electronic arts

Punt Sci

Madden Predicts the Winner

Electronic Arts's football technology is good for more than playing around

The company that claims "It's in the game" was certainly immersed in Super Bowl week. EA Sports was busy preparing teams, educating fans, and predicting the results better than the best bettors in Vegas.

In what's become a yearly tradition, the Madden '09 simulator predicted the Steelers would win Super Bowl XLIII. As seven-point favorites, it was hardly a stretch, but the predicted score was 28-24. Actual score? 27-23. Not bad for a video game. While Santonio Holmes walked away with the real MVP, many pundits could argue that quarterback Ben Roethlisburger, who received the simulated honor, deserved it just as much.

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Playing Around

View to a Thrill

Mirror's Edge offers fresh perspective on high-flying acrobatics

Shots ring out. Sirens split the air. Sunlight streaming on the city's rooftops, you race towards freedom, breath exploding in your lungs, footsteps pounding on the concrete. Suddenly, you've nowhere left to run. Without thinking, you leap. And for the first time ever, in 3D adventure Mirror's Edge (PC/PS3/Xbox 360), you'll discover how the gymnastic maneuver pans out directly through its heroine's eyes.

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The Spawn of Spore

Three months before his long-anticipated Spore, Will Wright releases the Creature Creator

Years in the making, Will Wright’s Spore peeks out today with the release of the Creature Creator. The free download is a toolkit for designing the life forms that will inhabit the Spore universe when the full game launches on September 7.

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Electronic Arts Won’t Clean up Take Two

Amid fears that a takeover could lead to a less violent Grand Theft Auto, the CEO promises not to touch a line of code

Gaming giant Electronic Arts recently announced its intention to buy Take Two Interactive, the shop behind violent titles like Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne, plus the unsettling but ridiculously creative BioShock. Since EA isnt known for Mature titles, some in the gaming community feared theyd soften those edgier games. But EAs CEO has some encouraging words for fans. Regarding those games, he said in a call with Multiplayer, I wouldnt change a line of code.

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