenes" videos. Ummm, didn't they run something like that for free on MTV last year? And the year before that?

Well, along with the five-cent cigar, those days are gone. A corporate press release just received here at GP HQ announces Inside Madden NFL 07, a pay-per-view special scheduled to debut on August 4th. So what does your $20 buy you? Here's what EA says:

"In this special, available 18 days before the release of Madden NFL 07... fans will get an early look inside one of this year's most anticipated video game releases. EA game designers and some of the best Madden players will lead gamers on a guided tour through new changes and advances in all aspects of the game..."

There are also interviews with top Madden players as well as some NFL stars. Nice for hardcore Madden types, I guess, but a pay-per-view special? About a video game? Are ya kidding me?
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T.V. newsman John Facenda died in 1984, but his deep, resonant voice lives on, thanks mainly to its use by the National Football League and the league's video unit, NFL Films.

But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Facenda's family has filed a federal lawsuit against the league and NFL Films over the use of Facenda's rich baritone in Making of Madden 2006, a promotional video for last year's edition of the long-running pro football game published by EA Sports. The game publisher has an exclusive deal with the league for pro football video games which use NFL logos and other licensing features.

Facenda vs. NFL Films was filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on Monday. The Facenda family's attorney Paul Lauricella said that the broadcaster agreed to allow the NFL to use his voice for its football highlights, but not to promote other types of businesses. The amount of damages sought by the family remains unspecified.

The Associated Press spoke with Lauricella, who claimed that Facenda's voice opened the Making of Madden 2006 and was used later in the video, which the attorney called a "30-minute commercial for the Madden game."
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Hockey and fighting go together like Jack Thompson and controversy.

But perhaps they shouldn't, argues Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick. In a lengthy opinion piece, Soshnick takes a few jabs at the NHL for not cracking down on fighting. Although the column is almost completely directed toward the actual NHL spectacle, game publisher Electronic Arts comes in for some fighting-related criticism:

"By no means do we want to be a bad example," says Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis...tell that to (NHL player Todd) Bertuzzi, who pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for staying out of jail. Tell that to Electronic Arts Inc., which allows kids armed with joysticks to simulate NHL fights...."

Soshnick is referring, of course, to EA's NHL 06. But to be fair, he could just as easily have been speaking of NHL2K6 from 2K Sports, which touts "intimidation and aggressive play with the Enforcer System" or Gretzky 06 from Sony.

But while Soshnick makes some excellent points overall, is it fair to ding game companies for faithfully recreating the NHL product?