Madden 360 in 2005? I don't think so.

[Anthony1]

For some reason, I'm not believing that Madden for the 360 will be available in 2005. I have a weird feeling in my gut that this game is going to be delayed until just before the Super Bowl. For some I reason, I don't think it will be out till late January.


But if it is actually available during launch, then I will be very suprised.


The thing is, all the footage that we've seen, and the screenshots that we've seen have been like an artists rendering of what they think it will look like. Well, if it's really supposed to come out during launch, then they only got like 2 1/2 months left. So if that is the case, then the game should be like 70 percent complete, and we should see some real pictures and video of the game by now.

Not just conceptual pics, and artists rendering.


What do you guys think? Do you think this game is really coming out this year? Do you think it will look anything like the renders that have been seen so far?


The one thing that I'm encouraged about, is the fact that they have to go with a totally new game engine. Which means that they will finally have to give up their engine that is tailor made to display short , stubby, cartoon like football player characters.



If Madden 360 really is coming out this November, then I have to believe that one of the biggest reasons is the fact that Microsoft paid them a huge sum of money to get that game out for their launch.

[TEND]

I would think that they would want it out at launch. Madden did extremely well when it launched alongside the PS2, I would assume it would do just as well coming out as a launch title with the 360.

[JJNova]

I was under the impression that it was simply Madden '06.

http://www.xbox360.com

Oh. I'm right.


Again.

EDIT : Why would they have to go with a completely different game engine?

[Anthony1]

I didn't say the freaking name of the game is Madden 360.


That was just a shortened version of the real name dumbass.



Sorry to be harsh, but you really jumped the gun on that.


I just didn't feel like writing Madden '06 for XBOX 360.

So I condensed it to "Madden 360".





As for the game engine, nobody is going to use a game engine from the last generation on a next generation machine, it wouldn't make any sense. The team at Tiburon has to start from scratch for this Madden.

[SirDrexl]

I think it will come out. It IS their best-selling game, isn't it? Also, a football game seems like it has a certain window of opportunity that expires at the end of the season. Each year, it seems that they keep releasing it earlier. Why would they want to release it near the Super Bowl, as it reaches the end of that window? They would want to release it sooner if they could.

The only thing I could think of that could move it back is if they believe that the people buying the 360 already got it sooner for another console and won't bother to buy it again so soon, so they focus on the other sports that 360 buyers would hold off on. Another thing that could affect it is whether the current Madden Xbox games (06 in particular) will be backwards compatible with the 360 or not, but I don't think that will be too much of a factor.

I think it will look like the renders. The renders were impressive, but not beyond what I expect a next-gen game to look like. The only difference there might be is that the anti-aliasing might not be quite as smooth, so you could get some edges that aren't quite as polished when running in real time. Of course, the higher resolution that HD affords will help that aspect a lot.

[JJNova]

I didn't say the freaking name of the game is Madden 360.


That was just a shortened version of the real name dumbass.



Sorry to be harsh, but you really jumped the gun on that.


I just didn't feel like writing Madden '06 for XBOX 360.

So I condensed it to "Madden 360".





As for the game engine, nobody is going to use a game engine from the last generation on a next generation machine, it wouldn't make any sense. The team at Tiburon has to start from scratch for this Madden.

Ummm....ok. So Madden '06 is already out...but you don't think it will be available for the 360 this year? Because, for some reason, you don't think they will be using the same engine. I still don't understand why they would change the engine. It's a safe, and proven formula for the madden franchise. I think they will just port their original concept of Madden '06 to the X360. The other versions, most likely, were just watered down versions of what they really wanted to make. I doubt the X360 version will even utilize all that the X360has to offer, but instead was created with what EA assumed it would be able to push. Henceforth developing the game at what they think the nex gen will be capable of, and then making inferior versions for the current market.

So in short.... the game is already completed. They are just adding the rounded edges and making the crowds faces painted the right color. Madden will be there for launch.

[Kid Ice]

I'm not sure what your reasoning is. Why would Madden take longer to bring out than any of the other launch titles? I think coming out with it in January as you suggest would really be shooting themselves in the foot.

[Lothars]

Well true, but I have to think that Anthony1 is right, I mean unless it's almost an exact copy of the xbox version with alittle changes

so I would be surprised to see Madden 2006 to be released on the released date or so,

but it will be released we will see though.

[buttasuperb]

Are you going to play it on your 1 billion foot TV?

[CreamSoda]

Who cares, it's just another quick Madden port thrown together so the rabid fans will rush out and by it at once.

[Anthony1]

The amount of mis-information flowing throughout this thread is disturbing.


Let me list a few facts for the newbies out there.


1. The main reason that some people are skeptical that Madden '06 will really make it out in either November or December, is the fact that no real screenshot of the game has ever been seen.

Don't you think this is kinda odd? I mean, if the game is coming out in a couple of months, don't you think we would see a "real", "actual", screenshot of it by now? I can't begin to remember a game that I didn't even see one legit screen shot of it, when it's supposed to be released in 3 freaking months. Tell me the last game that nobody saw a single legit screen with only 3 months left before it's supposed release?

2. The other thing that people are forgetting, is if Madden '06 comes out this year on the 360, it will be a major freaking deal. Please don't even begin to underestimate how huge of a game it would be to the launch of the 360.


I don't give a damn if you bought Madden for the XBOX or the PS2 already, if you are going to be a XBOX 360 owner, then you are going to be damn interested in the 360 version. I mean, we are talking about a whole new level. A totally rebuilt and custom designed engine for the next generation. This is big freaking serious news, and it will be a major game for the XBOX 360, and it could single handedly sell a number of XBOX 360 systems to the Madden faithfull. I mean, what self respecting Madden disciple isn't just drooling over the possibilties with the first next gen Madden for the new super systems?


3. Will the game really have a new engine? I can't even believe that this question is being pondered. Of course it will have a new engine. That's like saying the Playstation Madden had the same engine as the Super Nintendo version. Everytime a new level of systems comes out, and EA does their flagship sports games, they have to totally redesign them under the new specs. If they tried to port over the XBOX version of 06 to the 360, nobody would even consider the game. They have to come with a whole new engine for the next generation. What they showed during the video that has been seen, is an artists interpretation of what the new engine is going to look like on the next level systems.

4. There is no way that Madden 06 won't come out in 2005. Um, yes there is a way. It's called a delay. It happens all the freaking time. Now, sometimes, a game of this magnitude will be delayed an entire year. Like in the case of Madden 96 for the PSX. Madden was supposed to launch with the PSX, but it got cancelled in mid December, and a totally new game was made that didn't come out until the following September. So it has happened before. But this game won't be delayed that long. Microsoft is most likely paying EA a handsome royalty to have Madden on it's next gen machine for at least a few months before the PS3 comes along. Now way in hell this game get's delayed for a year.

But could it be delayed till mid January? Unfortunately yes. The Super Bowl is like the 2nd week of February, so if Madden 360 came out in mid January, that would be right during the meat of the NFL playoffs, and it would still sell quite well to the XBOX 360 early adopters that are big time Madden or video game football fans. Sure, once people buy it, and a few more weeks go by, then the Season is over, but I've seen things like this happen before.




Now, my personal take is that:


A: Either we will start to see some "REAL" pics very, very, very soon..... or......

B: At some point, EA will make an announcement, and we will hear that the game won't actually be available on launch day, but is now scheduled for some time in late December or early January. They might even say, Madden to miss 360 launch, but on target for Winter 2006 release. And in the article it will say that Madden is expected in late January and should be on shelves prior to the Super Bowl.